MILWAUKEE – The makers of Guinness are touting a new stout beer in the U.S., a maltier, fizzier version of its older, creamier sibling, the world’s best-selling stout.

“This is more about refreshment and zing,” said Guinness master brewer Fergal Murray, who created the new carbonated brew.

The limited-edition Guinness 250 Anniversary Stout celebrates Arthur Guinness’ signing of a 9,000-year lease in 1759 at St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin, still the company’s flagship brewery.

When it arrives in U.S. bars and stores April 24, the anniversary brew will be the first new stout Guinness has exported to the U.S. since it brought over Guinness Draught in the mid 1960s.

Guinness Draught, first brewed after Arthur Guinness decided to stop making ales and start making porters in 1779, became synonymous with Ireland over the centuries. More than 1.8 billion pints are consumed in 150 countries each year.

The anniversary stout will be available only in the U.S., Australia and Singapore, according to Diageo PLC, owner of Guinness and the world’s largest liquor producer. The company’s other brands include Johnnie Walker and Baileys.

The beer is expected to be available for about six months, said Patrick Hughes, brand director for Diageo Guinness USA. A big marketing campaign, complete with advertisements and promotions at bars, launches late this month.

“The brand is one of sort of strength, staying power and authenticity,” Hughes said. “We think consumers are really going for brands with that strength and trusted authenticity.”

They also want something new to taste, which this new beer delivers with carbonation, two types of malt and triple hops, Murray said.

Drinkers like to sit back and enjoy the flavor of Guinness Draught, he said, while the anniversary stout uses carbonation, rather than a combination of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, which is used by Guinness Draught. The result? More zing.

The taste is different, too, although it retains the rich flavor of Guinness Draught. Guinness 250 Anniversary Stout also has more alcohol, at about 5 percent by volume, compared with 4.2 percent for Guinness Draught.

Pouring will be simpler, too. This anniversary stout is poured only one way, at an angle, in contrast to Guinness Draught’s famous two-part process, which involves filling the glass about three-fourths of the way at an angle, letting the surge of foam settle, then pouring the rest.

The anniversary comes in a rocky year for Diageo. As the global recession deepens and consumer confidence remains low, the London-based company has been cutting costs and shedding jobs to protect its profits.

In January, it said it may change or abandon $1.1 billion plans to reform production in Ireland and open a new state-of-the-art brewery.

Guinness accounts for about 70 percent of stout volume in the U.S., dominating a category that makes up less than 1 percent of total U.S. beer volume, according to research firm Nielsen Co.

Guinness sales volume slipped about 3.9 percent in the U.S. in the 52-week period that ended March 7, according to Nielsen, while dollar sales fell 1.7 percent to $127.2 million in food, drug, liquor and convenience stores.

Nick Lake, vice president of beverage alcohol for Nielsen, said the introduction of the new beer “has the making of a very successful initiative,” citing the brand’s heritage and a trend of U.S. consumers increasingly wanting fuller, tastier beers like stouts. Lake also said consumers want more variety, and brewers are providing more seasonal and limited-release beers in response. The category was up 27.6 percent in sales volume in the latest 52-week period.

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NEW STOUT

Here’s a look at Guinness’ new brew, Guinness 250 Anniversary Draught, and its elder sibling, Guinness Draught:

Guinness 250 Anniversary Draught

• Alcohol: 5 percent by volume

• Calories: 136.3 per 11.2 ounces

• Brewing: Made with a double brew stream that combines two types of malts, ale and stout. Carbonated. Uses Guinness yeast, triple hops and roasted barley.

• Pour: A one-part pour, at an angle.

• Date: Launches in the U.S. April 24, in Australia and Singapore later.

Guinness Draught

• Alcohol: 4.2 percent by volume

• Calories: 126 per 12 ounces

• Brewing: Roasted, malted barley, hops, yeast and water. The beer is nitrogenated, meaning that nitrogen and carbon dioxide combine to give it a thick, white head.

• Pour: Two parts, where three-quarters of glass is filled at an angle, the pourer lets the surge of foam settle, then glass is topped off.

• Date: First made some time after 1799, when Arthur Guinness decided to stop making ales and start making porters. Came to the U.S. in the mid-1960s.

MILWAUKEE — Even the brewing industry is starting to go flat in the worldwide economic slump.

SABMiller PLC, the London-based brewer of Grolsch, Miller Genuine Draft and Peroni Nastro Azzurro lagers, said on Thursday its beer shipments fell unexpectedly in the third quarter as consumers pulled back on their demand.

