Krispy Kreme's CEO on Low-Carb Frenzy

Amid an accounting scandal and another disastrous Q, there was a lot of bad news on KKD's conference call. But one bit of info may provide some insight to specialty food investors -- Krispy Kreme's CEO called a top to the low-carb diet frenzy. The AP reports: "On a conference call with analysts, Livengood said the low-carb dieting phenomenon is still a factor in the company's soft sales, but he believes the trend might have peaked. Krispy Kreme had previously blamed the diet for much of its sales difficulties this year."

Time Accelerated: Britney's Greatest Hits

When a performer (in this case: Britney) can go from an unknown kid to global celebrity to tabloid fodder to purveyor of a greatest hits album in five years, its clear that we live in accelerating times. It's the same phenomena that has us listening to 90s oldies on the radio and will soon have us tuning in for those nostalgic hits from the year 2000. Quaint.

But there is something about a greatest hits album that doesn't make sense in the age of digital music -- the era that we have acclerated into. Any fan can now build his own greatest hits collection on iTunes without the help of a record label by buying one song at a time. Further, iMixs, where fans compile their own playlists, package content in ways a label never could. Since these fans are not incentived to monetize some old catalog, they instead cross label, performer, etc. in ways that are often more compelling than pre-packaged, shrink-wrapped compilations.

Still, DSBPI wonders when the Best of Christina Aguilera will be hitting shelves.

DSBPI Blocked in China

Actually the entire blogspot.com domain was blocked during the recent DSBPI field trip to Beijing.

Shrimp in China

DSBPI Asia analyst sat next to a shrimp executive on a flight to Beijing. His cost to process shrimp in Tampa, Florida is $6/pound; in China it is under $2/pound including shipping. He said the Chinese processed shrimp is better than the US stuff.

He hasn't had to lay off anyone in Tampa yet. Yet.