In a deal that the company calls “pioneering” in its range and scale, PepsiCo announced today that it has entered into a new multi-year partnership with pop singer Beyoncé. PepsiCo has hailed the deal – estimated to be worth $50 million, according to The New York Times – as a “true creative and wide-ranging collaboration” that will expand Beyoncé’s presence in global advertising and marketing campaigns for Pepsi and support new creative projects launched by the Grammy-winning artist.

With about six weeks to go before a scheduled appeals decision concerning the Federal Trade Commission in the agency's false advertising claims complaint against POM Wonderful, the agency -- and the companies it regulates -- may soon have a good handle on the kinds of evidence it needs to substantiate scientific claims, according to a legal blogger.

While energy drinks have received a considerable amount of scrutiny in recent months, mostly from individuals concerned that the products are unsafe for children, it's the sale of Marley's Mellow Mood at a Holmdel, N.J. middle school that has a school vending agency in hot water, after some students fell ill after consuming the product.

As the White House administration aims to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff,” President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden met with small business representatives from a range of industries earlier this week. Cobá co-founder Arnulfo Ventura was one of those representatives and shared his ideas for change, in particular, scaled labor practices and reduced capital gains taxes.