Breaking News on Beverage Technology & Markets

Emerging markets behind SABMiller profit boost

SABMiller says that a continued focus on expanding in emerging beer markets like Africa, Asia, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe has allowed it to boost lager sales by 11 per cent.

Tea Council under fire for health claims posters

The UK Tea Council has been criticised for exaggerating the benefits of tea and banned from making further claims about the drinks antioxidant potential after running a series of adverts.

News briefs: San Miguel, Scottish & Newcastle and Orangina

In the latest news roundup, San Miguel adds some fizz to its Hong Kong operations, Scottish & Newcastle's chief executive may be about to call time on his tenure, and the Orangina group makes an energetic acquisition.

Ministers debate milk, wine and sugar reforms

Food safety and animal health top the agenda at today's meeting of EU's agricultural ministers, with the future of milk, wine and sugar production also up for discussion.

PET bottle has the class of glass, says manufacturer

A new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle for wine offers a lower weight form of packaging without sacrificing product quality or the environmental benefits associated with glass, its manufacturer claims.

Weekly comment

Consumers and the confidence crisis

Consumer demand - the holy grail of any industry - is a fragile and easily manipulated treasure. But influencing consumers for anything other than their own benefit will, more often than not, carry unintended consequences.

Innocent claims first with fully recycled bottles

UK-based Innocent claims to be the world's first beverage manufacturer to package its brands in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles made only from recycled material.

Weyermann makes organic colour for beer, bakery, beverages

German malting company Weyermann is posed to tap the trend towards organic colourings by introducing an organic version of its Sinamar natural liquid malt colour.

FSA 'astonished' by slow industry action on additives

The UK's FSA has issued its harshest judgement on the food industry's use of artificial colour and preservatives yet, following the publication of the Southampton study at the beginning of the month, and is calling for action on labelling as well as reformulation.

Cott amends expectations for annus horribilis

International branded and private label soft drink manufacturer Cott has lowered it earning expectations for 2007, claiming it to be one of the most difficult years in its history.

Further growth ahead says Pernod Ricard chairman

Pernod Ricard expects to further improvements in profitability during the 2008 fiscal year as it continues to integrate the assets related to a takeover of Allied Domecq, company chairman Patrick Ricard announced yesterday.

Capper puts the closure on damage, claims manufacturer

A new capper uses belts instead of spindles, eliminating cap damage and providing a more consistent closure, its manufacturer claims.

Responsibility rules in Heidelberg

It is not so much what is going into products, but the manner in which they are produced that dominated the debate at Wild's industry convention in Heidelberg, Germany.

Campari's spirit, Czech beer, and Heineken's rugby fumble

In the latest news round-up, Campari remains in good spirits despite a decline in soft drinks sales, Czech beer is on the rise and brewer Heineken is still lost in translation over its Rugby World Cup sponsorship.

Soda sales in schools fall, says ABA

The number of full-calorie soft drinks sold in schools across America has almost halved, according to a new report that examines the progress made by industry one year after the implementation of the National School Beverage Guidelines.

Carlsberg builds new brewery in Vietnam

Carlsberg will strengthen its position in Vietnam's burgeoning economy with its new brewery built in association with a domestic partner, the company announced this morning.

Jungbunzlauer ups citric acid, xanthan gum prices

Jungbunzlauer has announced price increases affecting citric acid, sodium citrate, gluconates and xanthan gum as it offsets its own costs, an adjustment seen as aiding economic stability in the marketplace.

Soft drinks makers claim reformulation commitment

As manufacturers continue to react to the consumer backlash from new findings linking artificial additive use to child hyperactivity, the beverage industry claims companies are moving to reformulate products accordingly.

Pepsi extends Unilever tea deal

Pepsi and Unilever are to extend their agreement over distribution and marketing of the Lipton ready-to-drink tea brand to target a growing global demand for the products..

Weekly Comment

Arnie and the clones

Cloned foods have not yet made it to our grocery aisles, but in the advent of such a rollout consumers must have a defined right to decide if they want to swallow the technology or not.

UK industry's dependence on foreign workers increases

An estimated 10 per cent of those working in the UK's food and drink manufacturing sectors are foreign nationals, according to statistics from a labour force survey.

Cadbury Schweppes rejects beverage bid, says report

The saga over the anticipated sale of Cadbury Schweppes' US beverage division continues to roll on, with the company understood to have turned down a revised offer for the arm, according to news reports in the UK.