Carlsberg A/S, the Copenhagen-based maker of Carlsberg beer, said it was cutting 274 jobs to save on costs due to a future “where we face more uncertainties and risks,” the company said in a statement.

Beer usually holds up better than other categories during tough economic times, said Benj Steinman, editor of trade publication Beer Marketer’s Insights, and that trend had been holding true during this recession for some segments of the industry. But the latest figures show the market is trending downward, perhaps accelerating as global economies continue to sputter, and relief seems uncertain.

Beer is “recession-resistant, not recession-proof,” Steinman said.

SABMiller said lager volumes fell 1 percent in the three-month period that ended Dec. 31, compared with the same period a year earlier, because of the economy.

“Consumer demand has been affected by the current global economic slowdown, and has continued to weaken in many of the group’s markets,” the company said in releasing its quarterly trading update, which does not provide financials.

The company said, however, that its financial performance remained in line with expectations “notwithstanding the relative strength of the U.S. dollar against the group’s major currencies.”

The rise in the U.S. dollar also has hurt businesses with overseas interests.

SABMiller is the world’s second-largest brewer by volume after losing the top spot to Anheuser-Busch Inbev NV after InBev’s $52 billion acquisition of Anheuser-Busch last year. In November, SABMiller said it was scaling back investment in the face of continued cost pressures and slowing demand for beer worldwide.

With the latest numbers, it appears demand has been hit hardest in the U.S. and Europe.

In the U.S., SABMiller and rival Molson Coors Brewing Co. saved costs last summer with a domestic joint venture called MillerCoors.

But MillerCoors sales are falling too. Domestic sales to retailers fell 2.3 percent over the third quarter, with flagship Miller Lite’s sales falling 7.5 percent. Coors Light continued its momentum, posting a 1 percent sales increase, according to the company. But that was slower than in previous quarters, Steinman noted.

He said the Miller Lite number should be cause for concern about the brand. The fact that Coors Light’s 1 percent growth was slower than in previous quarters could signal that the overall beer market is getting weaker, he said.

The U.S. beer market typically grows about 1 percent a year, over a ten-year average. In the past few years it had been growing ahead of that. But in 2008 sales rose about half a percentage point, he said.

MillerCoors said its premium light brand volumes were down 2.4 percent, with particular softness in restaurants and bars, where consumers are cutting back as they try to stretch their budgets. But MGD 64, a 64-calorie version of Miller Genuine Draft, kept growing after its launch last year, SABMiller said, and craft and imports rose 1.6 percent, led by a double-digit performance from Blue Moon.

In Europe, where consumers are also hurting, lager volume fell 1 percent, including a 22 percent drop in Russia. But MillerCoors volume grew 2 percent in Poland, where the company gained market share. In Romania, the volume growth rate slowed to 11 percent, while the Czech Republic’s domestic volumes dropped 1 percent.

SABMiller also said volume in developing countries, which produce around 80 percent of its profits, is slowing as the credit crunch deepens.

Third-quarter shipments rose 2 percent in Latin America, stymied by a 6 percent decline in Colombia, the company’s biggest market in the region. In Africa and Asia, organic lager volumes increased 2 percent, with growth in China flat.

Carlsberg, citing an uncertain future, said in its news release Thursday that it was accelerating its restructuring plan to improve on efficiencies. In Denmark, the company said it was starting Thursday to negotiate with unions to cut 150 jobs.

Carlsberg Baltic started restructuring its business in late 2008 and will now accelerate that by cutting 124 jobs, in addition to the 80 layoffs announced in November.

A going out of business sign is seen on the floor of Mervyn's.

NEW YORK – Shoppers won’t be picking up ornate lamps from the Bombay Co. in the coming year. Or investing with Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns. No flying to Hawaii on Aloha Airlines or buying ultra-cheap tickets on Skybus, either.

All those names vanished this past year, victims of the economy, the financial meltdown or other factors. Experts say 2009 could mark the end of even more well-known brands as the now-yearlong recession puts more struggling companies on life support.

“I think 2009 is going to be a bloodbath,” said Scott Testa, a marketing professor at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. “I think it’s going to be very, very ugly.”

For some companies, 2008 was no beauty. The woes of the nation’s retailers began before the year even started. The Bombay Co., known for its home accessories and furnishings, filed for bankruptcy last fall and shuttered the last of its stores in January because of slow sales — an ailment that hurt other companies as the economic downturn turned into a recession.

The casualties weren’t limited to retail. Travelers also bid adieu to some airlines in 2008 as jet fuel prices soared and consumer spending on extras like travel plunged. Aloha, ATA, Skybus and Champion Air all grounded their planes.

And two of the biggest names that disappeared this year took the economy and consumer confidence down with them.

