The Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ) recent banning of products with pure and high caffeine concentrations will not affect non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks and energy drinks, but more stringent import rules may become applicable.
This January, the Korean new year might not only have lost the skimpy calendars manufacturers have become famous for, it might even see the end of alcohol advertising that is traditionally crammed with K-pop starlets.
With trendy plant-based alternatives such as soy milk or almond milk, consumers often find a health halo around indulgent coffee shop drinks. But festive favourites such as hot chocolate and sweetly-spiced lattes contain ‘huge’ amounts of sugar, says...
The US Food and Drug Administration has stated that it cannot conclude that CBD (cannabidiol) is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for its use in human food, based on a “lack of scientific information supporting the safety of CBD in food”.
Panama passed a new law this week that creates a national health improvement action plan and increases taxes on the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.
The EU and China have concluded negotiations on a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications in China; and 100 Chinese Geographical Indications in the EU.
Docklight Brands is on its way to having a complete portfolio of CBD brands, including several beverages, edibles and skincare topicals. CEO Damian Marano is trying to cross categories and be the first total consumer products company in CBD.
Kezzler has expanded its serialization and traceability operations by opening an office in Singapore, appointing Pengfei Zhang as director of pre-sales and delivery.
ABB Distribution Solutions has redesigned its low-voltage switchgear to launch NeoGear across Europe in 2020, following trials in Switzerland and China.
Tea Board India has warned manufacturers and sellers of tea and related products that adulterating teas with any form of artificial colouring will see legal action being enforced, stating that there is ‘no provision’ of any sort for using colour in tea.
Singapore will become the first country in the world to ban adverts for high sugar drinks, as part of measures to reduce sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages.
England’s outgoing Chief Medical Officer says the Soft Drinks Industry Levy has been successful in reducing sugar in children’s drinks: and is calling for the levy to be extended to milk-based drinks.
The Philippines Senate panel has recommended that a bill to increase taxes on alcohol and other ‘sin’ products under Phase 2 of the controversial TRAIN law be passed, amidst government lauding of the first phase’s success.
Manufacturers in the carton industry are concerned that confusion remains over the compostability of cartons, MOSH (Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons) and MOAH (Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons) and the SUP (Single-Use Plastics) directive on coated...
The University of Applied Sciences, Vienna has updated its Circular Packaging Design Guidelines ‘given the challenges of certain packaging for recyclability’.
Minimum unit pricing appears to have reduced the amount of alcohol purchased by Scottish households by 7.6%, according to a study published in the BMJ this week.
An advert for a Scottish gin brand, which depicted a group drinking gin after reaching a mountain peak, has been banned by the UK’s advertising watchdog.
Public Health England’s latest progress report on the food and drink industry’s sugar cutting efforts reveal significant changes in areas where the sugar tax applies, but a disappointing lack of progress with the voluntary sugar reduction programme.
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...
Should alcohol cost more in supermarkets? Should duty be determined solely by alcohol strength and not by product type? A UK think tank is exploring how alcohol duty could be reformed to focus taxation where health and social harms from alcohol are the...
Taxing high sugar snacks – such as sweets, cakes and biscuits – may be more effective at reducing obesity than taxing sugary drinks, according to a new study published in the BMJ.
By Doug Bania, Nevium Intellectual Property Consultants
Rock ‘n’ roll and craft brewing were born out of the same spirit of independence, making them ripe for the type of crossover you sometimes see between the music and alcohol industries. But behind every seemingly rebellious rock band is a brand that has...
Having assessed the effects of energy drinks on the cardiovascular system, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment warns that excessive consumption can pose a health risk in young adults.
The World Health Organization says that – based on the information available – ‘microplastics in drinking water don’t appear to pose a health risk at current levels’. But it emphasises that more research is urgently needed.
Over 20% of fermented beverages in Australia have been found to contain alcohol content above that of the limits stipulated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), a government study has revealed.
Japanese F&B giant Suntory has recently revealed its performance in the South East Asian to be stronger than other foreign markets, but also expressed caution over continued growth in the region due to sugar tax implementations.
Dunkin’ Brands, parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts (DD) and Baskin Robbins, released a sustainability report this week, updating its progress on old goals and outlining new ones.
UK sugar tax has removed 45,000 tonnes of sugar from shelves, says government
The UK government is considering extending its sugar tax to milk drinks: with the announcement made just before the confirmation of Boris Johnson – who has pledged a review of ‘nanny state sin taxes’ – as the country's next Prime Minister.
EFSA’s decision-making process may have been biased by ‘conflicts of interest’ and the distribution and sale of aspartame in the EU should be suspended, says the author of a new research dossier calling the safety of the sweetener into question.
Australians’ growing appetite for the regulation of sugary drinks means the time is sweet for governments to tackle their consumption, say public health researchers.
Mexico’s sugar tax is hitting poor people, increasing inequality and failing to tackle obesity, says the country’s soft drink group ANPRAC – but a recent academic paper suggests even regressive sugar taxes are still “socially desirable”.
A fire broke out late Tuesday night at a Jim Beam warehouse in Kentucky, and continued to burn into Wednesday. Early reports estimated that about 45,000 barrels of liquor were lost in the blaze.
Systech, primarily known for its serialization, traceability, anti-counterfeiting, pharmaceutical regulations and supply chain technology, has expanded into Food & Beverages introducing its UniSecure platform at AIPIA.
Malaysia has implemented its sugar tax targeting sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in the country, which has led major beverage companies to reformulate products in an attempt to curb its impact – but is this enough to meet the government’s goal of combatting...
A meta-analysis has found that a 10% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has cut down purchases and consumption by an average of 10% in places where a tax has been introduced, according to researchers from the University of Otago in Wellington, New...
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules that a collagen drink advertisement is in breach of marketing communication codes for making anti-ageing and wrinkle-reducing claims.
Oman is joining other GCC states, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar in implementing a selective tax on energy drinks, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco.
The amount of sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages sold in Philadelphia dropped by half during the first year in which the city’s controversial tax on the beverages was in effect, according to a study published earlier this month in JAMA.
This week, the European Council adopted new rules banning selected single-use items, England announced plans to outlaw plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, and Germany revealed that 5,300 disposable cups are used per minute across the country.
By Jack Winkler, Emeritus Professor of Nutrition Policy, London Metropolitan University; and Tam Fry, chair, National Obesity Forum
A historic change in the sales of carbonated soft drinks has taken place since the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) came into force a year ago -- with sugarfree drinks rising, and full sugar products falling.
Plastic bottles in the EU will contain at least 30% recycled content by 2030, according to European Union targets. EU member states have also agreed to achieve a 90% collection target for plastic bottles by 2029.
Reformulating products to reduce sugar can be a costly process. While the impact of sugar taxes on consumer behaviour is a moot point, they do provide the food sector with a financial incentive to trigger change.
