Narzan, one of Russia's best-known mineral water companies, has
received a loan for $12.25 million from the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development as part of a combined equity
investment scheme.
People who shift their caffeine 'buzz' from a morning dose to small
amounts consumed throughout the day could avoid falling asleep, may
perform well on cognitive tests, and sleep soundly at night.
The Beverage Can Makers in Europe (BCME) has welcomed the advocate
general's conclusions in the EU Court cases regarding the German
packaging regime. He found that the discriminatory elements of the
German packaging order regarding...
Krones, the market leader for beverage filling and packaging
machinery, has reported increased order bookings, sales revenues
and profits for the first quarter of 2004 despite gloomy prognoses
for the German economy. This bodes well...
SABMiller, one of the world's largest brewery groups, has increased
its presence in the Romanian market after announcing the
acquisition of a controlling stake in leading local brewer Aurora.
Chivas Brothers, the company behind the brand Pernod Ricard has
announced the launch of new packaging for its flagship brand Chivas
Regal 12. The company said that the new look coincides with the
group's revamp of the whiskey's...
Spain's soft drinks market is expected to grow by around 7 per cent
this year, a slight slowdown compared to 2003's heatwave-boosted
performance but nonetheless healthy growth driven by premium and
functional products.
RFID has arrived. Long hailed as the next IT revolution for
industry, communicating labels are being forced into place by
retailers and legislators alike, leaving manufacturers racing to
implement a newborn technology steeped in unknowns,...
Harbin, the leading Chinese brewery, has advised shareholders to
resist SABMiller's takeover bid for the company. The bid was
influenced by Ancheuser-Busch's 29 per cent acquisition of the
company earlier in the week. SABMiller...
SABMiller, the second largest brewer in the world, said it intends
to increase its 29 per cent stake in Harbin, China's leading
brewer. The announcement comes in direct response to rival brewer
Anheuser-Busch's move to secure...
Investigations into whether Coca-Cola overshipped drink concentrate
to distributors in some markets in order to inflate its financial
results has intensified. A federal grand jury has been scheduled
and employees subpoenaed according...
Anheuser-Busch has confirmed that it is to buy a 29 per cent stake
in China's Harbin Brewery Group - a deal that will increase its
presence in the world's largest beer market, but not without
treading on a few feet.
The British arm of brewing giant Interbrew will work alongside the
government to combat the problem of alcohol abuse, even though it
still remains unconvinced about the long-term effectiveness of the
government's Alcohol Harm...
Cafédirect, the UK's largest supplier of ethical tea and coffee
under the Fairtrade mark, has reported record sales for the year to
end March - a performance which confirms the growing importance of
ethical food and drink products...
After a decade of concentrating on the ready-to-drink sector,
leading alcohol brand owners in the UK are turning their attention
to other segments as RTD sales begin to stagnate. Widespread growth
in the liqueur market means that...
Scottish and Newcastle (S&N), the UK's leading brewery, plans
to close its Tyne Brewery in Newcastle and acquire Federation
Brewery from Northern Clubs Federation Brewery (NCFB). Both plants
have been operating below industry...
A recent market reports shows that in the Czech Republic - one of
the most developed markets in Central and Eastern Europe - the
consumption of soft drinks is rapidly catching up with the western
Europe average.
European regulators have forced Germany to rethink its
controversial - and commercially damaging - deposit system for
one-way packaging, ruling that it contravened regulations on the
free movement of goods between EU member states....
Scotch whisky exports reached their second highest level ever in
2003, confirming Scotland's favourite spirit as one the biggest
sources of revenue for the UK manufacturing sector and the
government's coffers. All the more...
A group of Slovakian fruit juice producers has taken it upon
themselves to implement a voluntary system to help sustain levels
of quality for their products.
Diageo, maker of Guinness, Ireland's iconic stout drink, said it
plans to close its London brewery by the summer of 2005 and
consolidate production at its historic St James's Gate brewery in
Dublin. The company said the...
US colours and flavours group Sensient continues to feel the impact
of soft markets in North American food and beverage segments,
particularly synthetic colours, posting a further drop in income
for the first quarter of 2004. Pressure...
African gum stocks dropped off at the end of 2003 driving up prices
for acacia gum - a natural emulsifier used extensively in food and
beverage applications - squeezing margins for manufacturers. French
hydrocolloid firm Colloides...
Coca-Cola is set to initiate talks with the European Commission in
an attempt to resolve an antitrust case against the group. This is
the latest difficult challenge to have emerged - Coca-Cola has
already had to deal with the Dasani...