Bear Stearns was headed toward collapse in March, awash in massive losses from toxic securities tied to subprime loans, before the government engineered a fire sale of the 85-year-old investment bank to JPMorgan Chase & Co. And the credit crunch that paralyzed the world economy only got worse after Lehman Brothers, a 158-year old company that helped finance America’s railroads, became the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history.

The ripple effect those two failures had on the economy was evident at malls across the nation. Consumers, already nervous about the falling value of their homes and the security of their jobs, curtailed their spending even more.

With sales and profits dropping this year and lenders leery of granting new credit, a number of retailers failed. Home goods seller Linens ‘N Things began liquidating its stores after originally filing in May for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Apparel chain Steve & Barry’s did the same later in the year. Catalog retailer Lillian Vernon Corp. and specialty retailer Sharper Image Corp. also vanished. KB Toys is in the midst of restructuring its business and is liquidating its more than 400 stores.

Of all the brands to disappear in 2008, Testa said, consumers may miss department store chain Mervyns the most since so many shoppers had a connection to the store.

“That’s a brand that’s been around for a very long time,” he said.

Mervyns, which had been operating for five decades, said in October that it would have to liquidate its stores after filing for bankruptcy protection this summer.

The store’s faithful shoppers will likely seek out new places that have the brands and prices they want — or may just stop spending if they don’t find a replacement that resonates with them as much, said Rita Rodriguez, chief executive for the U.S. division of The Brand Union, a firm that helps companies create brand identities.

That includes 10-year-old Abhijit Ramaprasad of Malpitas, Calif.

“We got most of our clothes there,” he said. “We went more times than any other store.”

He said he’ll now have to go someplace like Kohl’s or Macy’s, but wasn’t looking forward to that because those stores are so much bigger.

The vanishing acts weren’t just in the U.S. British retailer Woolworths Group PLC collapsed late this year after it was unable to sell its 800-store business that was nearly 100 years old. The stores are closing in stages, with the last set to close Monday.

Beyond the brand names customers will no longer see, people may find many familiar businesses looking different. Retailers may operate far fewer stores or only sell their goods online. Banks may become subsidiaries of those that bought them or their names may be joined.

Circuit City Stores Inc., the nation’s second-biggest electronics retailer, is closing more than 150 stores and laying off thousands of employees as it keeps operating and attempts to restructure under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

After Bear Stearns’ collapse, several other financial companies were able to stay alive by becoming subsidiaries of healthier banks. The names of those institutions remain, but are likely to fade away over time. Washington Mutual, for example, was bought by JPMorgan. The new owner plans to rename Washington Mutual’s bank branches.

The shakeout among companies this year will give sturdier brands a chance to shine and set them apart from their less-than-prosperous counterparts, experts said.

Testa said the economic Darwinism will mean only the strongest stores survive, and they’ll use the downturn to get more powerful.

“The really smart companies, when things are bad, take the opportunity to really grow their brand,” he said.

Companies will have to find ways to stand out and that includes making sure customers picky about where they spend their money have a better experience, Rodriguez said.

“The brand is going to have a bigger opportunity to stand out and to articulate a promise and to deliver the experience,” she said. “And it’s going to have to do that in 2009.”

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AP Business Writer Emily Fredrix reported from Milwaukee. AP Business Writers Joe Bel Bruno in New York, Davis Koenig in Dallas and Pan Pylas in London contributed to this report.

AP-WS-12-31-08 1607EST

By Emily Fredrix, Lauren Shepherd

Kellogg's earnings were up in the third quarter, helped in part by higher prices passed on to consumers.

MILWAUKEE – Foodmakers Kellogg Co. and Kraft Foods Inc. posted higher third-quarter revenue and profits on Wednesday, although those gains were helped along by hikes in prices charged to consumers.

Analysts say the companies will continue to benefit as more consumers abandon restaurants in favor of eating at home, but wonder how long shoppers can keep paying these higher prices for name brands before trading down to off-brand products.

“This is a consequence when you raise prices, demand goes down,” said Christopher Sullivan, a research analyst with Frost & Sullivan. “It’s to be expected and I think they knew that too,” he said of Kraft.

Kraft, the maker of Oscar Mayer hot dogs and deli meats, Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers, said its revenue rose nearly 20 percent in the quarter, with pricing increases boosting that 8.4 percent. Volume slipped 0.9 percent, “reflecting the impact of significant cost-driven pricing actions,” the company said.

Cereal and snack maker Kellogg posted a 10 percent rise in revenue and noted that price increases helped offset high costs for commodities for key ingredients like food and oil. It did not break out price increases or changes in volume.

