Grocery stores and other retail food sellers are losing as much as $15bn a year in unsold fruits and vegetables alone, with about half of the U.S. supply going uneaten, according to an analysis on food waste by the National Resources Defense Council.

The world's CEOs, CFOs and senior management accountants have an increasingly negative outlook for the global economy over the next 12 months, according to the CGMA Global Economic Forecast released today by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). The quarterly forecast polled 600 management accountants from more than 60 countries on global and domestic economic conditions and the outlook for their organizations.

Kuehne + Nagel has agreed to take over the business of Perishables International Transportation Inc. of Vancouver, Canada, another step in implementing the Swiss company's strategy to expand its activities in the field of perishables logistics globally.

The Consumer Goods Forum, an industry association of retailers, manufacturers and service providers, welcomes the announcement by the U.S. government at the Rio Plus 20 Conference to "forge a private-public partnership to support a concerted international effort to reduce deforestation by promoting sustainable supply chains."

For European governments, meeting the European Union's long-term target for greenhouse gas emissions - a reduction of 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050 - will demand bold moves.

Zenith Global Logistics, a logistics service provider specializing in home furnishings, has opened a "White Glove" home-delivery hub in Louisville, Ky. The facility supports both brick-and-mortar and e-retailers seeking service for the final mile of order fulfillment.

Etched into the base of Google's new wireless home media player is its most intriguing feature. On the underside of the Nexus Q is a simple inscription: "Designed and Manufactured in the U.S.A."

This year, Vermeer Corp. is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its lean journey, a remarkable milestone given one of the words President and CEO Mary Andringa uses to describe the continuous-improvement methodology. "Fragile" is the word.

Top-performing companies in the food, beverage and household products sectors that leverage the demand chain will be in the best position to continue to grow, according to the 2012 Financial Performance Report by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and PwC US, entitled Profitable Growth: Driving the Demand Chain.