Breaking News on Beverage Technology & Markets

Aromatech intros new tea flavour range

Aromatech has developed a comprehensive new range of liquid and granulated flavours for use in tea, as manufacturers seek to keep costs down while meeting consumer demand for traditional and exotic products.

special edition: beverage processing

Siemens expert bores into water treatment considerations

In the first part of a special edition on beverage processing, we explore the different water treatment requirements and options facing soft drink manufacturers.

News in brief

Nestle seeks to improve coffee supply chain

Nestle plans to invest CHF 500m (€385m) to improve its coffee supply chain through closer cooperation with farmers.

New Sidel cap feeders reject air to reduce energy use

Sidel has launched a new range of cap feeders that it claims cut energy consumption substantially by abandoning the use of air.

Milk is top tipple in nutrient-climate index

Milk has come out substantially higher than other beverages in an analysis that pits impact on climate against nutrient density.

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Don’t worry about wheat prices: Look at grain stocks

There’s nothing like a shortage of wheat to send some news media searching for superlatives. Talk of “soaring” wheat prices and “rocketing” bread prices were common, in the British press, after Russia decided to temporarily ban grain exports earlier this month. Three weeks later what lessons can we lean?

Polish drinks firm aims to top isotonic category

A Polish sports drink maker aims to widen its share of the domestic isotonic beverage market which is said to be growing at 11 to 15 per cent annually, according to a report in the Warsaw Business Journal.

Bisphenol A exposure from soft drink and beer products ‘extremely low’ - Health Canada

Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) from soft drinks and beer products is “extremely low” said Health Canada after carrying out a survey on levels of the chemical in 38 products.

News in brief

Diageo reports mixed full year results

Diageo has reported 2 per cent organic net sales growth for the full year as emerging markets compensated for weakness in Europe and North America.

Coca-Cola refiles notice for bottler acquisition again

The Coca-Cola Company has withdrawn and refiled its notification with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for the second time regarding its proposed acquisition of the North American arm of Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE).

Asahi buys into Australian soft drinks market again

Asahi Breweries has agreed to acquire P&N Beverages, the third largest soft drinks company in Australia in its latest move towards the goal of joining the ranks of the biggest global food companies.

Buhler buys stake in Italian firm to strengthen coffee presence

Buhler Technology Group said its move to buy a stake in Italian coffee equipment manufacturer Petroncini Impianti would boost its position in the medium and top-end segments of the market.

Amcor full year profits drop on Alcan takeover costs

Amcor said its full year profits fell by 13.5 per cent to A$182m (US$ 161.4m) as it revealed the cost of taking over rival Alcan was A$226m.

Danone jumps further into healthy juice

Danone has paid an undisclosed sum for fellow French smoothie maker Immedia in a move that bolsters its presence in the European juice market.

Siemens claims water management system offers major savings

Siemens is installing a water management system at a new bottling plant that uses a process the company claims can deliver 20 per cent operational savings compared to conventional alternatives.

Sewtec develops system to pack new Twinings tea bags

Sewtec Automation has designed and installed a pick and place system for Twinings that loads its new flow wrapped tea bags into boxes.

Research finds low polyphenol levels in bottled teas

Research presented at the latest meeting of the American Chemistry Society (ACS) suggests that bottled tea products can contain very low levels of polyphenols.

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Let’s hear it for the sound of compostable packaging

The world’s first 100 percent biodegradable chip packet attracted a lot of noise last week, but not the buzz that SunChips’ maker FritoLay had been hoping for.

Caffeine not linked to certain heart risks in women, study

Researchers testing the theory that caffeine consumption is related to an increased risk of certain cardiovascular events have indicated that their findings actually reveal a potential benefit rather than a risk.

PepsiCo invests $250m in Vietnam

Global food and drink giant PepsiCo has pledged to invest $250m in its food and beverage business in Vietnam over the next three years.

