Breaking News on Beverage Technology & Markets

UK soft drinks in benzene recall

Britain's food safety watchdog has demanded recalls on four soft drinks brands, after it found they were contaminated with benzene at up to 28 times the country's limit for drinking water.

Tea's brain health benefit link gets more support

Both green and black tea could protect against age-related diseases like Alzheimer's, says a new study, adding yet more support to the benefits of tea extract on brain health.

DSM pulls out of aspartame market

DSM has today announced its withdrawal from the aspartame business, citing price erosion and unprofitability as key factors.

PepsiCo opens China R&D centre

US soft drinks giant Pepsi opened its first research and development centre outside the US in Shanghai yesterday, signalling its commitment to the fast-growing Chinese market.

French government unveils wine rescue plan

The French government has launched a multi-million euro rescue plan for France's ailing wine industry, including €12m export support and an overhaul of the quality control system.

Beta-glucan fruit drink lowers bad cholesterol levels

Soluble fibre beta-glucan could lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, and seems more efficient when put in beverages, claims new research.

Cott cleared to buy Macaw, for now

The door is open to the biggest consolidation yet on Britain's private label soft drinks market, after competition authorities provisionally backed Cott Corporation's takeover of rival Macaw.

Food ads to kids to be restricted

Proposed guidelines to restrict food advertising directed at children will herald a new era of tighter regulatory control in the UK, according to food law experts at Eversheds.

Benzene levels in soft drinks are safe, says FDA

Levels of benzene found in soft drinks so far are not a safety risk for consumers, says the US food safety watchdog, attempting to calm public concern.

Weekly Comment

Salt debate leaves bitter taste

The current debate about the levels at which the UK's food regulator has set its salt reduction targets misses the point about how healthier eating habits can be achieved.

Energy drinks influence perceptions of ability, says study

Combining alcohol and Red Bull reduces the 'perception' of impairment, though alcohol's harmful effects on motor coordination remain intact, according to a new study.

Grape DNA study promises better quality wine

An Italian team of scientists has succeeded in deciphering the entire DNA sequence of the grapevine genome after six years of intensive research.

More evidence of green tea's brain benefits

Green tea catechins may improve reference and working-memory related learning ability, say research from Japan, adding to claims that green tea can help ward off Alzheimer's.

Pernod profits beat predictions

Pernod Ricard's share price rose steadily after the group's net profits beat several predictions, in its first financial check-up since taking over Allied Domecq.

Drinks industry cautious on UK budget

The UK government's budget for 2006 was greeted with a mixture of praise and stern criticism by the drinks industry, as some felt the Chancellor had ignored important measures.

Sonic wave technology buys into distribution system

Pursuit Dynamics, the UK-based creators of a novel sonic wave processing technology, today announced the purchase of a specialist food and drink equipment distributor.

Chinese wine leader to boost output

Dynasty Fine Wine Group, one of China's top three wine makers, is set to increase its production capacity to 50,000 tons this year, to meet fast-rising demand for the drink in an increasingly affluent population.

New paper label grade designed for high speed breweries

A new paper grade for self-adhesive labels used by breweries has been developed for high-speed production.

'Critters' prove the winning wine label formula

More and more wineries are putting pictures of animals on their wine labels, a plan that has shown early success with younger, fun-seeking consumers, says a new report.

French wine firm livid after militants attack

One of southern France's biggest wine groups has pulled out of negotiations over a battle plan for the country's ailing wine sector, days after militant winemakers sent 1.5m litres of its wine flowing into the street.

SABMiller in talks to buy Foster's breweries

SABMiller is in talks to buy Foster's overseas breweries in Asia, BeverageDaily.com has learnt, as the potential sale offers brewers a better foothold in one of the world's fastest growing beer markets.

Scotch Whisky makers fuming as India keeps tariffs

The Scotch Whisky Association says it will ask the EU to make an official complaint at the WTO if India does not lift excessive duty tax on imported spirit drinks.

Analysis kits for water soluble vitamins receive certification

A scientific organisation has certified analysis kits for testing water soluble vitamins in foods.

