Breaking News on Beverage Technology & Markets

Soft drink sales stalled when clear caloric information given, Johns Hopkins study

Sales of soft drinks to adolescents in Baltimore City nose-dived when study participants were exposed to ‘easily understandable’ information about calorie content, according to a new US study.

2011's beverage blockbusters: the news that filled our cup this year

We review the beverage thrills, and spills, of 2011, and raise a Christmas glass to a year that saw legal dogfights, giant steps forward in interactive packaging technology and a change of slogan for Carlsberg, never traditionally known for its modesty...

Red Bull fights Pit Bull filler to EU court defeat

Simply filling a soft drink bearing a trademarked brand name does not itself violate an EU directive regarding use of that sign, according to the European Court of Justice (CJEU) in a high-profile ruling involving Red Bull.

News in brief

Brazilian can demand prompts $50m Novelis investment

The world's largest producer of rolled aluminium, Novelis, has announced plans to invest around $50m to install a coating line for beverage can end stock at its site in Pindamonhangaba, Brazil.

Pile on those truckin' pounds, say Kraft and peers, as opponents cite safety fears

US food giant Kraft says it hopes that more states are allowed to follow the lead of Maine and Vermont and allow heavier 97,000-pound trucks on interstate roads, although opponents fear safety issues.

News in brief

Treatt offers new FTNF black tea and hibiscus flavors

Flavor ingredient company Treatt has expanded its From the Named Food (FTNF) range of flavors with a black tea flavor and a hibiscus flavor, the company has said.

CCE catches Olympic fever but French soda tax dampens spirits

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) says it is focusing on the London 2012 Olympics to spur sales, but admits that any French soda tax could lead to retail price rises there of around 10 per cent.

News in brief

USDA heeds cry for new inorganic arsenic levels?

In the wake of media and public demand for new guidelines on the presence of arsenic in fruit juices, food safety authorities in the US are still considering such a measure.

Exclusive interview

Beneo board: “Let us not forget that functional food responds to a clear demand of the consumer”

In the first part of this exclusive interview, Beneo Group executive board member, Yves Servotte, explains how European Union health claim rules have informed strategic thinking at one of Europe’s biggest and most vocal ingredient vendors.

Leatherhead cites category overlap as ‘overriding’ soft drinks trend

There is an overriding trend within the world soft drinks market towards an overlap between categories, while economic unrest is expected to consolidate a trend towards cheaper products, according to Leatherhead Food Research.

Glass could strike gold riding Chinese beverage bandwagon, analyst

Opportunities abound for glass as a premium beverage container in China, the world’s fastest growing packaging market, according to business research specialist the Freedonia Group.

Ingredient innovation central to global soft drink growth, Leatherhead

Increasing use of innovative ingredients within soft drinks is one of the most notable trends witnessed by that industry over the past few years, according to Leatherhead Food Research.

Coca-Cola targets 100% plant-based bottle by 2017

Coca-Cola said it has signed three joint ventures that could see its eco-PET bottle made from 100% plant-based material and brought to market within five or six years.

EC abandons PET anti-dumping probe after trade body withdraws complaint

The European Commission has lifted its threat of imposing tariffs against PET producer in Saudi Arabia and Oman after closing an anti-dumping probe.

News in brief

Euro-Colombian juice brand builds UK base

Innovative Euro-Colombian juice brand Juna has told BeverageDaily.com it is expanding fairly rapidly in London after launching in October, having just secured new listings at Selfridges and sandwich shop chain Birleys.

‘Consumer friendly’ juice labelling rules approved by EU Parliament

The European Parliament (EP) has approved new labeling rules for fruit juices and nectars that it says aim to prevent ‘potentially misleading’ names for mixed juices and ‘no added sugar’ claims.

New research boosts case for caffeine in sports performance

The addition of caffeine to carbohydrate could help to boost athletes’ performance of skilled tasks in addition to boosting endurance, according to UK researchers.

Coke inks Aujan deal to catch MENA consumption wave

The Coca-Cola Company says its agreement to acquire around 50 per cent of Middle Eastern beverage firm Aujan Industries will boost the latter’s regional sales and those of soft drink Vimto.

Gin revival rumours greatly exaggerated: Euromonitor

Like author Mark Twain reacting to false reports of his death in reverse, rumours of gin’s sales revival have been greatly exaggerated, according to Euromonitor International.

Inventor accuses PepsiCo/Gatorade of patent infringement

An Oregon-based inventor has filed a complaint in a federal court in Illinois accusing PepsiCo of patent infringement by using his patented packaging designs in its Gatorade G Series pouches.

Hollywood A-list vodka brand sparks legal dogfight

An investor behind a super-premium vodka brand whose website features US celebrities such as Meryl Streep is involved in a bitter legal battle with its creators, who have called him “uneducated and unstable”.

News in brief

Vitiva expects aspartame-stevia shift

Slovenian ingredients producer Vitiva has launched a stevia line called Sweet' nVit, and says it will market its version of the intense sweetener worldwide, as its CEO predicts a shift from artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.

Product labelling key to consumer acceptance of HPP and PEF

Providing information on food labels about the processing method used in their manufacture can heighten consumer acceptance of high pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed electric field processing (PEF), according to new research.

‘Curbside exclusion’ is major challenge facing US carton recycling: Carton Council

Despite improvements to curbside carton recycling, lack of access for consumers is the major problem that the industry faces in upping recycling rates, according to the US Carton Council.

