In today's struggling economy, more than half (58 percent) of U.S. consumers are "very concerned" about rising food prices. As consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers and retailers employ options to manage abnormally high cost increases due to raw material and other expenditures, consumers voice their preferences on how CPG manufacturers and retailers should handle rising costs. According to The Nielsen Company:

• Nearly half (47 percent) of consumers surveyed prefer CPG manufacturers offer large, economy sizes with lower price points per serving.

• Only 17 percent of consumers prefer CPG manufacturers introduce new, smaller pack sizes at lower prices.

• Nine percent of consumers suggest CPG manufacturers downsize or modestly reduce the packaging size of products, keeping the price of the product the same.

• Other options include raising the prices of existing items proportionally (8 percent); offer fewer sales (8 percent); offer the same number of sales, but at less of a savings (7 percent); and produce slightly lower quality products, but keep the price the same (4 percent).