Artificial sweeteners are less likely to lead to weight gain in
overweight people than consumption of foods containing sucrose,
according to research from the US published this week. With rates
of obesity increasing worldwide, the...
Vendange Wine Cellars, the Californian wine producer, has revealed
new packaging for its varietal table wines, which it is making
available in 750 ml and 1.5 litre sizes.
The world's second largest Coca-Cola bottler is to list 5 per cent
of its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, adding to existing
listings in Athens, London and Australia.
The world's greatest secret agent James Bond, whose latest film
premieres in November, is being used to promote sales of both
Finlandia vodka and 7 UP soft drinks - though not necessarily
together.
In a major U-turn, the New Zealand Appeals Court has reversed a
decision allowing Czech firm Budejovicky Budvar to sell its beer
under the Budweiser name - another victory for Anheuser-Busch and
its Budweiser brand.
Red Bull continues to dominate the western European energy drink
market with a 66 per cent share, and it also provides the model for
most of its rival brands. But despite the dominance of one brand,
the market shows no sign of stagnating,...
Turkish glass producer Anadolu Cam has announced an investment
programme in its Ruscam glass bottle plant in Vladimir, western
Russia, which aims to boost production to one billion bottles a
year.
Italy's ready-to-drink market is still in its infancy, but the
Milan-based Campari group is hoping that it will grow substantially
with the launch of its new Campari Mixx product.
South Africa's Distell group has been pushing its wines into a
number of new markets recently. The latest deal with the Oddbins
wine retailer in the UK comes after other recent agreements in the
US, Canada, Germany and Scandinavia.
Heinken has announced its third acqusition in almost as many days.
The Dutch firm will extend its presence in Africa with the
acqusition of a 69 per cent stake in Lebanon's only brewer, Almaza.
US cranberry ingredients company Ocean Spray ITG has appointed Jim
Lesser as group marketing manager of ITG & Foods Team. The move
is part of an internal restructure which sees the Ingredient
Technology Group and Foods team merging...
Starch ingredients company Cerestar formally launched a bio-organic
sweetener at Health Ingredients Europe in Paris this week.
CBio-Sweet is derived from bio-organic wheat and hydrolysed with
non-GMO enzymes.
Schweppes France is to take over many of the administrative duties
of Orangina-Pampryl, entailing the loss of 110 jobs. Some 48 posts
have already gone following the closure of a production facility.
A year after the formation of the Glenaird joint venture,
Glenmorangie's Broxburn plant is to begin bottling Drambuie Cream,
a new brand which has seen substantial growth since its UK launch.
The first five months of the current fiscal year have been good for
the world's second largest brewer, SABMiller, despite the
devaluation of currencies in South Africa.
Growing demand for Guinness Stout on export markets has prompted
Guinness UDV to invest €38m in expanding production of the brand's
secret ingredient at its Waterford brewery.
Further proposals by the European Parliament to increase the level
of packaging recycling have, naturally, bought about mixed
reactions from the food and beverage manufacturers.
FoodProductionDaily.com spoke to Kate Snowden, from...
The sale of the cider unit CSR - announced last week by Pernod
Ricard - will see the disposal of the last remaining non-core
business, allowing the French group to finally devote all its
efforts to building its wine and spirits empire.
Good weather in California throughout the summer has led to another
bumper year for the state's wine grape producers. The UK's Allied
Domecq is predicting that this year's wines will be of excellent
quality to boot.
Angostura, the company famous for its bitter cocktail ingredient,
is expected to make a takeover bid for Scotch whisky maker Burn
Stewart within the next few weeks.
The sale of Novartis's health food and drink brands could finally
be completed soon, with trade buyers apparently lined up for
Isostar and Ovaltine, and Nestle thought to be interested in the
health food brands.
Belgian speciality beer maker Duvel Moortgat shrugged off declining
volumes in France and the Netherlands to post a 9 per cent rise in
first half turnover, helped by strong performances in the UK and
US.
Al Ahram Beverage Company (ABC) is to become the latest addition to
the Heineken portfolio, a deal which might go some way towards
appeasing analysts who were hoping for more news of growth as the
company announced its first half...
