Breaking News on Beverage Technology & Markets

Alltracel makes heart bioactive suitable for beverages

Alltracel has developed a soluble version of its bioactive for cardiovascular health, opening up its use in beverages and making it more attractive to the food companies with which it is currently discussion the route to market.

Wild targets low sugar fruit drinks sector

Wild has launched a new beverage concept designed to tap demand for less sweet alternatives to traditional soft drinks.

More support for coffee's protective role against diabetes

Drinking a whopping seven or more cups of coffee a day could cut the risk of developing type-2 diabetes by over 40 per cent, say Finnish researchers from the country's National Public Health Institute.

Czechs scupper EU alcohol duty reform

Proposals to set minimum tax rates on beer and spirit drinks across the EU were hanging by a thread Wednesday, after opposition from the Czech Republic killed off hopes of agreement.

Food firms unaware of contamination risk

Many food and drink firms in the UK remain unaware of the need to insure themselves against accidental or malicious contamination of their products.

San Miguel still undecided on future of bottler

San Miguel, the Philippines biggest food and beverage producer, said on Friday that it has not yet reached a deal deciding the future ownership of its bottling joint venture with Coca-Cola.

British Sugar launches cost-cutting, process-friendly paste

Sugar supplier British Sugar has launched a new variety of sugar paste promising a whiter, smoother appearance and better taste.

Food science 'gap year' targets UK recruit crisis

A new initiative by a UK supermarket to send students on food discovery 'gap years' around the world aims to help plug a national shortage of food scientists.

Cadbury's secret benzene recall

As the makers of Perrier water absorbed the full consumer backlash from recalling drinks containing benzene in the US, Cadbury Schweppes quietly pulled one of its own products for the same reason, new documents show.

HFCS set for long-term growth in China

China's corn sweetener producers are embarking on a new stage of growth, with a recent upsurge in capital investment allowing them to offer significant volumes of value-added products.

Green tea improves blood lipid levels, say scientists

Regular consumption of the antioxidant rich green tea could reduce blood lipid levels and cut the risk of developing heart disease, suggests a small trial from Portugal.

Bioplastics demand experiencing boom in Europe

Demand for bioplastics in Europe has experienced its first boom this year leading to a need formore investments in the sector, says an industry organisation.

Energy drinks market continues to sparkle

West Europe's energy drink sales accelerated by 15 per cent to a volume of 383 million litres and a value of over €3 billion in 2005, according to drinks consultancy Zenith International.

EU rejects low duty alcohol reform

Consumers in the EU will not be able to buy low tax alcohol from other member states over the internet, the Court of Justice has ruled, pleasing both the UK government and drinks industry.

Wild flavours target growing beer mix drinks market

Wild is targeting the growing market for mixed beer beverages in Germany with a range of ingredients and flavours.

Winemaker creates next-generation recyclable bottle

Australian winemaker Palandri Wines has developed a new wine bottle made from a plastic and aluminium material that can both be recycled and save the firm costs.

EC calls for greater "responsibility" over new sugar reforms

The sugar industry must take greater responsibility to ensure the successful restructuring of the EU market, said the European Commissioner for agriculture.

Live at Emballage

Emballage opens on hopeful note

Emballage opened yesterday here, with about 2,200 companies exhibiting packaging and processing machines to food, drink, cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies.

Doubts hit FDA handling of benzene in soft drinks

Serious questions remain over how America's food safety watchdog handled the presence of benzene residues in soft drinks, a senior ex-official has said, after tests showed some drinks still contained the chemical 15 years after the industry agreed to cut it.

FDF slams 'over the top' food ad ban

The UK's Food and Drink Frederation (FDF) has slammed stringent new restrictions on TV food and drink advertising.

Matcha green tea tipped as luxury flavour of the future

A Japanese firm is confident that a traditional form of green tea is about to take off as a luxury flavour category in Europe.

Third soft drinks firm settles over benzene lawsuit

Another soft drinks firm has reformulated and agreed to pay out compensation in the US to head off a lawsuit over the potential presence of cancer chemical benzene in its drinks, as the controversial issue continues to bubble.

Tea producer is latest to use biodegrable packaging

A French tea producer is the latest company to embrace biodegradable packaging.

Languedoc wine to unite under one AOC

Plans to unite France's Languedoc wine region behind one Appellation Contrôlée banner are set to be officially adopted at a regional industry conference Friday.

EU calls time on India's high spirit tax

EU officials are set to report India to the World Trade Organisation at the end of this week (17th) in a bid get high import tariffs on wine and spirit drinks dropped, and force open a lucrative emerging market for European producers.

