Stevia buyers beware: There are some ‘awful’ extracts out there…

03-Feb-2012 - While traders “jumping in and out of the stevia marketplace” are disrupting prices and standards by peddling some “awful” extracts, high-quality stevia suppliers in it for the long-haul will ultimately prosper, according to one leading player.

Nawgan founder: ‘Our ambition is to become the most relevant brand in the world.’

31-Jan-2012 - The neuropsychologist behind brain-friendly functional beverage Nawgan says he is on a mission to turn it into “the most relevant brand in the world”.

'Striking' rat study suggests weight loss answer may be read in tea leaves…

23-Jan-2012 - A 'striking' rat study by Taiwanese researchers found that feeding rodents on diets comprising different tea leaf varieties showed significant body weight decreases in all groups, and the scientists said the results showed real promise if they could be replicated in humans.

We helped create new Chinese beverage category that's going global: SIG Combibloc

23-Jan-2012 - SIG Combibloc says the runaway Chinese success of its drinksplus technology is ‘going global’, with top food firms impressed by its premium beverage applications.

Research unravels mechanisms of beneficial components in red wine

19-Jan-2012 - Both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic compounds in red wine have separate and potentially beneficial or protective effects that could reduce the risk of heart disease, say researchers.

Cargill welcomes EU barley beta-glucan-cholesterol claim as innovation driver

19-Jan-2012 - Agrofood giant Cargill is alerting the world to look out for more food labels bearing its Barliv-branded barley beta-glucan in 2012 after winning a positive cholesterol-lowering opinion from the European Union science agency last month.

End to soft drink ‘parity pricing’ could help ease obesity epidemic: expert

17-Jan-2012 - A UK expert claims that a suggested 10% tax on sugar-sweetened soft drinks in the UK would be an ineffective means of tackling a rising obesity epidemic, but that an industry-led end to ‘pricing parity’ between sugared and sugar-free soft drinks could have a positive effect.

Blanket tax on ‘liquid candy’ soft drinks would give US health kick, Columbia study

10-Jan-2012 - A penny-per-ounce tax on sugary soft drinks would ‘substantially reduce obesity, diabetes and heart disease amongst US adults’, according to a new study by academics at Columbia University.

Nestlé and Coke scale down Beverage Partners Worldwide JV

09-Jan-2012 - Nestlé and The Coca-Cola Company have announced plans to ‘rescope’ their Ready-to-Drink (RTD) business Beverage Partners Worldwide (BPW), with the Swiss firm cagey about the decision to phase-out the existing global JV and focus primarily on Canada and Europe.

Coca-Cola in hot Vitaminwater over claims (again)

04-Jan-2012 - Vitaminwater, the enhanced water brand Coca-Cola acquired when it paid $4.2bn for New York-based Glaceau in 2007, has come under fire for its claim-making once again, this time in the UK.

Victory for Powerade in Jessica Ennis advertising standards scrap

04-Jan-2012 - The UK Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has rejected complaints against Coca-Cola brand Powerade which claimed the firm’s hydration claims – backed by UK Olympic athlete Jessica Ennis – were unjustified.

Exclusive interview

Beneo board: “Let us not forget that functional food responds to a clear demand of the consumer”

20-Dec-2011 - In the first part of this exclusive interview, Beneo Group executive board member, Yves Servotte, explains how European Union health claim rules have informed strategic thinking at one of Europe’s biggest and most vocal ingredient vendors.

Leatherhead cites category overlap as ‘overriding’ soft drinks trend

19-Dec-2011 - There is an overriding trend within the world soft drinks market towards an overlap between categories, while economic unrest is expected to consolidate a trend towards cheaper products, according to Leatherhead Food Research.

Ingredient innovation central to global soft drink growth, Leatherhead

16-Dec-2011 - Increasing use of innovative ingredients within soft drinks is one of the most notable trends witnessed by that industry over the past few years, according to Leatherhead Food Research.

Comment

Lobbyists, start your engines: Can a new health claims formula be won in the European Parliament?

12-Dec-2011 - Five years ago the European Union nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) became law. Around the bloc, hopeful EU healthy foods and supplements stakeholders submitted more than 44,000 health claim applications.

Provexis keeps Fruitflow powder dry, axes UK R&D facility

06-Dec-2011 - UK plc Provexis plans to shut its UK research and development (R&D) facility, as the company seeks to reposition itself within the sports nutrition market and co-develop a powder version of heart health ingredient Fruitflow with DSM, which it says will be key to striking deals with global brand owners.

Dispatches from FIE 2011

Cranberry claim winner tells Ocean Spray: “Stay in your bogs”

05-Dec-2011 - Last week global cranberry leader, Ocean Spray, announced it was working on settling the long-running and divisive debate about how best to measure the berry’s active constituents – but the move has not been welcomed by the man who won the world’s first-ever cranberry health claim.

FSA’s ‘ballpark’ caffeine consumption figures unrealistic, academic

02-Dec-2011 - The UK Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) official figures for recommended coffee intake during pregnancy ‘bear very little relation to reality’, according to the author of a new UK research study.

News in brief

Coffee consumption may lower endometrial cancer risk, study

24-Nov-2011 - Women who drink four or more cups of coffee a day may have a lower risk of developing endrometrial (uterine) cancer, according to a new Harvard study.

Chr Hansen targets fresh juice with pellet probiotic that can live 10 weeks

24-Nov-2011 - Danish probiotics giant Chr Hansen today launched probiotic pellets into a “big gap” in the global juice market for long-life probiotics, with carton maker, TetraPak onboard to deliver the technology.

News in brief

Chinese panda poo tea causes stir

22-Nov-2011 - A Chinese academic and entrepreneur has developed a super premium 'tea' made from panda faeces, according to The Mail, in a bid to turn 'trash into treasure'.

Bottled water industry: EFSA hydration claim rejection won't affect us

18-Nov-2011 - The European bottled water industry says its marketing is unaffected by the writing into European Union law this week of a rejected health claim linking water consumption and dehydration.

Tart cherry juice improves sleep quality and duration, study suggests

03-Nov-2011 - Consuming tart cherry juice concentrate significantly improves both the quality and duration of sleep, according to a new UK study by scientists at Northumbria University.

Yale report raps soft drinks giants for ‘aggressive’ child marketing

02-Nov-2011 - A new report by a leading US research organisation has criticised leading soft drinks producers such as PepsiCo, Coke and Dr Pepper for aggressively marketing high sugar products to children and teens.