Breaking News on Beverage Technology & Markets

Krones looks to seal deal at Anuga with new aseptic valves

German food machinery giant Krones has confirmed to BeverageDaily.com that it will launch new aseptic valves as the latest additions to its EvoGuard series at the Anuga FoodTec trade show in March.

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Coke takes Turkish delight in potential for 'built-in' sustainability

The Coca-Cola Company says that it has opportunities to build sustainability in to its plants in the emerging markets such as Turkey, through integration of best practice and the latest, most efficient technology.

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

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”.

Eco-resin with 50% rPET matches virgin material - company

Quality equivalent to virgin material, high strength and a lower carbon footprint are claims made by Artenius for its new PET resin that contains up to 50% recycled content.

Ball Packaging bids to ‘centralise administration’ with European HQ switch

Ball Packaging has revealed plans to relocate its European headquarters from Germany to Switzerland in 2012 to centralise administration and align operations more closely with customers.

Brazilian orange juice detained after positive carbendazim results

US food safety officials have denied entry to 11 shipments of orange juice products, including five from Brazil, after carbendazim was found in import samples.

Nestlé wages war with Mead Johnson over nutritional drinks bottles design

Nestlé and Mead Johnson - two of the biggest guns in infant nutrition - have become embroiled in a row over the design of bottles used by both firms to package their nutritional drinks.

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PepsiCo counts another three billion-dollar brands

PepsiCo now has 22 brands with at least $1bn of sales each year, including 14 billion-dollar beverage brands, with Diet Mountain Dew, Brisk and Starbucks RTD the most recent additions, the company has said.

Alcohol pricing bill could sabotage Scotch whisky, warns academic

A Scottish-based academic has warned BeverageDaily.com that plans by the country’s legislators to introduce minimum alcohol pricing would be a ‘massive shot in the foot’ for the nation’s top global export Scotch whisky.

Make way for the 'incredible bulk', fuelling wine sales explosion

An astonishing rise in bulk wine exports over the past decade has led to ‘democratisation, commoditisation, innovation and over-supply’ of products that has changed the industry for good, according to Rabobank.

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You say ‘Viagra’, we say ‘Viaguara’: Polish firm impotent after EU court flick off

Polish firm Viaguara is suffering from something of an identity crisis after the EU General Court rejected the company’s appeal over trademark registration of the name.

Consumers seek Britvic fizz in flat financial times…

Fragile fiscal confidence amongst consumers in Great Britain (GB) and Ireland means they are turning away from Britvic’s stills to its lower-priced carbonates, according to an analyst who follows the firm.

MWV highlights packaging positives as it posts Q4 loss and forecasts tough 2012

Tough economic conditions in the fourth quarter of 2011 will spill over into this year, said MeadWestvaco (MWV) as it posted a fourth quarter loss of US$9m (€6.8m).

Souped-up packaging to extend ease of use can’t reach all brands at once, says Nestlé

Nestlé says it is investing in further training for its industrial designers in the Cambridge University ‘Inclusive Design’ approach, to accelerate packaging modifications across its brand portfolio to ensure ease of use for consumers of all ages.

World organic food sales shine, but dairy in doldrums

The overall global market for organic food and drink is in good shape but dairy sales in the sector fell during the recession, due to high 2008 milk prices in particular, according to Euromonitor International.

Empac denounces greenwashing after legal victory over Superfos

Empac has condemned the practice of greenwashing after a Danish court ruled that Superfos had breached advertising guidelines in claims that plastic packaging was more eco-friendly than metal.

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Possible conflicts forces Husky to sell subsidiary

Husky said it has reached an agreement to sell closure injection moulding subsidiary Injectoplast to Alpla Holding.

Earthquake-stricken city reaps Coca-Cola Amatil investment

Leading bottler Coca-Cola Amatil New Zealand (CCANZ) has invested NZ $15m in bottle self manufacture and undertaken a multi-million dollar rebuild in Christchurch.

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

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.