American Beverage Association spent nearly $4m on anti-tax lobbying in Q2

The American Beverage Association spent $3.5m lobbying the federal government on beverage taxes this month – and a total of $3.95m during the second quarter, according to a disclosure report.

Are energy drinks cut out for sports and slimming?

Two newly published papers have questioned how effective energy drinks are as sports drinks and whether they have a role to play in weight loss.

FTC gives go-ahead to Corn Products-National Starch deal

Corn Products International has said the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has given initial approval of its $1.3bn acquisition of National Starch, with the deal expected to be finalized by early October.

Napier and Diageo join up to turn whisky waste into fuel

Edinburgh Napier University has filed a patent for a new biofuel made from whisky by-products, at the end of a two year project working with Diageo.

News in brief

91 per cent of Canadians test positive for BPA

More than 90 per cent of people, aged between six to 79, tested positive for the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine, reveals the Canadian Health Measures Survey.

Natural ingredients and flavours propel Q2 growth for Frutarom

Frutarom’s double-digit growth in Q2 is due to accelerated growth in specialty fine ingredients and excellent flavours sales, says the firm, which has a rapid growth strategy in place.

New air-returning lever tap range said to meet industry demand

Worldwide Dispensers Europe (WD Europe) has expanded its range of Aeroflow air-returning lever taps with the introduction of four new bulk sizes, which it claims have been developed to meet market demand from manufacturers and other packaging producers in the food and beverage industry.

Senomyx and PepsiCo collaborate on sweetness enhancement

California-based flavor firm Senomyx has entered into a four-year partnership with PepsiCo in order to develop sweetness enhancers and natural high-intensity sweeteners for new PepsiCo products.

Refresco makes move on German private label market

Refresco is planning to acquire Soft Drinks International (SDI) in order to expand its presence in the German market for private label soft drinks.

Carlsberg ups forecast on better than expected Russian figures

Carlsberg has upped its outlook for the full financial year as the company performs better than expected in the Russian beer market.

Capital injection frees APPE and La Seda to pursue new PET strategy

Artenius PET Packaging Europe (APPE) expects to be able to fulfill its plastic packaging ambitions after parent company La Seda de Barcelona received a capital injection of €300m.

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‘MacStatins’ are not the answer to unhealthy food

Do you want a statin with that cheeseburger and milkshake? Touting pharmaceuticals as the neutralisers of fast food is not the answer to unhealthy diets and even the suggestion sends out the wrong message.

Looking to a new wave of energy drinks

Consumers are no longer satisfied with drinks that cause energy to spike and rapidly drop - but manufacturers are looking at new ways to provide consumers with an energy boost, says Beneo's Claudia Meissner.

Sending PET bottles to landfill may prove the low-carbon option, report

Countries with adequate space and little recycling infrastructure, such as parts of the US and the UK, could lower their carbon footprint substantially by sending PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles to landfill – rather than recycling or incinerating them, say researchers.

Energy drinks start to run out of steam, says Mintel

Despite a massive increase in recent years, new research from Mintel suggests that energy drinks and shots may be struggling to find new customers in the US .

News in brief

Bottled tea company introduces organic stevia-sweetened drink

Organic tea company Honest Tea has become the latest company to introduce a stevia-sweetened beverage on the US market.

Sports drink stabilizer alternative to gum arabic

Cargill has introduced a new starch-based stabilizer for use in sports drinks as a possible replacement to gum arabic – an ingredient susceptible to supply and cost issues.

Russian wheat woes unlikely to have big impact on European beer market

A poor Russian wheat harvest and a ban on grain exports are unlikely to have a major impact on the European beer market, but could represent another setback for the home market, according to a Canadean analyst.

News in brief

Crown to open new line at Slovakian plant

Crown has announced plans to install a second beverage can production line at its recently opened facility in Kechnec, Slovakia.

Big energy savings claimed for Eldorado’s first 100 per cent RPET water bottle

Energy savings of 77 per cent are claimed for the first US bottled spring water company to use 100 per cent recycled plastic in its bottles.