Comment

Lobbyists, start your engines: Can a new health claims formula be won in the European Parliament?

Five years ago the European Union nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) became law. Around the bloc, hopeful EU healthy foods and supplements stakeholders submitted more than 44,000 health claim applications.

Energy drinks market ‘screaming for innovation’, Premier Beverage Group

US functional drinks company Premier Beverage Group says that the market is ready for a new generation of premium energy drinks marketed under a novel ‘captive brands’ strategy.

German firm kick-starts rainbow revolution for PET

Inotech Kunststofftechnik has filed patents concerning technology to blow multi-coloured or multi-component PET bottles using a special ‘two tone’ technique that it claims will allow impressive optical effects and the incorporation of active properties.

‘Lighter means less valuable’: Diageo tackles sustainability misconceptions

Diageo says that realising its new vision for sustainable premium packaging is a challenge, especially given “the perception among consumers that lighter means less valuable”.

News in brief

‘Vault of the Secret Formula’ sees Coke reveal secret recipe

The Coca-Cola Company has moved its 125-year-old secret recipe from a vault in SunTrust Bank in downtown Atlanta to a new home in its nearby museum, thus revealing it to visitors. Well, sort of...

News in brief

Foster's CEO steps down

Foster's Group CEO John Pollaers has announced that he will step down from his current position on December 16, following SABMiller's successful acquisition of the company.

New granular weigher beats multi-head rivals for accuracy, Ishida

Ishida Europe has launched a new version of its Cut-Gate Weigher targeted at more finely granulated dried food and beverage products that it claims is three times more accurate than multi-head rivals.

Nampak claims license to thrill with ‘007’ closures line

Nampak Closures has opened a new wine closure production line at its Cape Town facility nicknamed ‘007’ that it claims is the fastest of its type in the world.

Danfoss hit with huge fine over price fixing cartel

Food processing and refrigeration component producer Danfoss has been fined €90m for its part in a European price fixing cartel that operated between 2004 and 2007.

National Starch unveils award-winning cloudy beverage emulsifier

National Starch Food Innovation claims that its new waxy maize-based beverage emulsifier – unveiled last week at Food Ingredients Europe (FIE) – could lower production costs by 50 per cent.

Ocean Spray: ‘We’ve always said POM’s claims had no merit’

POM Wonderful has failed to convince a federal jury that Ocean Spray Cranberries misled shoppers and deprived POM of potential sales by selling a pomegranate juice product containing only 2% pomegranate juice.

EFSA approves copolymers for PET and PLA

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved three new copolymers for use in plastic food contact materials.

Provexis keeps Fruitflow powder dry, axes UK R&D facility

UK plc Provexis plans to shut its UK research and development (R&D) facility, as the company seeks to reposition itself within the sports nutrition market and co-develop a powder version of heart health ingredient Fruitflow with DSM, which it says will be key to striking deals with global brand owners.

European glass sector toasts rising packaging demand

An upswing in glass packaging production announced today has been fuelled by growing demand from consumers and brand owners as sustainability and quality benefits of the material continue to gain traction, said leading industry figure Niall Wall.

Dispatches from FIE 2011

Cranberry claim winner tells Ocean Spray: “Stay in your bogs”

Last week global cranberry leader, Ocean Spray, announced it was working on settling the long-running and divisive debate about how best to measure the berry’s active constituents – but the move has not been welcomed by the man who won the world’s first-ever cranberry health claim.

Taste profile and cost could threaten stevia success story, analyst

Taste profile and cost are the biggest potential obstacles to widespread stevia uptake within the European Union (EU) soft drinks industry, an analyst has warned.

News in brief

Avery Dennison unveils new adhesive R&D hub

Avery Dennison has opened a new adhesives research and testing centre in the US.

FSA’s ‘ballpark’ caffeine consumption figures unrealistic, academic

The UK Food Standards Agency’s (FSA’s) official figures for recommended coffee intake during pregnancy ‘bear very little relation to reality’, according to the author of a new UK research study.

Monthly Career Insider

Why is a risk worth taking...? Leading Unilever R&D expert reveals all

FoodNavigator launches a new series - Monthly Career Insider - whereby we profile leading industry lights, asking them how they got to where they are, their key insights into the sector and advice they can impart for anyone wanting to move into their particular field.

Is dairy ready to steal some of the stevia limelight from beverage?

Cargill is looking beyond beverage to dairy as it flags up pending product launches for Truvia in both table-top and as an ingredient on the EU market next year.

Safety and operational efficiency mega-trends spur Nalco takeover, says Ecolab

Ecolab said it has completed the US$8.3bn (€6.4bn) takeover of Nalco as part of a strategy to tap into global mega-trends such as food safety and the need for industry players to maximize operational efficiencies such as energy and water reductions.

News in brief

Foster's chair hails 'historic day' as shareholders rubber-stamp SABMiller takeover

87.2 per cent of shareholders present at a scheme meeting voted in favour of accepting SABMiller's offer, and Foster's chairman David Crawford thanked them for...

‘Paradigm shift’ in mixing industry sees SPX commercialise cavitation technology

US machinery firm SPX Corp is commercialising patented cavitation mixing and dispersing technology for beverage and food sector use, and says it believes the equipment is unique within the marketplace.