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.
A new study has found no direct link between the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and elevated BMI in children, prompting authors to question the effectiveness of the UK’s single-nutrient tax approach.
The newly formed Cannabis Beverage Producers Alliance (CBPA) says it wants to be ready to ‘capture a rare market opportunity,’ with edible cannabis products set to be permitted for legal sale in Canada later this year.
FoodTech startup Inspecto has developed a portable scanner that detects chemical contamination in food in real-time, expected to be commercially available in 2020.
Soft drinks major thinks healthier drinks is better strategy than price rises
The grand old man of soft drinks in Southeast Asia is facing a year fraught with challenges, but the way it has been preparing for a new sugar tax stands it in good stead for its implementation later this year.
The European Commission has ruled that tonic water brands can continue to use the term ‘tonic’ on their products, assuring manufacturers that the term will not be linked to health claims.
The Portman Group, the UK’s alcohol marketing watchdog, has updated its code for naming, packaging and promoting alcoholic drinks, seeking to strike ‘the right balance between protection and creative freedom’.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Consumer Federation of America (CFA), and National Consumers League (NCL) say that alcohol labeling changes proposed by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TBB) 'fall dramatically short...
The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) is back in the US Senate with bipartisan support after first being introduced in 2015. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) are co-sponsoring the bill to “level the playing field for...
Children and adolescents who excessively consume caffeine-containing energy drinks over a short period of time, can experience sleep problems, anxiety and heart palpitations, say Norway’s food authorities.
Barbados' tax on sugary drinks has been effective in reducing sales of sugar-sweetened beverages - however the ad valorum tax may also encourage shoppers to switch to cheaper - and possibly more sugary - brands, researchers have suggested.
Cannabis-infused beer alternatives from Two Roots Brewing Co. are coming to California dispensaries. The Two Roots brand debuted THC and CBD options last summer in Nevada, brewed as alcohol-stripped craft beer.
As Singapore winds up its public consultation on sugar tax, the majority of participants have demanded sugar-reduction methods that extend more broadly across the industry beyond just targeting sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).