There’s some concern that consumers could be shifting to private-label foods, which are typically less expensive than their branded counterparts. Both companies have been touting their value messages to hone in on consumers worried about the slumping economy and their own rising costs.

Consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Co., which reported earnings Wednesday, likewise raised prices and saw an uptick in sales. It’s also preaching its “value” message for brands like Tide detergent, and coming out with new versions of products to woo consumers who may be looking to trade down, such as cheaper “basic” versions of Bounty paper towels.

Kellogg Chief Executive David Mackay told investors on a conference call the company is boosting advertising and coming out with new products to better compete. A recent ad campaign tells consumers about the value their cereals represent on a per-serving basis.

“Ensuring we continue to build our brand recognition through quality and added value is particularly critical in these tough economic times when private label is likely to grow,” he said.

It’s reasonable to expect consumers to shift to off-brand products, said Matt Arnold, an analyst with Edward Jones. But he said the effect would be minimal because more consumers are eating at home — far more than would be trading down to less-expensive products.

“There’s more people that are actually in the categories and actually buying more of these types of things — food at home is getting a significant boost,” he said. “So there’s challenges but there’s also opportunity here.”

He said demand would still be good for branded products, and that’s what these companies are seeing. Kraft, for instance, is choosing to go after profitability rather than market share, he said — so even as volumes may slip, profit still remains.

Irene Rosenfeld, Kraft’s chairman and chief executive, said in an interview the company is seeing significant growth from brands like Kool-Aid, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Jell-O as it touts value messages.

“In the current economic environment we are seeing many more consumers eating at home and as they’re coming home they’re coming home to Kraft,” she said.

In the three months ending Sept. 30, the Northfield, Ill.-based company said its profit more than doubled because of a one-time gain from the $2.6 billion sale of its Post cereals business. On an ongoing basis, Kraft’s profit fell 6 percent.

But including the proceeds from the Post sale, Kraft said it earned $1.4 billion, or 93 cents per share, compared to profit of $596 million, or 38 cents per share, a year ago.

The Post cereals sale added 57 cents to per-share profit, which was lower by 7 cents due to asset impairment and exit costs. Without these items, the company earned 44 cents per share, beating a Wall Street consensus by a penny.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected 43 cents per share and revenue of $10.5 billion.

Revenue rose nearly 20 percent to $10.46 billion.

Kellogg, based in Battle Creek, Mich., said profit for the quarter rose 12 percent to $342 million, or 89 cents per share, from $305 million, or 76 cents per share last year.

Revenue rose nearly 10 percent to $3.29 billion from $3 billion last year.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters predicted a profit of 80 cents per share on revenue of $3.29 billion.

Both companies, like all other food makers, have been hampered by high costs for key ingredients like corn and oil, so they’ve been raising prices to recoup those costs. Kraft said in the quarter, input costs were up $700 million and are expected to be up $2 billion this year over 2007. Input costs are coming down, though they’ll still be above historic levels, the company said.

But companies can’t just raise prices and expect that’ll help margins in the face of high commodity costs, Shanahan said, which is why they’re cutting their own costs, touting their brands and coming up with new products.

“They’ll find price resistance with customers who would choose to switch away to other brands, to private label. It’s a short-term solution to a long-term issue,” he said.

Shares of Kellogg fell 66 cents, or 1.3 percent, to close at $50.02, while shares of Kraft dropped 41 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $28.47.

AP Business Writer Mae Anderson contributed to this report from New York.

First grade student Soorya Sankaran eats lunch he brought from home at his school in Palo Alto, Calif.

MILWAUKEE – Kids may be worried about homework, teachers and that pesky bully this school year. But parents? They’re leery about lunches.

With food prices rising and packages shrinking, parents are wondering how they’ll stretch their food budgets. Children are going to get an unwitting lesson in economics, analysts say, as parents change their food-buying habits to keep costs down.

Some kids will eat more hot lunches this year. Some will carry baggies full of snacks like home-packed chips and crackers rather than prepackaged ones. Maybe there will be more peanut butter, if it hasn’t been banned in school because of allergies, instead of lunch meats, or cheaper items like Spam.

This year’s lunchroom will be less about convenience and more about the bottom line, said Marcia Mogelonsky, senior research analyst with Mintel International in Chicago. Parents will be shopping for deals but still wanting all the basics — fruits, veggies, proteins and fun things like chips and cookies. It won’t be easy, she said.

“Parents are sort of entering this with trepidation,” she said. “It’s not how much it costs. It’s how much more it costs relative to what they’re used to spending.”

