Coca-Cola has recalled 40,000 cases of soft drinks in South Korea
and claimed it was the victim of a blackmail campaign, after a
consumer was allegedly poisoned by drinking a bottle of Coke.
Soft drinks firm Britvic has issued a profit warning following a 32
per cent drop in first-half profit, as demand for sugary carbonates
declines sharply.
Cadbury Schweppes may be about to buy up its Dr Pepper/Seven Up
bottling partner in the US, says a report, indicating a growing
consolidation trend in the US soft drinks supply chain.
Quality not quantity was the catchphrase for Coca-Cola at its first
quarter results conference, as the group said it would sacrifice
volumes for higher margin beverages to lift profits.
Coca-Cola can continue selling orange juice fortified with calcium,
after having settled with Procter and Gamble over a patent
infringement lawsuit a development that opens the way forpotential
collaborations in the future.
Soft drinks firm Britvic has announced a 7.3 per cent drop in
half-year carbonates sales as a slump in the fizzy drinks market
impacts revenue and share price.
Coca-Cola said it was testing its soft drinks around the world for
benzene, as the group sought to reassure consumers that soft drinks
were only a very small contributor to daily benzene intake.
PepsiCo has launched a range of flavoured waters enriched with
vitamins across the US, in a further sign that functional drinks
are pushing their way into the mainstream soft drinks sector.
Coca-Cola said it would fight to put down a lawsuit filed against
it by more than 50 of its own bottlers over the distribution of
sports drink Powerade to Wal-Mart stores.
More than 50 bottlers have now lined up to sue Coca-Cola in the US
in a move to stop the soft drinks group distributing its Powerade
sports drink directly to Wal-Mart supermarkets around the country.
Emerging markets across Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America came
good for both PepsiCo and Coca-Cola in 2005, increasing their
importance in the two rivals' growth strategies.
Coca-Cola saw profits tumble by more than a quarter in the last
three months of 2005, underlining the challenges that still lie
ahead for the soft drinks firm in 2006.
The European Commission on Tuesday cleared the takeover of Cadbury
Schweppes' European drinks arm by private equity consortium Lion
Capital and Blackstone.
Sports and energy drinks have stolen a march on foods to become the
powerhouse of the global market in performance products, according
to a new report from Leatherhead Food International.
Coca-Cola faces a challenging 2006 as the firm experiences rising
levels of bad publicity on alleged human rights abuse and, of
course, obesity. In the first of two parts,
BeverageDaily.com takes a closer look, starting with human...
Cott Corporation, the private label soft drinks maker, said it
would close its Ohio factory in the US next year as part of its
plan to cut costs and get back on track with consumer trends.
PepsiCo's successful diversity and faster action on health has
taken it ahead of Coca-Cola in the market for the first time in 112
years, but don't be fooled into thinking Coca-Cola is dead wood.
As Coca-Cola prepares to launch mid-calorie cola containing coffee
in France, the group faces a challenge to win over sceptical
consumers who view the move as more of a gimmick.
Cadbury Schweppes has announced it plans to sell its European
beverages arm for £1.2bn to a private equity consortium led by Lion
Capital and Blackstone.
Fizzy colas may increase consumers' risk of hypertension that can
lead to strokes and heart disease, suggests a new medical study,
raising new problems for stumbling fizzy drink sales.
Sports drinks, juice and bottled water spearheaded a set of
encouraging third quarter results from Coca-Cola as
health-conscious consumers force a realignment at the major soft
drinks players.
Belgian company Orafti has introduced a new low colour organic
sweetener that could tackle the problems faced by organic soft
drink manufacturers, including off-notes in colour and taste.
Energy drinks push their way to the front of PepsiCo's portfolio as
the Gatorade brand drives forward third quarter sales alongside
more growth from diet and non-carbonated drinks, leaving fizzy cola
festering on the shelf.
Soft drinks giant PepsiCo is thought to have asked Cadbury
Schweppes for information on the sale of its European soft drinks
arm, according to a report in the UK's Financial Times.
After months of secrecy and whisperings, Cadbury Schweppes has
finally confirmed that it is looking to dump its European soft
drinks arm for a greater focus on confectionery.
Consumer health trends and political pressure have pushed America's
soft drinks industry to ban fizzy sodas from elementary schools,
and radically reduce their presence in others, in favour of juice,
water and energy products.
Coca-Cola, hit by a slow-down in fizzy drinks sales, may be looking
to expand into vitamin-enriched milk after the firm's bottling arm
announces talks to buy control of Bravo! Foods.
Coca-Cola, Pepsi and the rest of the soft drinks industry are
considering a voluntary ban on carbonated soft drinks in elementary
and middle schools following heavy lobbying from health
campaigners.
Diet trends help Cadbury Schweppes to push forward in the US, yet
its European soft drinks arm looks to be a weak link as tough
market conditions hamper sales, profits and margins, reports
Chris Mercer.
Cadbury-Schweppes looks set to try and sell its European soft
drinks arm, again, but whoever buys it may have a tough time
improving the division's rather average performances, reports
Chris Mercer.
Soft drinks makers looking to replace sugar with sweeteners to
reach health-conscious consumers could save time and money with an
award-winning new technology from UK supplier Pursuit Dynamics,
reports Chris Mercer.
Coca-Cola can no longer negotiate exclusive supply deals for its
fizzy soft drinks in the EU and must open its coolers to rival
brands as the European Commission tries to improve competition,
reports Chris Mercer.
Coca-Cola is introducing its Minute Maid juice brand to the UK
market this week, which is currently experiencing booming juice
sales thanks to increasingly health-conscious consumers, reports
Dominique Patton.
Teamsters unions at seven Coca-Cola bottling anddistribution
facilities in Connecticut and the Los Angeles area in US plan to
continue their strike today over wages and health care benefits,
reports Ahmed ElAmin.
PespiCo has thrust further into Europe's strongly emerging juice
market through German firm Punica as the scramble to get ahead in
healthy soft drinks sector intensifies, reports Chris
Mercer.
Opportunities are flourishing for flavour suppliers targeting
health-positioned drinks as number one soft drinks firm Coca-Cola
says it will push R&D investment in health positioned products.
Iconic soft drinks firm Coca-Cola has confirmed it is in talks with
world football association Fifa to secure a new long-term
sponsorship deal as the firm lays the foundations for marketing its
brands more aggressively, reports Chris...
Iconic soft drinks firm Coca-Cola, hit by slowing sales of its
trademark fizzy cola, is set to buy up a leading fruit juice
producer in Russia, handing the firm key access to an important
emerging market, reports Chris Mercer.
Coke war drives innovation in diet drink sweetener formulations
with the number one soft drinks player Coca-Cola rolling out a new
aspartame and acesulfame potassium based cola onto the market,
writes Lindsey Partos.
Global beverage giant PepsiCo, aiming to push diet drinks to
appease calorie-conscious consumers, will follow arch-rival
Coca-Cola by re-launching its Pepsi One brand with Tate &
Lyle's Splenda sweetener, reports Chris Mercer.
Coca-Cola says it needs to take a more aggressive stance to
marketing its brands as a new report shows that the US carbonated
drinks market continues to struggle.
The Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling company, which this week announced
solid sales growth led by emerging markets in Eastern Europe, has
confirmed its interest in Serbia's second largest mineral water
bottler as the company plans...
Non-carbonated soft drinks in emerging Eastern European markets,
especially Russia, held up sales growth during a challenging period
for the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC), despite a €49
million one-off charge sending...