All news articles for September 2019

Tea bags can be made from plastic or paper, or use a combination of the two. Pic:getty/alexthq

Plastic tea bags release microplastics into brew, says study

By Rachel Arthur

Plastic tea bags can release billions of microplastic and nanoplastic particles into a cup of tea, according to Canadian researchers. But while the scientists say some brands have shifted to plastic tea bags instead of paper ones, the industry counters...

Carlton Zero - Carlton & United Breweries' first ever non-alcoholic beer - launched in Australia last year.

Aussie brewer tastes success in race to the bottom

By Richard Whitehead

Carlton Zero is celebrating its first anniversary, having sold more than 3.2 million litres in Australia since its launch. Carlton and United Breweries is using its first-ever non-alcohol beer to go squarely up against soft drinks.

Low 2 No Bev will be held in London on June 17-18, 2020. Pic:getty/vichie81

New trade show for low and no alcohol beverages

By Rachel Arthur

A new event for the low and no ABV beverage sector is coming to London next year: showcasing a broad spectrum of drinks from beers, ciders, wines and spirits through to craft sodas, adult soft drinks, cordials and mixers.

Dr José Herrera, Minister for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change, Malta, joined Muscat at the ECMA Congress. Photo: ECMA.

ECMA Congress 2019

Malta PM: ‘We were more prepared for the Millennium Bug than Brexit’

By Jenny Eagle

‘Your guess is as good as mine on Brexit’, said Joseph Muscat, the Prime Minster of Malta, at the opening of the ECMA Congress 2019 last week (September 19-20), ‘But what is obvious, is during the next few days there needs to be a meaningful engagement’.

AB InBev's Kombrewcha brand is growing the hard kombucha category.

Guest podcast - Rabobank Liquid Assets Podcast

Joining forces: How ZX Ventures and Kombrewcha work together

By Rachel Arthur

What happens after a small, Brooklyn-based drinks startup gets acquired by the biggest beer company in the world? Kombrewcha joined ZX Ventures in 2016: and this guest podcast explores how the two are working together.

PepsiCo wants to boost rPET in plastic bottles - or avoid them entirely. Pic:getty/antoninokhr

PepsiCo: 'We're radically reinventing how we think about packaging'

By Rachel Arthur

Beverage and snack giant PepsiCo says it can avoid the use of 67 billion plastic bottles through 2025, thanks to the expansion of its SodaStream business. Meanwhile, its wider ‘Beyond the Bottle’ strategy is looking at other ways it can move away from...

AB InBev's innovation arm includes brands such as Babe Wine, HiBall Energy and Master of Malt. Pic:getty/chaiyapruek2520

Guest podcast - Rabobank Liquid Assets Podcast

ZX Ventures: Inside AB InBev's growth and innovation group

By Rabobank Liquid Assets Podcast

ZX Ventures is AB InBev's global growth and innovation group, best known as a corporate venture fund, but its role goes far beyond that. Rabobank Liquid Assets takes a look inside the group in this guest podcast.

Pic:getty/du84

Tea may improve brain health, says study

By Rachel Arthur

Tea drinkers have better organised brain regions compared to non-tea drinkers, according to a study published in the journal Aging. “Our study offers the first evidence of the positive contribution of tea drinking to brain structure and suggests a protective...

Pic: Getty/NikiLitov

Gen X holds more potential in alcohol than millennials

By Beth Newhart

Most food and beverage categories direct their marketing strategy toward millennials and the upcoming Gen Z generations, largely disregarding everyone older than 40. Experts say it’s the wrong move.

Vines by Lake Wanaka, on New Zealand's South Island

New Zealand's wine industry celebrates its 200th anniversary

By Rachel Arthur

On September 25, 1819, Reverend Samuel Marsden planted the first vines in New Zealand. ‘New Zealand promises to be very favourable to the vine… should it succeed, it will prove of vast important in this part of the globe’, he prophesied. With the industry...

There are still around 35 drinking occasions over the course of a week, but beverage categories are changing. Pic: Getty/Kwangmoozaa

The last 30 years in beverages: How have consumers changed?

By Beth Newhart

While soda may have dominated shelves in the 1990s, today’s shoppers are seeking increasingly sophisticated functional beverages. Data company Kantar has analyzed consumer behavior in a new report that highlights the last three decades in the US beverage...

Bluestone wants to bring the coffee culture of Melbourne to the US through its cafes and blended beverages.

Australian cold brew coffee spreads in the US

By Beth Newhart

Bluestone Lane’s Australia-inspired cafe chain is its expanding its beverage options with ready-to-drink iced coffee and cold brew, including a partnership with Elmhurst 1925.

Instant hot coffee of the past is being replaced by higher quality ready-to-drink options.

Bringing back the brew: US coffee innovates for fall

By Beth Newhart

Coffee brands kick it up a notch in the fall, capitalizing on the category’s popularity during the colder months. From spiked cold brew to CBD infusions, US coffee is taking a fresh approach to autumn 2019.

Pic:getty/luiscar

Guest article

From gin to tonic: British brands look to global growth

By Sue Bishop, UK Department for International Trade

British drink producers are making the most of global demand for British beverages, says the UK's Department for International Trade (DIT) - with some businesses even starting out with the international market in mind. In this guest article, Sue...

Pic:getty/markwagonerproductions

Guest article

Changes to alcohol duty are down to government

By Steve Perez, founder and chairman, Global Brands

A new report from the Social Market Foundation for reforming alcohol duty in the UK is welcome. However, Brexit won’t create a realistic opportunity for changing alcohol taxes to encourage more responsible drinking. This requires a change in Government...

©iStock

Sustainable brands must embrace ‘net positive’: Euromonitor

By Katy Askew

The importance of sustainability continues to rise up the agenda for food brands. A new report from Euromonitor stresses that food makers can’t offset harm done in one area with progress in another. Sustainability leaders are increasingly adopting a ‘net...