The costs for key ingredients — like corn, wheat, soybeans and other items — are steadily rising and eating into food companies’ profits. So big names like Kraft Foods Inc., Sara Lee Corp. and Hormel Foods Corp. are passing along price increases as they try to keep making money.

Some companies are also shrinking products or getting rid of certain lines to lower their costs. Skippy peanut butter, made by Unilever, now sells in 16.3 ounce jars that look the same size as the previous 18 ounce jars because of a larger indentation at the bottom. Kraft is reducing the number and in some cases the size, of items in its Deli Selects cheese line, for example. Sara Lee has reduced the size of some of its Hillshire Farm deli meat packages from 10 ounces to 9 ounces. The prices, for the most part, don’t go down.

Some stores — like grocery store chain Save-A-Lot — are advising parents on what to buy. The chain, which targets bargain shoppers, has a new campaign telling parents how to make meals like turkey slices wrapped in tortillas that cost about a $1 a serving.

In Los Altos, Calif., Hollis Bischoff’s two children have been packing their own lunches for years. It saves money because they know what they’ll eat, she said, and it teaches them a lesson in how to spend and save. Jordana, 12, and Nate, 14, have never bought milk because they think it’s too expensive at school, she said, and they ask teachers if they can use the microwaves in their lounges when they want hot food.

The kids also go and buy food at the stores, or leave a list for their parents if they run out — always with costs in mind, Bischoff said. They get some money from their parents for lunches and if they go over a set amount, it comes out of their allowance. Bischoff said they’d rather save their money for more fun things, like a Nintendo Wii, so they opt to skip the $2 slices of pizza, for example.

“They’ve learned the meaning of saving money and spending money because they’ve seen what’s happened during the years in the stores,” said Bischoff, 49, who owns a yarn shop and works a full-time job as a market analyst.

The cost of food is soaring. In the U.S., retail food prices rose an average of 6 percent this year. That’s three times the normal inflation rate. Prices are rising because companies are paying more for key ingredients, due to increased demand around the world, the weak U.S. dollar and weather that destroyed crops.

Economists say the high prices won’t be coming down anytime soon.

The pinch consumers are feeling is affecting their shopping habits, said Harry Balzer, vice president of consumer research firm NPD Group and an expert on American eating patterns.

“These rising food costs have to be paid for by somebody,” he said. “The question is how are you going to pay for them? Are you going to pay for them in keeping your out-of-pocket cost constant by buying smaller portions, or are you going to be paying more for what you paid last year?”

People typically spend 10 percent of their income on food and that won’t change, he said, so instead they’re looking for deals, eating less or changing brands.

Mogelonsky said many parents will have to put more thought into what they’re giving their kids. Lots of changes will be in the snack realm, she said, because people are more price-sensitive for snack foods.

One way many parents, like Moors, will save is to stop buying prepackaged snacks, especially the 100-calorie ones that hit the markets a few years ago, Mogelonsky said.

Kids should probably expect to see fewer treats this year, as well, she said, since that’ll be seen as a luxury. Parents will have to talk to them about what they want to eat and why — and explain why those cookies may be gone this year.

“It’s a good time to teach economics, nutrition and budgeting. It could become a major focus in parent-child relations, making lunches,” Mogelonsky said.

She said there could also be a benefit to childhood obesity rates, much like traffic fatalities are coming down because people are driving less. If people cut back on their food spending, they may end up eating better, she said.

Parents say they won’t be giving their kids less food — so don’t expect hunger pangs in the afternoon. They just say they’re approaching it differently and buying with cost more in mind.

Debbie Moors’ daughters, ages 8 and 10, will bring their own milk from home, saving $1 a day this year. They’ll also get a half sandwich instead of a full one, since Moors learned that’s all they were eating last year. Chips and fruit snacks will be made from bulk bags rather than prepackaged ones.

It all means more thinking and planning, said Moors, 44, of Berthoud, Colo., and she hopes she can keep her momentum going all year.

“By the middle of the year you just get tired of trying to think of something different to put in there,” said Moors, a magazine editor. “I tend to lose motivation a little bit. But I think this year I’m going to be more motivated just from a cost-savings standpoint.”

Retailers are trying to help consumers make these choices at their stores.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has its “Mealtime Ideas” campaign and upscale grocer Whole Foods Market Inc. has pamphlets of coupons and back-to-school lunch ideas in its stores.

