International Drives C&D Sales, NPA On WIC, Recalls: Health And Wellness Industry News

International consumer product sales soared 12.3% to 143.1m, driven by personal and household care products, Church & Dwight Co. Inc. said in its 2017 first-quarter earnings release on May 5. Consumer product domestic sales showed a 1.8% increase in the January-March period to $659.7m, hampered by declines in Trojan condoms. However, the Ewing, N.J.-based firm expects product launches to spur growth, including growing reported and organic sales 1% to 2% in the current quarter. “Many of our new products are hitting store shelves now, and we intend to get behind them in the coming quarter,” said CEO Matthew Farrell during a same-day earnings briefing. Among new entries is Vitafusion Everyday Energy caffeine-containing gummies. (Also see "Vitafusion Energy, Orajel Line Extensions On Church & Dwight Plate" - HBW Insight, 8 February, 2017.) Total sales for personal care products, separate from household items, grew 2.2% to $265.2m in the quarter as overall net sales increased 3.3% to $877.2m, with organic sales up 2.3% on the strength of global consumer products. C&D's net income reached $131.5m, compared to $113m in the prior-year period.

Rosa Foods Inc.'s Soylent meal replacement brand raises $50m in a second round of financing led by GV, formerly called Google Ventures, to support its expansion in product offerings and distribution into traditional retail and international territories. The Los Angeles firm, which is owned by Meow Global Networks Inc. and markets nutrition drinks, snacks and bars on the Soylent website, on May 4 said the financing round also attracted new investor Tao Capital Partners and included existing investors Lerer Hippeau Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. Soylent has received a total of $74.5m in funding