Breaking News on Beverage Technology & Markets

SABMiller boosted by international volume growth

SABMiller enjoyed a strong start to its fiscal year, with organic sales volumes of its lager brands up 13 per cent in the quarter ended 30 June the company said today.

Green tea ingredient rides trend

A green tea extract has been launched by Danisco as a food ingredient, reinforcing the perceived benefits of the antioxidant and its "consumer friendly" appeal.

Diversification drive benefits Coca-Cola Enterpises

Coca-Cola Enterprises posted a four per cent increase in sales to $5.6bn (€4bn) for its second quarter as it continues to restructure its operations amidst changing consumer demand in the soft drinks market.

PepsiCo re-labels tap sourced water

PepsiCo is to spill the beans on the true source of its Aquafina bottled water, following pressure from a consumer watchdog over its use of marketing.

Mexican coke bottler enjoys soft drink boon

Coca-Cola's Latin American arm posted a 7.4 per cent rise in sales to €2.3bn during the second quarter of the year, as its soft drinks brands led across-the-board revenue growth.

Expert comment

Nitrite free: Where does the truth end?

Cured meat products are appearing on the market as 'naturally cured', 'no nitrite added', 'without added nitrite' or even 'nitrite free' to promote a health image to consumers. Industry expert Gerhard Feiner believes such statements can be misleading.

Debt concerns hamper Cadbury sale

The sale of Cadbury Schweppes' US beverage division has been setback by unfavorable market conditions that could undervalue the operations, the company said today.

Coca-Cola reports progress in reducing environmental impact

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has cut down on the amount of water it uses by six per cent and has put measures in place that will reduce the energy used for lighting by half.

Diageo pledges green future for the black stuff

Diageo's Guinness brand received a boost yesterday as its attempt to go green paid off amidst growing uncertainty over the future of the beverage and its famous Dublin-based production plant.

US beer boost for Bud maker

Anheuser-Busch lifted net sales by 6.1 per cent to $4.5bn (€3.2bn) during the second fiscal quarter, led by strong growth particularly in its US beer operations.

San Miguel announces new business ventures

San Miguel Corporation (SMC), Southeast Asia's largest food and drinks manufacturer yesterday announced plans to diversify into mining, power, infrastructure and property to boost growth.

Strong sales across board for Pepsi

PepsiCo yesterday reported revenue growth of 10 per cent for the quarter ending 16 June, thanks to strong performances across most business segments.

Boel pushes wine reforms in Europe

Mariann Fischer Boel is on a tour of the EU to push controversial changes to the way wine makers are subsidised in the bloc.

Water vending machine uses RFID to track bottles

Healthy, environmentally friendly and delivered in a minimum time period - a new water vending machine uses radio frequency identification (RFID) to hit all the market trends.

Soft drinks - heart disease study sparks reaction

Drinking more than one soft drink a day is associated with a 50 per cent increased risk in metabolic syndrome, says a new study from the US.

Weekly Comment

Could the E-number be up?

The European Food Safety Authority's review of additive safety could have a bigger effect on the ingredients industry than the ejection of certain colours and flavours with a suspect safety record. It could give the natural ingredients trend an extra push, and possibly prove the death-knell for the ne'er loved E number system.

Pepsi's mysterious merger attempt unconfirmed

Nestle today refused to confirm reports that they had turned down a merger with PepsiCo last spring, a deal that would have created one of the largest and most powerful food and beverage companies in the world.

Coca-Cola battles UK unions over pay

Planned 48-hour strikes at two UK distribution centres will not disrupt the supply of its beverages, Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) said yesterday.

Beer sales set to increase, says Heineken

Heineken announced yesterday that it has doubled its forecast for net profit growth, with strong sales in emerging markets offsetting slow growth rates in Europe and the US.

Wild natural beverage concept to boost flagging sector

Riding the trend for natural ingredients in food and drink products, Wild says its natural ACE beverage concept - which uses vitamins exclusively derived from organic sources - is boosting flagging sales in the beverage sector.

Orange juice flavanoids fight disease?

Orange juice is a healthy drink due to the presence of flavonoids, which help fight diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, says study published last week.

Beverage firms innovate as soda sales continue to dip

Sales of carbonated soft drinks in the US are forecast to decline for the fourth consecutive year, according to a new market report, which examines the steps taken by some of the category leaders in response to the tough market conditions.

Coca-Cola experiences double digit sales

Coca-Cola reported Tuesday net revenue growth of 19 per cent for the quarter ending 29 June, led by strong performances in emerging markets.

Unhealthy diet a lifestyle choice, says UK study

People on low incomes consume just as much unhealthy food and drink as the general population, and so bad diets are the result of personal choice, according to a study published by the UK regulator Sunday.

