Among the new products highlighted by Mintel in this month's look
at the Global New Products Database are lettuce cake, a
controversial opium energy drink and a new look for Kellogg's
Frosties.
Bertie Ahern, Ireland's prime minister, called on alcohol producers
to act more responsibly this week, urging them not to produce or
market products such as alcopops which are targeted at young
drinkers. Ireland is to introduce...
The German spirits market seems to be in almost terminal decline,
but there could be a ray of hope from FABs, the ready-to-drink
variants of popular spirit brands such as Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi
Rigo. But, as market analysts Canadean...
British companies looking to export to Southern Europe will get a
major boost next month. Food from Britain is organising an export
insight conference focusing on France, Italy, Spain and Portugal,
giving companies all the information...
Poor summer weather in 2002 kept growth in the Italian soft drinks
market to around half that seen in previous years. But, according
to Canadean, the glitch is likely to be temporary, with plenty of
growth expected in the years to...
Austria is not among the most well known wine producing nations in
Europe, but a quick glance at the latest export figures shows that
consumers around the world are becoming increasingly aware of the
wines produced there. For the...
Despite a 17 per cent increase in sales of ready meals last year,
the traditional Spanish diet - high in olive oil, fruit and
vegetables and bread - is at little risk of disappearing, according
to the latest consumption data.
Vodka is going from strength to strength in the UK spirits market,
taking over from Scotch as the main driver of growth. But will this
growth - driven in part by the success of vodka-based RTDs - be
shortlived like that of tequila...
Growth rates may have slowed as the UK water cooler market begins
to mature, but the entry of major players Danone and Nestlé in the
last year should give a major boost to the sector, according to
Zenith International.
Kopparbergs fruit ciders from Sweden are the latest products
launched in the UK on the back of the growing consumer demand for
premium packaged drinks. But will the Scandinavian cider fare
better than its struggling UK counterpart...
PET packaging is already the most popular format for soft drinks
and bottled water, but it is still a long way from replacing glass
as the preferred packaging format for beer, claims Canadean.
A proposed increase in the taxation levels imposed on strong beer
has been dropped by the French government on advice from Brussels.
The tax would have pushed up the French price of beer over 8.5 per
cent abv - most of which comes...
The European market for FABs or alcopops is continuing to grow at
almost exponential rates, but a new report shows that this
expansion will continue to centre on just a handful of countries in
the north of the Continent.
As one US group - Kraft Foods - consolidates its position in the
Middle East with the acquisition of an Egyptian biscuit group,
another American firm - Starbucks - withdraws after dissolving its
Israeli joint venture.
Proposed changes to the formulation, labelling and advertising of
RTD products in the US could spell trouble for Smirnoff Ice and
other flavoured malt beverages in the long term. But with three
months of consultation ahead, Diageo...
Five wineries from the Spanish region of Extremadura are to
increase their output of organic wine. Some 2,607 hectares of
vineyard in Extremadura have already been classified as organic,
and the companies are keen to gain a foothold...
Next week sees the first major international wine show of the year
open its doors to trade visitors. But the 10th annual ProWein show
in Düsseldorf has much to offer than German wines and spirits -
2,800 exhibitors from 41 different...
Irish people the world over will be celebrating St Patrick's Day
today with a pint of stout, but a new report from Datamonitor shows
that Ireland will soon lose its crown as the champion consumer of
the black stuff - South Africa...
John Sunderland, the new president of the UK Food and Drink
Federation, has urged the industry to work together to meet the
challenges of the 21st century - including nutrition, food safety
and CAP reform.
Growth rates for soft drink sales in Eastern Europe are
outstripping those in the West by as much as four times, according
to a new report. Packaged water is showing the greatest growth, but
carbonates still dominate the market as...
Increasing awareness of the need for proper hydration and other
potential health benefits of drinking bottled water are driving
market growth in the UK, but there is still a long way to go before
Continental consumption levels are...