Agilent Technologies and Swiss-based Metrohm have developed a
high-sensitivity method of detecting perchlorate in surface and
drinking water. Perchlorate, an explosive propellant used in rocket
fuel, is a widespread and potentially...
Most food companies are too short-term focused when it comes to
adopting new technology, claims a packaging expert. They need to
adopt long-term strategic planning and pay closer attention to
changing trends if they wish to stay ahead...
Swiss drinks packaging equipment provider SIG Combibloc says that
the continuing growth of the soft drinks market in Hungary is
likely to support a period of growth that will last well into next
year.
The Baltic drinks market is awash with activity at the moment, with
both Coca-Cola and A. Le Coq making new soft drink launches and
Saku signing a co-operative agreement enabling it to access the
lucrative Finnish beer market.
Roasted ground coffee is still by far the biggest category in the
German coffee market, but sales dropped by 2 per cent last year as
consumers switched to more exciting variants such as Cappuccino and
Espresso, writes Chris Jones.
A brand of wine packaged in Tetra Prisma 500ml packaging has been
launched in the US. This is the first wine to packaged in this way,
and the company behind it believes it offers consumers greater
convenience and freshness.
PacificHealth Laboratories (PHLI), a nutrition technology company,
has announced a 64 per cent increase in net sales for its 2004
first quarter. The success has been attributed to the company's
Accelerade and Endurox R4 sports...
Coffee contains similar levels of antioxidants to black tea and can
be just as beneficial to health, according to Scottish scientists
that have found coffee's antioxidants are highly absorbable by the
human body.
Cadcam developer Delcam has reported that sales for the year to
31st December 2003 were £20.5 million, an increase of 8.5 per cent
on the previous best annual sales of £18.9 million. Food and
beverage packaging has increasingly become...
A line of herb enhanced soft drinks will receive wider distribution
in Canada with V-Net Beverage, the acquisitive supplier of Rush
Cola, signing an agreement with natural foods marketer Tree of
Life.
Faced with dwindling prices and increasing competition from cheaper
imports, India's tea producers are turning to international markets
to boost their profits, writes Chris Jones. Marketing
efforts in the domestic market, meanwhile,...
Heineken, keen to increase its presence in the all-important
Russian market, is said to be considering a huge investment to
develop facilities in the Sverdlovsk region.
Served straight from the barrel in the mosaic clad bars of Madrid,
Spain's favourite apertif is good for the heart, say scientists,
investigating the potential health benefits of sherry.
A new Euromonitor report on the global soft drinks industry reveals
that emerging markets show strong growth in the sector, while
developed markets are faced with the challenge of market maturity.
An energy drink marketed to boost mental performance has been
allowed to continue with its claims, after investigation of the
scientific evidence to back up the advertising statements,
writes Dominique Patton.
The Coca-Cola recall has highlighted the urgent need for
manufacturers to install efficient systems to achieve complete
traceability. Consumers, and the law, will settle for nothing less,
writes Anthony Fletcher.
Danone, the French food group, has bought a stake in the Mexican
water container company Arcos Iris. The group has not stipulated
how much it has paid for the business but has indicated that it now
has the majority stake,writes Danny...
Britain's drinks industry has warned that an increase in beer duty
and the ongoing threat of tax stamps designed to cut down on duty
evasion, both announced by Chancellor Gordon Brown yesterday, will
simply increase the cost...
The EU commission has approved Carlsberg's takeover of the German
brewer Holsten-Brauerei. The approval places the company one step
closer to the profitable German market writes Danny Vincent.
Drinks manufacturers and retailers in the UK have pledged to do
more to tackle alcohol misuse – a problem which costs the UK £20
billion a year and which brand owners and retailers have been
accused of exacerbating in the past, writes...
Per capita consumption of juice in eastern Europe is a healthy 13
litres, well ahead of that in other emerging markets, but there is
still some way to go before consumption levels reach those in
western Europe. But with a number of...
The National Audit Office (NAO) claims that care should be taken
before the government implements tax stamps on spirits. While the
introduction could be the most effective way of reducing spirit
fraud - the industry begrudges the...
A British brewer has been criticised by the UK's advertising
watchdog for making a series of claims about the health benefits of
beer including suggestions that it could protect against heart
disease.
A warm glow from a regular pint at the pub might not be the only
benefit to the health as a small study finds moderate beer
consumption could help prevent osteoporosis through the
bioavailability of silicon rooted in the beverage.
There has been much speculation over beverage companies' plans in
launching a drink based on a calorie concept - but it has been
Pepsi that has been able to act the fastest and secure the first of
its kind on the market.