News briefs: Heineken, Grolsch and Bionade

In this weeks industry round up, Heineken gets to grip with French rugby stadiums, German soft drinks firm Bionade shies away from a potential big money sell off and Royal Grolsch moves to step up its operations in Kazakhstan.

Study claims alcohol-cancer link in older women

Postmenopausal women who consume two or more alcoholic beverage a day may double their risk of developing endometrial cancer, say researchers in the first prospective study to report a significant association.

Soft drinks not responsible for obesity - study

Consumption of soft drinks is not by itself a significant contributor for rising obesity levels in the UK, according to a new study.

Sara Lee plans coffee kick to beverages

Food and beverage group Sara Lee has announced plans for the future growth of its hot beverage operations with an increased focus on premium brands and emerging markets like Russia.

Online auction exchange created for used equipment

The growing online market for used processing and packaging equipment has received a further boost, with US-based DoveBid creating a new auction facility for companies.

Multi-platform RFID reader enters market

NEC Corporation claims to have developed what it is calling the world's first radio frequency identification (RFID) device that can both read and write tag data on multiple frequencies.

Authorities plan to cut out cheap alcohol

Promotions that encourage the cut price sale of alcoholic beverages could soon be outlawed in Scotland as European legislators continue to drive a major crackdown on booze-fuelled crime and injury.

China Water & Drinks acquires stake in bottle maker

China Water & Drinks plans to acquire a stake in the largest water packaging manufacturer in China, a bid by the company to control its supply chain and bring down costs.

InBev to expand Belgian beer production

InBev is investing €60m into its domestic Belgian breweries to target growing global demand for some of the country's leading beer brands.

Weekly comment

Hooked on Es

This comment was amended to correct a statement about bans of additives in other countries. Some of the chemicals were previously banned by Norway, Austria and Australia but those bans have since been removed. Allura red AC, tartrazine and sunset yellow are allowed in the US, while quinoline yellow, carmoisine and ponceau 4R are not. None of the colour additives are currently banned by Australia, which lifted a ban on quinoline yellow in 2003. The country does not permit tartrazine to be used in medicines.

Anheuser Busch meeting US beer challenges

A refocusing of Anheuser Busch's US operations has given the company renewed optimism in its ability to fulfill its long-term growth ambitions.

Sugar waste used for food packaging

Bagasse, a previously useless waste product from sugar cane, can now be used to make biodegradeable packaging for food products in Thailand, its manufacturers claim.

Drink makers play down additive link to hyperactivity

Research released today linking sodium benzoate to hyperactivity in children is not yet definitive enough to remove the preservative from products, soft drink manufacturers claim.

News brief: Coca-Cola, Carlsberg and Kraft

This week' industry round up finds Coca-Cola finalising distribution for Glaceau, the latest appointments at Carlsberg, and SABMiller bringing a little taste of Italy to the Japanese market.

Coca-Cola reports progress on environment, workers rights

The environment, corporate governance and workers rights are transforming the way managers oversee their global manufacturing operations, as demonstrated in Coca-Cola's second report on its progress in these areas.

Industry acting ahead of hyperactivity fears - expert

The reformualtion of products due to health concerns over the preservative sodium benzoate (E211) will not significantly affect soft drink manufacturers, an expert claims.

Weekly comment

Food prices and the death of the productionist model

Last week saw a string of communications about food price rises: first warnings were aired about wheat, then meat, then dairy. It's a vertiginous view from the heights of the commodity markets, and it's clearer than ever before that we need to re-jig our basic food supply systems if we are to feed the world in the future.

Nestle Waters springs for Henniez

Nestle will expand its dominance in the bottled water market after today agreeing to the acquisition of a majority share in Switzerland-based Sources Minérales Henniez.

Timing wrong for Danisco sugar-ingredients split

Danisco's board yesterday rejected a proposal to cleave the company into two businesses, one for sugar and the other for ingredients, because of on-going EU sugar reform. But the plan remains on the table for the longer term.

InBev refocuses towards profitability

InBev lifted its organic revenues by 8.2 per cent during the first half of the fiscal year to €6.7bn as the group continued to restructure its international beer operations towards stronger growth.

Red wine linked to anti-cancer potential

A nutrient found in red wine has shown a positive result in cancer reduction, a study in mice has found.