Food prices are forecast to rise by 5% to 6% this year, making it the largest annual increase since 1990, according to the U.S. Agriculture Dept. Just last month, USDA forecast food prices would climb between 4.5% and 5.5% in 2008. The increase for 2008 is due partly to higher costs for meat, poultry and fish, which make up about 12% of total food spending. Overall, costs for these items are forecast to rise 3% compared to 2.5% estimated last month. Prices for fruits and vegetables, which account for more than 8% of food spending, will also rise …

Liz Claiborne, which hired celebrity designer Isaac Mizrahi as creative director earlier this year, is betting his star power will give its namesake label some sex appeal -- or "mojo," as CEO William L. McComb puts it. Mizrahi became a household name by designing a "cheap chic" line for Target that helped cement the retailer's reputation for selling stylish but inexpensive clothes. Mizrahi's collection, which has been shrouded in secrecy, will be unveiled at a presentation for retailers in September. In an unusual step, the company is inviting only members of the media who agree not to write …

Hyundai hopes to sell 50,000 units of its new luxury vehicle -- the Genesis sports sedan and coupe -- in the U.S. annually, according to John Krafcik, vp of product development for Hyundai Motor Co. in America. The sedan, which first went on sale in late June, is on pace to sell more than 1,200 units this month. The coupe will go on sale during the first quarter of 2009. Hyundai is aiming to change Americans' perceptions of the company with Genesis, and hopes to convince people to consider the brand when they buy a luxury vehicle. It …

Kellogg will reintroduce Hydrox cookies today at an event in New York that will feature three consumers who won a contest to be declared America's most ardent Hydrox fans. The winners also are part of a Web site (hydroxcookies.com), along with content like a history of Hydrox, which was first marketed by Sunshine in 1908. Sunshine was sold to Keebler in 1996 and Keebler was acquired by Kellogg in 2001; Kellogg stopped selling Hydrox in 2003. The brand was long a No. 2 to Nabisco's Oreos. The brand's centennial provided a peg to revive Hydrox …

In a $300 million campaign that is said to be the largest in its history, comedian and proven pitchman Jerry Seinfeld will appear with Bill Gates in Microsoft ads with an immediate goal of reversing negative public perception of Windows Vista. He reportedly will receive about $10 million;. The ads will break Sept. 4. Microsoft is weary of being cast as a stodgy oldster by Apple's advertising. The new ad effort is expected to use some variation of the slogan "Windows, Not Walls," according to sources. They say the point is to stress breaking down barriers that …

EBay is stepping up an overhaul aimed at getting more users to sell items at fixed costs -- a development that will make it look a lot more like Amazon, whose emphasis on fixed-price sales has surged in popularity as the more auction-oriented business on eBay has declined. EBay will announce today that it is slashing the upfront fees it charges to list sale items by as much as 75%. Under the new fee structure, eBay will charge just 35¢ to list an item for sale on its site, but will raise the fees it charges when an …