Coca-Cola tests soft drinks for benzene

Coca-Cola said it was testing its soft drinks around the world for benzene, as the group sought to reassure consumers that soft drinks were only a very small contributor to daily benzene intake.

EU Council opens GI system to foreigners

The EU's Agriculture & Fisheries Council has backed proposals to open the bloc's geographical indications (GI) to foreign competition.

Greencore pull-out to end Ireland's sugar industry

Greencore, the ingredients and food service group, said EU sugar reform would force it to pull out of the sugar sector this year, effectively spelling the end of sugar processing in Ireland.

Drinks with caffeine need warning labels, study

The caffeine content of all carbonated and energy drinks should be clearly labelled on drinks packaging to avoid unnecessary risk for vulnerable consumers, argues a new study in the US.

Chirac dismisses French protectionism claims

Europe has no time for national champions if it is to compete in the world, warned the European Commission president Wednesday, as French president Jacques Chirac dismissed claims that France was protectionist.

Industry wants crackdown against anti-competitive packaging laws

The EU's packaging industry association has called on the European Commission to crackdown on members states who break the rules under the bloc's harmonised system of law.

PepsiCo ups functional drinks push

PepsiCo has launched a range of flavoured waters enriched with vitamins across the US, in a further sign that functional drinks are pushing their way into the mainstream soft drinks sector.

EU, US sign off wine deal

A controversial agreement to protect Europe's traditional wine names like Champagne and Port from use by American winemakers has been officially signed by the US and European Union.

UK introduces licencing law for labour providers

Gangmasters supplying labourers to work in agriculture or food processing and packaging will need licences to operate in the UK.

Toxic metal found in bottled water

Trace amounts of a little-researched toxic metal have been found in bottled water brands in PET bottles across Europe and Canada, says new research from Germany.

Nestlé to re-organise bottled water division

Nestlé Waters has confirmed it is examining how to re-organise its 75 bottled water brands into a more coherent unit, as rivals spring up from all sides.

UK firm cracks natural authentic pomegranate flavour

A UK-based flavour manufacturer claims it has cracked the difficult task of developing an authentic, all-natural pomegranate flavour.

Militant French winemakers step up violence

Burning police cars, wine gushing into streets and trashed government offices have threatened to send violence in southern France's vineyards out of control this week.

Coca-Cola attacks bottlers in Powerade dispute

Coca-Cola said it would fight to put down a lawsuit filed against it by more than 50 of its own bottlers over the distribution of sports drink Powerade to Wal-Mart stores.

New evidence linking soft drinks to weight gain in children

Children kept off sugary drinks lost weight after a period of six months, according to a new study, findings that add to the mounting body of evidence linking childhood obesity with soda consumption.

Weekly Comment

The benzene trail

The gamble by US authorities 15 years ago to let the industry deal with benzene residues in soft drinks has failed, and instead only kept those who needed to know in the dark.

EU agrees to one-year cut in sugar production

The EC's proposal for a one-year cut of 2.5 million tonnes (13.6 per cent) in sugar, isoglucose and inulin syrup production has been accepted.

No cancer link found in new aspartame study

A recent study has found that the controversial sweetener aspartame does not increase the incidence of tumors in mice, but the scientists point out that this does not necessarily mean it is not a carcinogen.

Authorities under pressure over benzene in soft drinks

More soft drinks will be tested for cancer-causing chemical benzene in the UK after it was revealed some drinks contain up to eight times the legal limit for drinking water.

Beer extracts reported to have anti-inflammatory effect

Extracts from any type of beer reduced inflammatory markers, say Austrian scientists who performed the in vitro experiments.

Tetra Pak launches versatile packing line worldwide

Tetra Pak has rolled out it's A3/Flex packaging line worldwide, claiming no other carton packaging line around can offer food producers the same versatility.

UK food watchdog finds benzene in soft drinks

Britain's food safety watchdog says initial tests on 230 soft drinks show benzene levels above the UK limit for water, as the industry tells BeverageDaily.com how it controls the issue.

Green tea could protect against Alzheimer's

Drinking more than two cups of green tea a day could cut the risk of dementia by half, claims a population-based study of elderly Japanese subjects.