Breaking News on Beverage Technology & Markets

Velvety PETG film protects drinks from light damage

Printpack has developed a new PETG film with a matte finish and light protection barrier to help fruit juice and dairy product makers replace expensive containers.

Victorian Lemonade goes down badly with alcohol campaigners

A campaign to reclassify Fentimans Victorian Lemonade as “imitation liquor” in Maine has prompted a flood of consumer interest in the drink.

Rooibus extract may boost acai's health punch

Formulating açai products with extracts from rooibus tea may enhance the colour and improve the stability of açai’s healthy components, suggests a new study from Texas.

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Coca-Cola omega-3 superjuice can nourish brain (but not memory), says NAD

Coca-Cola-owned Minute Maid has been told to discontinue TV advertising that suggested an omega-3 DHA-fortified pomegranate and blueberry superjuice could give an immediate memory boost.

Obesity Society urged to dismiss soda tax

The Center for Consumer Freedom has urged attendees of the Obesity Society’s annual meeting to consider obesity a matter of personal responsibility rather than an issue to be regulated by government.

SIG gives combiSmart screw cap wings

SIG has added wings to its combiSmart screw cap to make small cartons of products like condensed milk and cream easier to open.

Novozymes retains positive outlook after Q3 results

Novozymes has reported a better than forecast profit in the third quarter of 2009, on the back of higher sales volumes and better productivity – although sales of food enzymes have fallen.

Kirin to close two breweries in new profit focus

Kirin Holding plans to close two domestic breweries as part of a three year plan to increase operating income by around 50 per cent.

Diageo to close bottling plant in Quebec

Diageo plans to close its Dorval bottling plant in Quebec in February 2010 as workers in the UK ballot on strike action.

Pomegranate’s prostate protection potential grows

The anti-prostate cancer effects of pomegranate and its extracts may be related to stopping an enzyme in the liver which processes environmental carcinogens, says a new study.

News in brief

Commission clears PepsiAmericas acquisition

The European Commission has cleared PepsiCo’s acquisition of one of its bottlers PepsiAmericas.

Ruling confirms recycling deposit on New York bottled water

All bottled water sold in New York State must include a 5 cent recycling deposit from 31 October following a court filing late last week.

Comment

Tackling E.coli – legislation or self-regulation?

Everybody wants food to be safe - but the recent slugging match over how best to protect US consumers from E.coli-tainted meat highlights whether legislation or self-regulation is the answer to mending the country's flawed safety system.

Tetra Pak's 1.5 billion eco-cartons in UK & Ireland

Tetra Pak has given a boost to its green credentials after announcing that more than 1.5 billion of its cartons on sale in the UK and Ireland in the next year will carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label.

Ocean Spray extends Pepsi partnership beyond cranberry

PepsiCo and Ocean Spray have added more single-serve juices and juice drinks to their three year-old sales and distribution agreement.

Health experts criticize Coca-Cola grant

Prominent health experts have written to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) urging it to return a grant from Coca-Cola to pay for education about the dietary role of beverages and sweeteners.

Sidel to pursue green initiatives with NAPCOR

Sidel says its decision to join the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) is motivated by the need to advance and promote the environmental credentials of PET.

Algatech obtains 12 astaxanthin functional health claims

Algatechnologies’ astaxanthin ingredient has obtained 12 new structural health claims, allowing manufacturers to add the claims to the packaging.

News in brief

FSA reviews guidance on bottled water

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is appealing for suggestions as it reviews existing guidance on bottled water products.

Green tea may combat depression in elderly

Drinking frequent cups of green tea a day is linked to a lower incidence of depressive symptoms in elderly people, say Japanese researchers.

Purac proposes lactic acid for stevia off-flavour masking

Beverage companies have a new tool to deal with the potential off-flavours associated with stevia sweeteners, as Purac is launching a new lactic acid ingredient.

Coca-Cola shrinks cans to fight obesity

Coca-Cola has introduced a 90-calorie mini can - billed as a better way to help consumers manage their calories.

SIG's FSC certified drink cartons go on sale

SIG Combibloc claims to have launched the first Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified range of drink cartons for fruit juice drinks and ice teas in Europe.

News in brief

SIG owner plans to buy Reynolds Group

Beverage Packaging Holdings, owner of SIG Combibloc, has announced plans to buy the Reynolds Group in a deal worth $3bn.

Taste receptor for carbonation discovered, claim scientists

Scientists claim to have discovered the taste receptor for carbonation, saying that it is perceived in a similar way to sour flavors – and provide an explanation for fizzy drinks’ tingling sensation.

Comment

Branded Corn Flakes are great for branding

Will we all be waking up bleary-eyed to bowls of tattooed Corn Flakes any time soon? Probably not, but by suggesting that we could, Kellogg’s has hit on a winning marketing ploy.

Coca-Cola opens new $88m bottling plant in China

Coca-Cola has announced its single largest drinks investment in China with the opening of a RMB 600m ($88m) bottling plant.

Rexam facing price fixing charges in Russia

Rexam PLC has been accused of illegally fixing the price of aluminium cans and lid ends in the Russian Federation by the country’s competition authorities.