The floods in the south of France will mean a significant reduction
in the level of wine produced there this year, with as many as
30,000 hectares of vineyards damaged in the Gard alone.
United Glass has confirmed that it is making a €1.9 million
investment in what will be the first phase of a major upgrade of
its glass recycling and processing plant at Alloa, Scotland.
Luxury goods group LVMH showed a steady improvement in operating
profits in the first half, helped by good performances from
Champagne and Cognac in difficult market conditions.
Purchases and new production facilities have so far marked the
healthy growth of Dutch life science company DSM in 2002. This week
the company announced further acquisitions with the purchase of the
food coatings activities of Vaessen...
Laurent-Perrier Champagne has released a new version of its Grand
Siecle La Cuvee wine in the US, at the same time reducing the price
to around €80 a bottle in a bid to attract greater numbers of
consumers to high quality wines.
Dark Dog, the European energy drink brand with a growing following,
has been snapped up by the US group XStream, a new entrant into the
beverage market but with big plans for the future.
Danone and its Japanese distributor Mitsubishi join forces with
Kirin to boost sales of the Evian mineral water brand, a deal which
should also boost sales Kirin's Alkali Ion brand.
Pilsner Urquell, the flagship Czech beer of the SABMiller group, is
to be produced in Poland under licence - a clever move to ensure
greater penetration for the brand or the first step on the slippery
slope to turning it into a bland,...
Alcan, the Canadian-based beverage packaging provider, has signed a
letter of intent to sell its moulded glass operations in the US and
China to the US-based Glass Group.
The rapid growth of Belgian beer giant Interbrew has prompted the
company to assess how best to optimise its capacity. As a result,
the group is closing one Dutch brewery and significantly reducing
production at one of its UK plants,...
As if declining profits and poor summer weather were not bad
enough, Britain's leading cider maker HP Bulmer has now revealed
previously unnoticed costs in its UK takehome division - costs
which will either push 2001/2002 profits...
Hayman, Barwell Jones, the UK-based wine agent, has added three
estate wines from the Stellenbosch vineyards in South Africa to its
portfolio of upmarket brands.
Most consumers in the UK do not understand the risks of not
drinking enough water, and that the wide variety of bottled waters
available to them have more differences than simply still or
sparkling. We spoke to Ian Hall of the Natural...
A proposal which would have meant an increase in beer and wine
duties in some EU countries and a sharp reduction in others has
been scrapped by the Commission in the face of fierce opposition.
Elegancia, a new Single Malt whisky matured exclusively in Spanish
fino and oloroso sherry casks, has been launched in Duty Free and
Travel Retail outlets by The Macallan.
Belgium's Interbrew has acquired the US rights to its Bass Ale
brand, bringing a premature end to an earlier agreement with
Diageo. The comapny also reported a slide in profits in the first
half, despite some good performances...
Galaxy Nutritional Foods, a producer of plant-based dairy
alternatives, has extended its UltraSmoothie range with the launch
of a single-serve version, expected to go on sale in the US from
October 2002.
The launch of the new Zinniz fruit-flavoured beer brand helped
Grolsch lift its share of an otherwise sluggish Dutch market.
Strong performances in the UK also contributed to a 6.6 per cent
rise in turnover during the half.
Strong organic growth from the premium drinks business was one of
several key drivers of growth at Diageo, the UK company which is
now wholly focused on its beer, wine and spirits business. Smirnoff
Ice and other RTD brands performed...
The ownership of two of the best-known vodkas from Eastern Europe
could be under threat. The Russian government has announced that it
plans to sell licences to produce Stolichnaya to the highest
bidders, while Poland is proposing...
Middle-aged French men who drank two or more glasses of wine
regularly after a recent heart attack were less likely to have a
second heart attack or other cardiovascular complications compared
to nondrinkers, according to a study...
The South Korean market is one of the largest in the world for
Scotch whisky, in particular deluxe blends. With this in mind, the
maker of Famous Grouse has created a new range of whiskies under
the Lancelot name in association with...
Budejovicky Budvar, the Czech brewer, has registered the name
Czechvar for the beer it sells in the US, but will continue the
fight against rival Anheuser-Busch over the right to the name
Budweiser in other markets.