Both alcohol and red wine polyphenols linked to decreased CVD risk

A Spanish study published by Chiva-Blanch et al. has found that both ethanol and non-alcoholic compounds in red wine could potentially cut the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

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

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

FDA yet to find any trace of carbendazim in orange juice

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is yet to find any trace of carbendazim in imports of orange juice since promising to block entry to shipments containing the fungicide.

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Hong Kong 'liaising' with US over carbendazim in orange juice

Food safety officials in Hong Kong are continuing to liaise with US authorities over carbendazim levels in orange juice – despite tests on the beverage returning negative results.

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World's hottest vodka uses hotter chillis than those used in 'law enforcement' pepper sprays

Online whisky and spirits retailer and bottler Master of Malt has announced it will launch what it claims is the world's hottest ever chilli vodka, which is infused with Naga Jolokia chillis and weighs in at an eye-watering 100,000 Scovilles on the heat scale.

Ambitious Ardagh lines up borrowing to fund two more takeovers

Ardagh said it is looking to borrow more than US$400m to finance two new acquisitions and pay for a third announced earlier this month.

Cut-throat, cut-price European competition sees SABMiller beer sales stall

SABMiller said today that ‘intense competition’ within European lager led to a fall in beer volume sales during the last quarter, but the brewer told BeverageDaily.com that it didn’t think there was a fundamental problem with the category in this market or the US.

Australasia follows US lead on carbendazim in orange juice

Food safety authorities in Australia and New Zealand have taken steps to ban the sale of orange juice containing carbendazim – mirroring measures taken in the US.

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

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.

‘King’ can maker Rexam has high hopes for Russian 75cl move

Rexam has revealed that it will produce Europe’s first 75cl can, first launched onto the Russian and Eastern European markets at the end of 2011, and says the product also has promise further west.

Analyst suggests Catch-22 for big beer brands in one bid to boost sales

Big beer brands face something of a double bind in trying to stem the tide of declining UK beer sales and entice new consumers to the category, in a market where simply taking over small, successful craft brands risks diluting their appeal, according to a Mintel analyst.

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

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.

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PepsiCo and Ocean Spray announce strategic alliance to crack Latin America

PepsiCo and Ocean Spray have annonced a strategic alliance in Latin America in a bid to strengthen the former's juice portfolio in the region and increase accessibility of the latter's products in this region.

EU orange juice industry on notice after carbendazim test warning

The European orange juice industry has been put on notice by Brussels – with a warning that Brazilian juice imports could face carbendazim testing if US officials find high levels of the fungicide in shipments.

One more cup of coffee for the (non-diabetic) road?

Heavy coffee drinkers have a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study by Chinese researchers published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Orange juice fungicide row highlights flaws in US pesticide regime, says expert

The orange juice/carbendazim row currently engulfing the US orange juice market “highlights the questionable way that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate pesticides in foods”, according to one food law attorney.

Eco concerns clear in recent Chinese, Indian customer visits: Tetra Pak

Tetra Pak says that during recent client visits in both India and China, customers have shown an increased interest in environmental issues such as energy use, water consumption and product loss.

Chr. Hansen bids to ‘change winemaking landscape’ with new cultures

An extension of its FroZen Viniflora range of malolactic starter cultures range for smaller scale red wine makers is set to revolutionise production through the faster rate of fermentation, claims Denmark based Chr. Hansen.

Nuclear headlines overstate Beverage Partners Worldwide RTD tea rescope: analyst suggests

Following Nestlé and Coke’s decision to slim down its ready-to-drink (RTD) tea business, Beverage Partners Worldwide, Euromonitor analyst Richard Haffner told BeverageDaily.com that nuclear headlines suggesting a ‘global retreat’ perhaps overstated its significance.

Irish eyes smile as Diageo revamps St James’s Gate Brewery

Diageo today announced plans to invest €153m in a brewing centre of excellence at St James’s Gate, Dublin, that it said would form part of a wholesale rejuvenation of the iconic site.