Report breaks down slowing global beer market

Growth in the global beer market is slowing as the economic downturn quickens the decline in Europe and North America, according to a new report.

News in brief

Carob juice extracts repositioned as blood sugar ingredient

Cyvex Nutrition has repositioned its carob juice extract as a blood sugar control products targeted for women, in response to ‘significant supporting scientific data’.

Stevia’s reputation still to build, says survey

Stevia sweeteners have already hit on the radar screens of one in three moms, a PureCircle survey indicates – but the next step from awareness is building a good impression.

New protein for clear drinks in clear bottles

Creating a clear functional drink suitable for transparent bottles is the key advantage of a new hydrolyzed whey protein from Milk Specialties.

Green tea extracts may slow smokers’ lung damage

Daily consumption of a Chinese green tea extract may slow the damage of cigarette smoke in the lungs, according to results from a rat study from Hong Kong.

Arla lays claim to lightest milk bottle crown

Arla Foods, through its partnership with Logoplaste, claims to have developed the lightest two pint polybottle for milk in the UK.

Red Bull: EFSA taurine rejection won’t affect energy claims

Global energy drinks leader, Red Bull, says the recent rejection of taurine-based energy health claims by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) won’t have any bearing on its own claim-making.

Thai truck drivers put brakes on energy drink growth

Out of work truck drivers in Thailand may partly explain a deceleration in the global market for energy drinks, suggests a new report.

Green tea may ease mental distress: Study

Drinking five cups of green tea per day may reduce the incidence of psychological distress by 20 per cent, says a new study from Japan.

News in brief

Vitaminwater Facebook flavor campaign enters stage three

Vitaminwater, a Coca-Cola owned company, has been running a three-step Facebook campaign designed to determine consumers’ tastes in order to launch a new flavor of its low-calorie, nutrient enhanced drink next spring.

Comment

Soda tax: A lot of froth over freedom

Is taxing soda really an evil plan to curb your individual freedom? Conspiracy theories aside, perhaps it’s simply a sensible scheme to tackle obesity when personal choice has failed.

Kids’ soft drink habits predict teenage weight: Study

Five-year-olds’ consumption of sweetened beverages could give an indication of their weight status for the following ten years, according to a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

ASA slams jokey ads for Coke’s Vitaminwater

Slogans like “more muscles than brussels” and “keep perky when you’re feeling murky” are to disappear from UK ads for Coca-Cola’s Vitaminwater under orders from an industry watchdog.

Zero waste a target for all, says Envirowise

Every company should be aiming at zero waste from their factory or production process, said speakers at the Sustainability Round Table – and better resource use can bring cost savings.

Yoghurt group unfazed by mass probiotics rejection

The European Food Safety Authority’s mass rejection of probiotic dossiers is not the disaster it appears if ‘technical’ obstacles can be overcome, according to a group that represents the biggest yoghurt players in the world.

News in brief

New boost for recycled PET

Plastic food packaging provider, Par-Pak plans to invest in a process that will decontaminate and purify recycled PET so that it can be re-used for food packaging.

Latest BPA study “flawed” says American Chemistry Council

“Many limitations but no clear conclusions,” is the verdict of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) on the latest study claiming to link exposure to the chemical bisphenol A with risks to human health.

BPA could make girls more aggressive: Study

Two-year old girls whose mothers were exposed to Bisphenol A while pregnant are more likely to show aggressive and hyperactive behaviour, according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Comment

Bad day at the EU health claims office

October 1 was not a good day for many in the functional foods and food supplements business in the European Union as the meaning of life under a highly restrictive health claims regime came more into focus.

PepsiCo merges newly acquired bottlers

PepsiCo has created a new bottling company called PepsiCo Bottling North America (PBNA) following the acquisition of its two biggest bottlers.

Study supports safety of ADM and Burcon’s canola protein isolate

A napin-rich canola protein isolate does not pose any safety concerns and is considered safe, according to a toxicology study from ADM and Burcon.

News in brief

Acquisition boosts Balls’ can capacity by 10bn

Ball Corporation, one of the world's leading suppliers of rigid metal and plastic packaging products and services, has acquired three can manufacturing plants in the United States with associated contracts for $577m, from AB InBev.

Lecithin may boost fruit juice, sauce quality: Study

Formulating processed fruit and vegetable products with soy lecithin may enhance not only the physico-chemical properties, but also the nutritional profile, says a new study.

Devil not so bad in EFSA health claim details

At first glance yesterday’s publication of the first batch of 94 article 13.1 health claim opinions, is a worst-case scenario for industry, with claims for the likes of omega-3s, beta-glucan, folate, probiotics and taurine all drawing negative opinions from EFSA scientists.

President Obama endorses US soda tax plan

President Barack Obama has lent his support for a soda tax which could benefit children’s health and the nation’s wealth, according to a new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

New enzyme to help brewers through recession

Danisco is launching an upgraded version of its Laminex Super brewing enzyme to help ease bottlenecks during the wort separation stage of brewing, which could ultimately help brewers to reduce costs.