Save-A-Lot, which has 1,200 discount-oriented grocery stores in about 40 states, is extending its “Fuel Your Family” campaign in the next few weeks, using ads and signs in stores to help parents find meals they can make for about $1 a serving, typically using the company’s exclusive lines of products. Meals — devised with a family of four in mind — include a grilled cheese sandwich and soup lunch that’s 94 cents per serving, tuna pot pie for 74 cents per serving, and turkey bologna on wheat sandwiches with grapes for 86 cents a serving.

Bill Shaner, chief executive of the chain, a division of Supervalu Inc., said the company got meal ideas from its own workers. They’re worried about costs just like everyone else.

“Everybody’s trying to pinch their pennies. They’re all struggling to allocate their food dollars,” Shaner said.

Edgar Dworsky, editor of consumer education Web site Mouseprint.org, uses a tape measure to determine the depth of an indentation in the bottom of a jar of peanut butter at his home in Somerville, Mass.

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What parents can do to save on school lunches

With food prices rising and some products shrinking, many parents are wondering how to make healthy lunches for their children this year and keep them affordable.

Here are some things parents and analysts recommend:

• Package your own bags of snacks in baggies or reusable plastic containers rather than buying prepackaged ones.

• Take a reusable water bottle instead of a drink like a juice box. Fill it with water, milk or juice.

• Consider buying more hot lunches, which sometimes cost little more than a dollar.

• Shop around for sales and buy in large quantities when you can. Freeze things until you need them.

• Think about lunches when you’re making dinners, and set some aside so you have enough for the next day. That’ll make sure your family doesn’t eat it up.

• Take a food inventory so you know what you have and can plan around that. And that’ll cut down on trips to the store — which could add up to big savings.

• Talk to your kids to see what they really want. If they’re not going to eat it, don’t give it to them.

• Involve children in the lunch-making process. Analysts say if kids take part in packing their lunches they’ll be more apt to eat them.

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A look at how some foods are shrinking

Many food items have been shrinking as companies try to make up for higher ingredient costs. The companies are also raising prices, but making products smaller gives them another way to make up the difference. At the same time, though, customers are getting less food – and they’re not paying any less.

Here’s a look at how some big-name products are shrinking:

• Cereals: In June, Kellogg Co. said it was shrinking, by an average of 2.4 ounces, the packages of 14 items sold under the brands Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks. Rival General Mills Inc. more than a year ago shrank some of its boxes, including Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Trix.

• Orange juice: Large jugs by Tropicana are now 89 ounces, down from 96 ounces. The company is part of the PepsiCo Inc. family of products.

• Peanut Butter: The Skippy brand, made by Unilever, now sells in packages of 16.3 ounces, down from 18 ounces.

• Deli Meats: Hillshire Farms deli meats, made by Sara Lee Corp. are now in 9-ounce tubs, down from 10 ounces.

• Mayonnaise: Jars of Hellmann’s, also by Unilever, are now 30 ounces rather than 32 ounces.

• Margarine: Country Crock tubs, by Unilever as well, are now 45 ounces, down from 48.

• Ice Cream: Certain packages of Breyer’s, also made by Unilever, and Edy’s, by Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Holdings Inc., are now selling in 48 ounce cartons, down from 56 ounces.

• Chocolate: Mars Inc. plans to decrease the volume of some of its package types. It makes Snickers bars and M&M candies, among other brands, and hasn’t announced specifics.

• Gum: Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. now sells brands like Juicy Fruit, Big Red, Doublemint and Winterfresh in 15-stick packages, down from 17.

Source: The Associated Press and Edgar Dworsky, editor of consumer education Web site Mouseprint.org.

NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne in the Budweiser #9 car, during Daytona 500 qualification at the Daytona International Speedway in Dayton Beach, Fla, in February. For years, the folks at Anheuser-Busch have spent lavishly to remind fans that nothing goes better while watching the big game than a 6-pack brought to you by "your good friends at Budweiser."

MILWAUKEE – Sports world, this Bud’s still for you.

Anheuser-Busch executives told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that the beer maker will maintain its high level of sports marketing and sponsorship under new owner InBev. In fact, they said, spending could increase.

“There’s nothing at all for those of us that are at the pulse of all this to suggest that our sports are cutting back at all,” said Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch.

Sports marketing accounts for two-thirds of Anheuser-Busch’s overall marketing, but InBev’s reputation as a cost-cutter had raised speculation that the huge budget could get the ax, leaving many a drinker to wonder “Whassup?”

InBev SA, the maker of brands such as Stella Artois and Beck’s, solidified its $52 billion takeover of the St. Louis-based brewer earlier this week. The company has said it has plans to make Budweiser and Bud Light into worldwide icons like Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

Carlos Brito, chief executive of the Belgian brewer, has said he knows that his new company’s ability to reach consumers through sports is one of the reasons it’s such an attractive brand, and added that there wouldn’t be cuts.