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Diageo completes Ethiopian acquisition

Diageo claims its new acquisition of Meta Abo Brewery in Ethiopia allows it to gain access to a fast-growing market. In beer to complement its existing spirits business.

US juice trade association fights Brazilian fungicide fallout

The US Juice Products Association (JPA) has moved to allay consumer concerns that orange juice produced in the country is unsafe, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was blocking some Brazilian imports found to contain the substance.

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

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.

Tropicana sued over ‘100% pure and natural’ orange juice claim

Tropicana Products Inc. is the latest company to be sued over use of the term ‘natural’ – this time to describe its not-from-concentrate ‘100% pure and natural’ orange juice.

FDA to increase testing after carbendazim found in orange juice

US food safety authorities have promised to take “necessary action” against levels of fungicide carbendazim in orange juice after being alerted to its presence in the beverage.

SuperCleanQ funding victory to boost SMEs rPET prospects

An industry consortium has secured almost €2m of EU funding to develop processes and quality procedures to recycle for food contact applications, with the aim of helping small to medium-sized recyclers (SMEs) here reprocess waste and conform to European regulations.

Linpac to sell off reusable transit packaging ops

Linpac has confirmed it has reached an agreement to sell its plastic returnable transit packaging (RTP) subsidiary to a private equity outfit owned by JP Morgan Chase.

Nestlé and Coke scale down Beverage Partners Worldwide JV

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.

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TricorBraun moves into wine packaging top-spot after Trilogy takeover

TricorBraun said its acquisition of Trilogy Glass and Packaging “clearly establishes” it as North America’s largest supplier of wine packaging.

Hansen gets green light to turn into a Monster

Soft drinks maker Hansen Natural has secured its shareholders’ approval to change its name to Monster Beverage Corporation to better reflect the dominant role the Monster energy drink brand plays in its business.

World is flat for Schweppes, as Aussie soda runs outta gas…

Schweppes Australia admits it has suffered from a lack of CO2 over the past two months, leading to reported shortages of fizzy drinks in the nation, but the soft drinks giant insists it has ‘several workarounds’ in place to minimise customer impact.

Canned whisky would be shot in dark on UK market, Alcohol Concern

Alcohol Concern has warned about the ‘absurd’ effects of marketing canned Scotch whisky in the UK, following a controversial launch of such a product in the US.

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Canned mouse would have turned to jelly: PepsiCo

PepsiCo is fighting claims by a consumer that he found a dead mouse in a Mountain Dew can, with a scientist testifying that there is no way the creature could have passed the bottling process intact.

New self-sealing 'ring pull tube' has huge potential, Visican

UK packaging company Visican has invented a novel self-sealing ‘ring pull tube’ in both cardboard and plastic formats that it says provides a 'ground-breaking' alternative to metal cans.

Coca-Cola in hot Vitaminwater over claims (again)

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

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.

CFA calls for “Alcohol Facts” labeling

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has renewed a call for nutrition facts labeling on alcoholic beverages, which it says was agreed by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) in 2007.

Ardagh aluminium acquisition to boost European output

Packaging manufacturer Ardagh intends to expand its European aluminium output by nearly a billion containers a year through its latest European acquisition, the company has announced.

Barley-based low-gluten beer had 'substantial' hordein protein levels, study

Australian scientists say they have conducted tests revealing that two commercially available barley-based low gluten beers had substantial levels of one or more hordein proteins (a gluten source).

French authorities approve soda tax legislation

French lawmakers have approved legislation for the proposed tax on sugar sweetened beverages in the country – effective from January 2012.

Natural flavours ‘identified in nature’ to have major industry impact – report

EC regulations implemented last year that require natural flavouring substances to be identical to something found in nature will greatly impact the industry, according to a report assessing the new regulation.

DuPont sells bag-in-box ops

DuPont has sold its flexible bag-in-box subsidiary Liqui-Box to US private equity outfit The Sterling Group.