News Briefs

WISDOM NATURAL BRANDS: has hired Oscar-nominated actress Mariel Hemingway as a spokesperson for its SweetLeaf [http://www.sweetleaf.com] SteviaPlus product line. SweetLeaf SteviaPlus is the leading brand of Stevia in the U.S. It is an all-natural, zero calorie, zero glycemic index supplement made from the leaves of the naturally sweet stevia plant.

MCCORMICK & CO. INC.: is out with an online contest that offers the chance to win a new set of spices. The contest is part of the Spice Check Challenge, which encourages chefs to check the age of their spices in their pantries. People can enter at http://www.spicecheckchallenge.com through Dec. 31. Twelve grand-prize winners will receive a new spice set and a cookbook. Visitors can check the freshness of their spices by entering a code on the bottom of McCormick spice bottles and share their own spice stories on the site. Online marketing supports the contest, which ePrize handles.