This summer in the U.S., General Mills is introducing four dinner kits it developed under the Chinese food brand Wanchai Ferry: sweet & sour chicken, spicy garlic chicken, Kung Pao chicken and cashew chicken. Each kit comes in a package that resembles a Chinese takeout box and contains everything needed to make the meal, except the chicken and cooking oil. The company is positioning its dinner kits as a higher-end product with ingredients that are worth paying a premium for. The spicy garlic chicken kit, for example, comes with Jasmine rice, spicy garlic sauce, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and …

Unilever's researchers have discovered that while only 45% of households today are baby boomers, they account for 60% of spending on package-goods, due to their higher spending power. And statistically speaking, they will continue to buy most of the company's products for the next decade. Unilever conducted its study as part of its research into trends affecting retailers that sell packaged-goods. Among concepts that may appeal to aging boomers are stores that incorporate aspects of community centers, perhaps even by scheduling events for older adults, according to Eileen Kozin, Unilever's director-consumer futures. Even the most practical segment …

Consumers are trying to beat soaring gas prices by buying small cars, but at the same time, they're holding on to their fuel-guzzling SUVs and pickups. In households that own a small car, the family fleet is close to an average of three vehicles, according to CNW Marketing Research, which tracks industry trends. The latest crop of small cars--including the Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and Nissan Versa--can be purchased with many of the same sought-after options as their bigger kin, like navigation screens or iPod connections. In 1990, more than 75% of buyers opted for basic no-frills models, sometimes …

Headlines about global warming, pollution and vanishing natural resources have people--and not just those wearing Birkenstocks--turning to manual lawn mowers in increasing numbers. "I definitely see a bigger selection of people all the time, especially since the Al Gore movie ("An Inconvenient Truth")," says Lars Hundley, the owner of a Dallas-based gardening equipment retailer. Exact statistics aren't available, but an estimated 350,000 manual mowers are sold in the United States each year, according to Teri McClain, a sales administrator at the 112-year-old American Lawn Mower Co. While that is just a fraction of the 6 million gas-powered walk-behind …

Sony has developed a razor-thin display that bends like paper while showing full-color video. In the future, it might be wrapped around a lamppost, put up like wallpaper, or even be worn as clothing, according to a Sony spokesman. In a video Sony released of the 2.5-inch display, a hand squeezes a screen that is only 0.01 inches thick. The display shows color images of a bicyclist stuntman and a picturesque lake. The display combines two technologies: Sony's organic thin film transistor--which is required to make flexible displays--and organic electroluminescent display. "You can drop it, and it won't …

Coca-Cola Co. will announce today that it is purchasing Glaceau for $4.2 billion in cash and Coke stock, according to an executive involved in the negotiations. Coke's board reportedly approved the acquisition last night. Coke executives declined to comment. The jewel of Glaceau is Vitaminwater, which is vitamin-fortified and offered in flavors. It is among a fast-growing category known as functional foods, which market themselves as offering an additional benefit beyond basic nutrition. Kiwi-Strawberry flavored Vitaminwater, for example, promises "focus" and "healthy support for eyes and skin." Glaceau also makes Fruitwater, an energy drink called Vitaminenergy and Smartwater, which …

For years, cable companies have been doing everything they can to steal chunks of the $60 billion of yearly revenue generated by telephone companies on voice plans for U.S. consumers. Atlanta-based Cox Communications seems to have hit upon a formula that works: beating the phone companies at customer service. Cox outscores traditional phone providers, such as AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint Nextel, on a variety of metrics measured by J.D. Power & Associates -- from network performance and reliability to billing and cost. Customers in several regions describe Cox as their preferred provider. Cox uses one customer-care provider, …

Wal-Mart, which pulled out of retail stores in 1994 to focus solely on direct sales to customers, will start selling personal computers at 3,500 Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores starting June 10. Dell will offer made-for-Wal-Mart Dimension Multimedia desktops; Wal-Mart says the "package bundles" will cost less than $700. Dell eventually plans to sell through other retailers, too, and might open its own stores. The move is crucial: The consumer sector is the strongest part of the computer market now, and Dell's sales have been hurt by its lack of a retail presence. Pacific Crest Securities estimates …

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) is launching an ad campaign in 10 states over the Memorial Day weekend that warns consumers that proposed increases in fuel standards would drive up the price of vehicles. The D.C.-based trade association represents GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota and five other automakers. The series of radio spots and print ads, via Glover Park Group, Washington, D.C., will run in Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The ads also state that a Senate bill that would impose a requirement that automakers raise fuel economy by 40% by …

McDonald's will spend more money on product development--including a dollar breakfast menu in certain markets--to make sure it has a "robust pipeline" of new food products for its 31,000 stores around the globe. And after four years of focusing on a strategy of improving finances, executives say the company will accelerate annual restaurant openings in targeted markets from its current rate of about 1% worldwide. Executives say that McDonald's will roll out a new trans-fat-free oil nationwide within the next year, while hinting they also plan to add more fruits and vegetables to future menus--probably in the form …