CVC acquires majority stake in major European vending player

CVC Capital Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in the Autobar Group – a leading European vending business with sales of €569m a year.

News in brief

Nestle buys into powdered drink business in Guatemala

Nestle is entering the powdered beverage business in Guatemala by becoming the majority shareholder of the Malher group.

Cargill presents chocolate drink prototype at IFT

In the search for new market outlets for Corowise plant sterols, Cargill presented a dark chocolate shot at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Food Expo in Chicago.

Order levels back to normal in H1 2010, Symrise

Symrise has seen its flavour and fragrance orders rebound to pre-economic crisis levels and has expanded its business with some key customers in the first half of this year.

Beverage, confectionery makers respond to Child Nutrition Act

The Child Nutrition Act has been broadly welcomed by the food and beverage industry, following its unanimous passage through the Senate late last week.

Comment

Is cloned food legal? Europe must decide, and fast

Big oops. Meat and milk from the offspring of cloned animals has entered the UK food chain. Cue scary headlines and scared consumers. But the leviathan of EU-lawmaking means no-one actually knows if it’s legal or not. And that’s an even bigger oops.

Krones to launch two blow-molding products at K 2010

Krones is planning to launch a new oven and a machine add-on for stretch blow-molding at the upcoming K trade show.

Big global spirits struggle in Millionaires ranking

Drinkers of spirits are turning away from big international brands in favour of domestic and locally produced products, claims Euromonitor.

Stevia pioneer recounts first encounter

Jim May of SweetLeaf tells how he came across the sweet leaves from Paraguay almost three decades before they captured the imagination of the mainstream food industry.

News in brief

KHS to showcase PET bottles at K 2010

KHS will be showcasing a range of PET bottles at the upcoming K 2010 trade show in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Treatt launches sweet spearmint flavour ingredient

Treatt has launched a new flavour ingredient for the drinks market that the company claims offers a sweeter alternative to conventional spearmint oil.

Amcor claims Ball acquisition will open new markets

Amcor has hailed its $280m acquisition of Ball Plastics Packaging Americas as another step outside of PET that gives it new material and process capabilities.

Ocean Spray sues Decas for “malicious campaign”; rival says suit is “frivolous”

Bitter cranberry rivals Ocean Spray Cranberries and Decas Cranberry Sales are set for another legal battle after Ocean Spray this week sued Decas for “deceptive business practices” in a Massachusetts court. Decas has vowed to fight the action.

Industry challenges ‘misleading’ sweetener-premature birth study

A study linking consumption of artificially sweetened beverages to an increased risk of preterm births has been dismissed by the sweetener industry as ‘misleading’ and ‘not plausible scientifically’.

Special Edition - Plant Efficiency

EMS offers food processors benefits and challenges

Environmental management systems (EMS) can be a good tool for food processors looking to achieve the twin goals of improved productivity and corporate responsibility.

EFSA needs more data on furan formation in foods

The European Food Safety Authority is urging member states to step up monitoring of the carcinogen furan in food products, in a bid to amass enough data to inform a dietary risk assessment.

Court defeats Anheuser-Busch bid for exclusive Budweiser rights

The European Court of Justice has ended a long-running brewing dispute, defeating an attempt by Anheuser-Busch to gain exclusive rights in the EU to the Budweiser trademark.

SPECIAL EDITION - PLANT EFFICIENCY

Should anaerobic digestion plants be on the menu for food processors?

The financial and eco-benefits of investing in anaerobic digestion (AD) technology to generate energy from food waste is something that all processors should be considering, said InSource Energy.

Wild ingredients companies united under global structure

A new Swiss company has been formed called Wild Flavors GmbH, bringing together the global food ingredients companies that bear the Wild name under a new structure.

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Energy drink makers must do more to protect children

Energy drinks makers risk a regulatory clamp down if they fail to take action on marketing campaigns that irresponsibly target young consumers.