Do you know how many consumers would consider themselves fans of your brand? What percentage of these people uses the internet?

At a time when consumers demand value, branded retail food companies no longer can afford a dysfunctional approach to R&D. Gone are the days of  emphasizing development over consumer research.

Every Sunday morning I get up, start the coffee maker and open my front door to retrieve the plump Sunday paper. It’s one of my favorite weekend rituals and I’ve observed it for years. I love attempting the Sunday crossword and reading the Metro and entertainment sections. But lately, a new part of the paper has drawn my interest.

What qualities does someone need to successfully lead a food company? That topic captivated me last September when Refrigerated & Frozen Foods profiled Nestlé Prepared Foods Co. and, in part, its President and CEO Angelo Iantosca.

The food world is full of unlikely combinations. For example, a few years ago a friend told me about her new odd “combo” obsession. I tried it, and consequently spent more than a handful of evenings eating spoonfuls of peanut butter dipped in vanilla yogurt.

I admit it. After attempts at resistance, I recently jumped on two bandwagons.

It was back in the early '70s and most often, right after school. That's when every able-bodied kid in my block huddled together. Each one stuck a foot in the middle and then one kid (certainly a leader among us) used a mathematical process to determine who would be "it" in the next game of freeze tag.

A self-proclaimed “packaging” and “product” addict, I am the type of person who could spend hours in a Target store just looking at all the boxes and bags of goodies, giving special attention to those marked “new packaging,” “now with more flavor!” or “on sale for a limited time only.”

Fortune magazine recently profiled General Mills’ ongoing success with cost cutting.

With eyes around the globe turning to the upcoming presidential election, it’s an interesting time to think about symbols of American culture.

Any number of memories, images, events and, yes, foods can provoke feelings of patriotism and pride in Americans.