DSM PeptoPro stars in a Rad new drink

DSM Food Specialties' protein ingredient PeptoPro is featuring in a new sports drink being launched in the United States, a formulation for sports beverages that was applauded earlier this year by the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) on sports nutrition and performance.

Fines highlight uncertainty in EU sugar markets

Sugar processors in the EU are facing further uncertainty over their futures following the announcement of EU fines for failing to reduce stockpiling in the declining sector.

FSA summit plans UK food terror response

Plans to deal with widespread contamination of the UK food supply caused by a terrorist attack have been discussed by industry, food safety and security officials amid concerns at the terror threat facing the country, BeverageDaily.com can reveal.

Enzyme-modified soybean sugar - another gum arabic replacer?

Soybean soluble polysaccharide (SSPS) modified by a rhamnogalacturonase (RGase) enzyme could be used in flavour emulsions, and is a potential replacement for gum arabic, say researchers from Fuji Oil Company.

Drinks industry split over online booze cruising

Effects will be mixed for the industry if an EU court allows consumers to use internet shopping to by-pass import tax on alcoholic drinks from other member states, a trade association has said.

Polyphenol-enriched tea may double cholesterol excretion

Drinking a cup of polyphenol-enriched oolong tea with a high fat meal may increase the amount of cholesterol excreted by the body by half, says a small study from Japan and Taiwan.

Weekly Comment

Why climate change cannot be ignored

Ignoring climate change will cost countries billions and lead to food scarcity.

CaraGum launches cost-effective gum Arabic emulsifier

A French company has developed an Arabic gum-based emulsifier that it claims can be used in much lower concentrations than conventional products.

South America spurs SAB beer growth

Emerging markets in South America have spearheaded beer sales growth for SABMiller over the last six months, outweighing doom and gloom in the US.

Coca-Cola Amatil enters spirits market

Australia's biggest soft drinks maker Coca-Cola Amatil has expanded its alcoholic beverages portfolio through a new agreement with premium spirits distributor Maxxium.

Australian juice processors face higher orange prices

Australian orange growers have warned that supplies of the fruit will be tight this year as frost followed by a severe drought has caused a sharp drop in the Valencia orange crop.

Diageo quells sparkling spirits rumours

Diageo, the world's largest alcoholic drinks firm, denied it planned to launch sparkling spirit drinks in the UK in the near future after filing a patent for a new way of adding fizz to hard spirits.

Sugary drinks in new cancer link, study

Drinking two sugary soft drinks every day could almost double the chance of pancreatic cancer, warns a new study, landing a fresh blow on soft drinks makers over health.

ABF blames profit drop on sugar shake-up

Associated British Foods (ABF) yesterday blamed a 21 per cent drop in operating profit on European sugar industry reform and significantly higher energy costs.

Depressed consumers hit beer sales, says S&N

Poor consumer confidence across Western Europe dented growth at UK brewer Scottish & Newcastle in the third quarter and is likely to continue into next year, worsened by a pub smoking ban in Britain.

Heineken tests global coding standard

Heineken has teamed up with IBM and a shipping company to test the use of a global coding standard in simplifying customs clearance for the company's beer exports.

Weekly Comment

Transparency is the key to the science kingdom

In the food and nutrition world, science is king. So when journals do not force scientists to fully disclose financial support and potential conflicts of interest, they are not helping anyone.

Jungbunzlauer increases ingredients prices globally

Citric acid leader Jungbunzlauer has jumped on the price hike bandwagon, announcing last week that it is to up the stake on citric acid, GdL and xantham gum in all markets where it operates

PET resin improves clarity, cuts energy costs says manufacturer

A new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin is designed to offer better bottle clarity alongwith reduced production costs, its manufacturer claims.

Global coding standard being tested with RFID

A global product coding standard being developed for use with radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is being tested on the sea-shipment of cartons between Hong Kong and Japan.

Coca-Cola, Nestlé scale down drinks venture

Coca-Cola and Nestlé will limit their joint venture group to black tea drinks, allowing the two giants to revitalise their position in this sector and compete openly on other fast-growing beverages.

Vitality focus lifts Unilever drinks

An improved focus on health and wellness helped Unilever to recover lost ground in the UK during the third quarter, with new drinks launches helping to drive success.

Red wine compound may extend life, says mice study

Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine, extended survival rates of mice and prevented the negative effects of high-calorie diets, says a new study published in Nature.

Tate & Lyle hails 'excellent' ingredients performance

Tate & Lyle's unaudited interim results have given the firm reason to be confident that stronger growth can be expected in the near future.

Live at PackExpo

Wal-Mart unveils 'green' packaging rating system

Wal-Mart yesterday announced the online rollout of a "green" ratingsystem for the packaging used by all of its product suppliers, onethat will eventually determine who can sell to the world's largest retailer.