Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: United Fresh’s A Salad Bar in Every School program
Why It’s a Gem: Early exposure to nutrition can equate to a lifetime of wellness.

With childhood obesity now at epidemic proportions, Michelle Obama has spearheaded Let’s Move, a program whose mission is to solve the crisis within one generation. Even if the timeline weren’t so ambitious, the First Lady would have her work cut out for her, especially considering the poor state of school nutrition. With frozen pizzas and fries dominating cafeteria menus, it’s no wonder that our nation’s children are developing poor eating habits that they bring home and carry with them throughout their lives. As places of learning, schools have a responsibility to also educate on nutrition, which we all can agree is far more important than algebra, no matter what your third-period teacher claims. (more…)

The Orchard's new chef, Peter Rukule

Stewart and I firmly believe in promoting health – both for our consumers and our employees. We’ve made it the cornerstone of our businesses, with wholesome brands such as POM Wonderful, FIJI Water, and Wonderful Pistachios, and through our employee programs, such as on-site yoga and fitness boot camps. Now I’m pleased to announce the latest addition to our corporate wellness program, The Orchard. (more…)

“The American consumer is toast,” said Stephen Roach, Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, at our panel, “The Frugal New Consumer” [watch video], on day two of the Milken Institute Global Conference. As far as the Great Recession goes, he went on to say, “we’re only in the third inning.”

On "The Frugal New Consumer" panel at the Milken Global Conference

For those who’ve been reading the paper and watching the tentatively promising numbers on Wall Street, this news may come as a shock.  (more…)

After my post on pizzelle-maker and community-do-gooder Little Pepi’s ran a few weeks ago, owner Stan Kourakos dropped me a line to talk a little shop.

Hi, Lynda,

Hope this email finds you well.

I am thoroughly enjoying your book, and it reminds me of my college days, rereading paragraphs and chapters in an attempt to absorb every detail. I am out of practice, hence the reason I am still only two-thirds of the way through it! The rationale behind the close scrutiny to your words is, frankly, to change (more…)

Wi-Fi. Hi-def. Super-sized. 200GB. High protein. Low fat. With every brand getting upgraded to meet today’s newfangled demands, you might think there would be no room in the market for good old-fashioned values. That’s where you’d be mistaken. With so much hubris cluttering the shelves, a little bit of minimalism can offer weary customers a breath of fresh air. (more…)

Highlights from my February 8, 2010 appearance on FOX Business News’ Your Questions, Your Money, including details about the Teleflora Super Bowl ad and discussion of the behind-the-scenes footage with Don Rickles.

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Good morning, Lynda,

Greetings from beautiful Australia. I am a Canadian ex-pat who lives in Bendigo, Victoria. We have the only regional ice rink in Victoria, and I am a volunteer with the rink. We offer figure skating, ice hockey, curling, and recreational skating at the rink. Last year, we started a new under-13-year-old ice hockey team called the Wildcats. We are organising to host the first (more…)

Dear Lynda,

A close friend recently suggested I read Rubies in the Orchard to supplement my Communication Studies classes at Northwestern University. Needless to say, I loved it! I am currently a senior at NU and believe product branding is a thrilling field and am passionate about incorporating consumer insight to build and transform a brand across trends and time. The advice, anecdotes, and accessibility (more…)

Just in time for the holidays, I received this present in my inbox from Amy Reynolds, whom I interviewed this past May. It was heartening to read that my advice was able to help her and her company, and Amy’s consideration in following up with details of her recent successes brightened what was otherwise (more…)

Ruby Tuesday Pick of the Week: Science Commons
Why It’s a Gem: Eliminating red tape and developing new protocols makes sharing research easier than ever – which puts all cures within closer reach

Researchers around the world are hard at work on cures for most every ailment and disease. But until now, there was no system – let alone incentive – for sharing their discoveries, leaving researchers working independently in their own silos, possibly duplicating the same mistakes as their colleagues around the globe. It wasn’t unusual for decades to pass before any significant progress was made on a study.

But that’s all changing. Just as parent organization Creative Commons has made sharing artistic endeavors both easy and profitable, Science Commons is using that same open-access model to enable the scientific research community to both find and share their studies, thereby enabling an approach to sharing data that just might revolutionize the scientific world. My interview with John Wilbanks was a fitting way to cap off Open Access Week. (more…)