Ponturo and Dave Peacock, vice president for marketing, emphasized that Thursday and said spending could in fact go up. Of course, Anheuser-Busch had initially resisted the takeover, so now the company could be trying to show it can play ball with the new owners.

The beer maker will still maintain sponsorships, they said, adding that it’s inking new deals and extending contracts even just this week. On Tuesday, one day after the deal was official, Ponturo said the company renewed a multi-year deal with the National Basketball Association. And on Thursday, Anheuser-Busch said it has extended its exclusive malt beverage sponsorship with the U.S. Olympic Committee through 2012. The brewer’s sponsorship of the USOC goes back two decades.

Ratings for events like this week’s Major League Baseball’s All-Star game are up, especially with men age 21 to 34, Ponturo said. So they’re not going to change what works.

“The beer consumer totally surrounds himself with sports. It’s emotional, there’s a connection. It’s local. It’s passionate,” he said.

Anheuser-Busch’s reach into the sports world is massive. It’s the official international beer sponsor of the upcoming Olympics and is sponsoring 25 country’s teams. The company also has deals with teams for the National Football League, Major League Baseball, professional golf, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, among others.

To many, Anheuser-Busch and its Budweiser and Bud Light brands are synonymous with sports. That’s because the image has been built heavily on marketing.

Think Super Bowl and images of Clydesdale horses and chants of “I love you, man” fill your head.

Ponturo declined to say exactly how much the company spends on marketing, but industry estimates are that Anheuser spent $378 million in the U.S. on marketing last year. That’s far above the nation’s second and third-largest brewers, Miller Brewing Co. and Molson Coors Brewing Co., which began their own joint venture in the U.S., MillerCoors LLC, this month.

InBev bought Anheuser-Busch knowing full well its heavy reliance on sports marketing and the company is not going to change what works, Peacock said.

“They’re not going to walk away from it and sports are so important for reaching consumers with us, and we’re going to maintain the relationships and sponsorships that we have that work,” he said.

People expect Anheuser-Busch to have catchy, sporty ads and they’re able to do that since they’re such a strong presence in the marketplace, said John Sweeney, director of sports communication at the University of North Carolina’s School of Journalism. Since everyone knows Budweiser and Bud Light, they don’t need to spend time talking about the brands in their ads.

“They’re having a conversation with customers, so it’s like yeah, they drop some nice things about Budweiser in, but in the meantime it’s fun, it’s interesting,” he said.

Putting the ads on during sports events makes sense, he said, because men drink beer and men watch sports.

“We don’t congregate in huge numbers in many places, so sports is where we all gather and that makes it a very efficient place to buy media for the male target, which of course is your target beer drinker,” he said.

Other brewers know it. Sweeney said if Anheuser-Busch ends up pulling back, other brewers could swoop in to take those slots.

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A look at Anheuser-Busch’s sports marketing

A look at Anheuser-Busch’s sponsorship and involvement in sports:

• BEIJING OLYMPICS 2008: Budweiser is the official international beer sponsor of the games, and official beer sponsor of the National Olympic Teams in 25 countries; Anheuser-Busch is the exclusive alcohol and non-alcohol, malt-based beverage of the telecast on NBC, Telemundo and cable properties.

• FOOTBALL (AMERICAN): Budweiser and Bud Light are the official beer sponsors of 28 National Football League teams, and Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the National Football League in Canada; Anheuser-Busch holds exclusive alcohol beverage and non-alcohol, malt-based beverage sponsor rights for the Super Bowl telecast through 2012; and exclusive alcohol beverage and non-alcohol, malt-based beverage sponsor of the Bowl Championship Series through 2010.

• FOOTBALL (SOCCER): Budweiser and Bud Light are the official beer sponsors of Major League Soccer and each of its 13 teams; Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

• BASEBALL: Budweiser and Bud Light are the official beer sponsors of Major League Baseball and 26 teams; Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of Major League Baseball in Panama.

• BASKETBALL: Bud Light is the official beer sponsor of the National Basketball Association and 26 teams; Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the National Basketball Association in China, and Bud Light is the sponsor for that association in Mexico.

• GOLF: Michelob is the official sponsor of the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour, and golfer Sergio Garcia; Michelob Ultra is the official sponsor of the LPGA and golfers Lorie Kane, Grace Park and Natalie Gulbis.

• HOCKEY: Bud Light is the official beer sponsor of the National Hockey League and 21 U.S. teams.

• HORSE RACING: Budweiser Select is the official beer sponsor of Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.