No need to choose between box and bottle

New packaging for wine encases up to six wine bottles in a carton that uses advantages from bag-in-box packaging, its manufacturers claim.

LycoRed puts the BLT into beverages

Thought BLT was a sandwich made with bacon, lettuce and tomato? Think again. In LycoRed's book it's a beverage fortification concept that showcases its expertise in antoxidants. Beta carotene, lutein, and tomato lycopene, of course.

Fancy a beer for more than twice the price?

In 2006, the price of beverages was on average two and a half times more in the most expensive EU country than in the cheapest, according to a Eurostat report.

Pepsi and others settle benzene lawsuit

PepsiCo and several other soft drink manufacturers have agreed to a settlement in a lawsuit brought against the companies alleging their products contained cancer-causing benzene.

Companies accused of internet high-jinks

Company executives-turned-internauts at Danone and Wholefoods are accused of blackening the reputation of their rivals online, according to the Financial Times today.

Cadbury buys US bottler

As part of a plan to sell its drinks business, Cadbury Schweppes today said it has acquired the Southeast-Atlantic Beverage Corp. (Seabev), the second largest independent bottler in the US.

Energy drinks market will grow, says report

Beverage groups will turn more production over to high margin, functional products over the next three years, to meet the growing demand for sports and energy drinks, according to a forecast report.

Brewers face GMO testing

US imports of brewers' grain and feed coming into England could face mandatory testing for contamination of genetically modified organisms (GMO's) under new proposals revealed yesterday by the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Pepsi pricing plan maintains confidence

The Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) increased sales by seven per cent to $3.4bn for the three month period ending 16 June, the company said yesterday.

Inbev aims at cost cutting with pub sale

InBev will sell a majority stake in its pub and bar division to Belgian real estate group Cofinimmo in a bid to cut costs and focus on its core beer operations.

Snapple maker sued over labelling claims

Cadbury Schweppes could face paying out six years worth of refunds if a native New Yorker succeeds with a court suit against the beverage giant's labelling practices.

Weekly comment

The aspartame science kerfuffle

The publication of a new animal study on aspartame last month has - as expected -sparked yet another bout of head butting from the two opposing sides of the debate. But it also highlights a bigger issue: one of transparency.

CEOs of top processors pledge to cut water use

In a sign that environment issues have risen high on the list of boardroom priorities, the chief executives of Nestlé, Coca-Cola and SABMiller have signed a UN commitment to manage water use at manufacturing plants more efficiently.

Study finds no link between sugar drinks and kiddie obesity

A new study from the UK suggests that children consumption of soft drinks between age five and seven is not linked to obesity later in childhood, challenging previous studies that have targeted soft drinks as a major driver in the obesity epidemic.

Coca-Cola makes juicy Russian acquisition

Coca-Cola Hellenic bottling company yesterday announced it has agreed to acquire Russian beverage group Aquavision as it aims to tap the full potential for soft drink sales in the country.

EU presses new wine reforms

EU Agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel yesterday outlined proposals which could dramatically shake up wine production within the Bloc in a bid to boost the products' competitiveness on the global market.

Volume and safety to drive drinks packaging demand

Demand for beverage containers in China is projected to increase 8.9 per cent per year to 2010, to about 181 billion units in 2010, according to a new study.

Rexam to buy Russian beverage can maker

As part of its bid to expand operations into emerging markets Rexam today said it has agreed to buy a Russian beverage can maker for US$297m (€218m).

Exporters in high spirits over Indian charge change

The cost of imported wines and spirits in India are set to drop following the decision yesterday by the country's Central Board of Excise and Customs (CEBC) to withdraw additional duties on foreign alcohol products.

Brands lend hand to Scottish & Newcastle plans

Scottish & Newcastle is on track to meet its expectations for continued full year profit throughout both its established and emerging markets, the company said yesterday.

Lightweight PET bottle targets water market

A new lighter weight polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle for water targets beverage companies that want to cut down on packaging.

Diageo on track with 2007 ambitions

Diageo said it had achieved eight per cent growth in operating profit for its full year ending 30 June following an improved second half performance.

Health drive lifting UK soft drinks

Carbonated beverage sales may slowly going flat within the British soft drinks industry, but they still continue to dominate the market with a 41.8 per cent share according to consumer analyst Zenith International.

Provexis favours functional focus

Provexis yesterday ceased the manufacture of its Sirco juice brand, but the decision may not herald the end of the company's involvement in the functional beverage market, the group said.

Weekly comment

M&A: Urge to merge

Mergers and acquisition activity is always ongoing in every segment of industry, but this summer looks to be a particularly hot one for food and beverage manufacturers.

Amcor agrees to sell PET business

Amcor will sell its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packaging business in a deal worth €425m.