• NASCAR: Budweiser is the official beer sponsor of the Daytona International Speedway and the Daytona 500 and the exclusive telecast rights of the Daytona 500 through 2010 on Fox; Budweiser is the primary team sponsor of Gillett Evernham Motorsports, the No. 9 Budweiser Dodge and driver Kasey Kahne.

• MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: Bud Light is the official beer sponsor of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting.

Jo Ann Bauer is seen with her parents Bill and Shirley Smith in their home in Eden, Wis. Laid off from her job as a special events manager at an upscale resort, Bauer struggled for four years on her own until December, when she accepted her parents' offer to move into their central Wisconsin home.

MILWAUKEE – After being laid off from her job as an events planner at an upscale resort, Jo Ann Bauer struggled financially. She worked at several lower-paying jobs, relocated to a new city and even declared bankruptcy.

Then in December, she finally accepted her parents’ invitation to move into their home — at age 52. “I’m back living in the bedroom that I grew up in,” she said.

Taking shelter with parents isn’t uncommon for young people in their 20s, especially when the job market is poor. But now the slumping economy and the credit crunch are forcing some children to do so later in life — even in middle age.

Financial planners report receiving many calls from parents seeking advice about taking in their grown children following divorces and layoffs.

Kim Foss Erickson, a financial planner in Roseville, Calif., north of Sacramento, said she has never seen older children, even those in their 50s, depending so much on their parents as in the last six months.

“This is not like, ‘OK, my son just graduated from college and needs to move back in’ type of thing,” she said. “These are 40- and 50-year-old children of my clients that they’re helping out.”

Parents “jeopardize their financial freedom by continuing to subsidize their children,” said Karin Maloney Stifler, a financial planner in Hudson, Ohio, and a board member of the Financial Planning Association. “We have a hard time saying no as a culture to our children, and they keep asking for more.”

Bauer’s parents won’t take rent money or let her help much with groceries. She’s trying to save several hundred dollars a month for a house while working as a meetings coordinator.

Bauer would prefer to live on her own, but without her parents’ help would “probably be renting again and trying to stick minimal money in the bank,” she said.

Shirley Smith, 80, said she and her husband didn’t hesitate when they invited Bauer to return to their home in Eden, Wis. Buying groceries for another person isn’t stretching her budget too much, she said.

“I’ve got three kids and any of them can come home if they want,” she said.

But plenty of well-meaning parents must delay retirement or scale back their dreams because they have to help their children, Stifler said.

Some of Erickson’s clients are giving as much as $50,000 at a time to their kids, many of whom have overextended themselves with big houses or lavish lifestyles. And the sliding economy might threaten their jobs.

Parents feel guilty if they don’t offer help, but she warns them to be careful with their savings.

“I almost have to act like a financial therapist if you will,” she said. “‘Here is the line I’m drawing for you. That’s fine. You can do up to this point, but at this point, now you’re starting to erode your own wealth.”‘

Anna Maggiore, 27, lost her job as a publicist in Los Angeles about three years ago and moved into her parents’ house in Los Alamos, N.M.

She tried to find jobs, but nothing stuck, so she enrolled full-time at the College of Santa Fe to finish her bachelor’s degree in business.

She figures her parents spend about $1,000 a month on her, including a car payment, car and health insurance, school and other costs. Her father is a retired nuclear physicist and her mother, a guidance counselor, will retire this spring. Now Maggiore is looking for work so she can supplement their income.

“It’s kind of hitting me finally that I need to get out there and find a job,” she said. “Even if it’s just part-time just to help out however I can.”

A new survey by the retiree-advocacy group AARP found that one-fourth of Generation Xers, those 28 to 39 years old, receive financial help from family and friends.

The online survey of nearly 1,800 people ages 19 to 39 also found 57 percent believed they were “financially independent.” But in a separate question, 33 percent said they received financial support from family and friends.

Bauer was caught by surprise when her job at a resort in Kohler, Wis., was cut four years ago, one year after she got divorced. The single mother bounced around to several lesser-paying jobs, declared bankruptcy and even moved 60 miles south to Milwaukee.

Her daughter, now 12, moved in with Bauer’s ex-husband near her hometown.

Bauer decided to move to be closer to her and in December she found a job with the Experimental Aircraft Association in nearby Oshkosh. She tried to buy a house but needed 5 percent down. She only had 2 percent. She’s now saving for a down payment and hopes to have it as early as June.

Bauer said she gets along well with her parents and knows she’ll never get to spend so much time with them again. But it hurts her ego to live at home.

“I’ve had people say to me, ‘Oh God, I could never do that,”‘ she said. “But you take humble steps in order to move forward.”