Cafédirect, the UK's leading producer of Fairtrade tea and coffee,
is to launch a major promotional campaign for its new range of
roast and ground coffee to coincide with Fairtrade Fortnight next
month.
Continued quality improvements have helped Spanish wine exports to
the US to double digit increases in sales for 2002, according to
preliminary figures from the FEV industry association.
Two fiercely independent brewers, Grolsch and Warsteiner, have
further extended their friendly partnership with an agreement
governing the marketing of Grolsch beer in Italy.
Britvic, the UK's number two soft drink producer, is to launch a
new brand, Freekee Soda, next month which it claims offers a
'unique' drinking experience for British consumers - a combination
of milk and fruit juice,...
Carlsberg continues to build up its operations in the fast-growing
Asian beer market with the acquisition of the Kunming Huashi
brewery for an undisclosed sum.
The Scotch whisky industry is not only one of the UK's biggest
exporters, it is also a major creator of jobs and investor in the
Scottish economy - vitally important at a time of economic
uncertainty in Scotland, according to...
Coca-Cola and its Belgian bottler, CCEB, have agreed to acquire the
natural mineral water business of Belgium's Chaudfontaine -
although they will not buy the company's other drinks brands. A
clear sign of Coke's intention...
Polish vodka brand Luksusowa is to join the Absolut stable
following the conclusion of a deal between the latter's owner, Vin
& Sprit of Sweden, and the Polish government, owner of the
Polmos Zielona Gora distillery which...
Australian wine producers have shrugged off difficult economic
conditions to increase exports to the US in 2002, but the UK still
remains the leading market for wines from Down Under.
Heinz has finally completed the spin-off of a number of its US and
Canadian food and pet food businesses and their subsequent merger
with the Del Monte group. The deal will now allow Heinz to focus on
its core ketchup and frozen food...
German wine companies Racke and Steiner are to join forces to
expand their businesses at home and abroad. Steiner will gain
greater access to international distributors for its own label wine
brands, while both firms will be able...
Tea and coffee are the staple beverages drunk by thousands of
people the world over but despite its longevity, the category is
far from stagnant. This is because of the popularity of iced tea
and coffee, sales of which are expected...
The European Commission has approved new regulations on the maximum
concentrations of a number of substances found in natural mineral
water - a move which it said was vital to ensure continued consumer
protection but which could also...
Pepsi-Cola North America president Dawn Hudson has unveiled
updated, bolder-looking package graphics for Pepsi-Cola and
caffeine-free Pepsi-Cola at the Beverage Digest's Future Smarts
conference in New York City.
Australian wine group Beringer Blass Wines Estates, a division of
the Foster's group, improves wine portfolio in Europe with the
acquisition Kangaroo Ridge wine business.
Cranberry ingredient supplier Ocean Spray claims healthy fruit
snack, developed with German nutritional foods manufacturer
Farmer's Snack, has seen strong sales in the German market and is
soon to be launched on other European...
Despite accounting for nearly half of the world's sales of sports
and energy drinks, Asia remains one of the most underdeveloped
global markets, finds a new report on worldwide sales of sports and
energy drinks by beverage analysts...
SABMiller, the giant brewing group, has taken 100 per cent control
of the Chinese beer brand Snow after buying out the minority
shareholder in three Chinese breweries. And while there is still
work to do to improve the situation at...
Interbrew has a new licensed producer for its Kloster beer brand in
Thailand - Boon Rawd, the country's leading brewer. The change of
marketer for Kloster shows Interbrew's commitment to Thailand, but
building a substantial...
Scotland's Kyndal Spirits, the group formed just a year ago by a
management buyout of Jim Beam Brands' European business, has
launched a new vodka product, in both full-size and RTD formats, to
commemorate its first birthday...
The UK government has finally begun the process of changing the
country's draconian licensing laws, a move which politicians claim
could pave the way for all-day drinking. But the industry is
already sending out mixed messages...
Several months of talks over the acquisition of ailing UK coffee
shop group Coffee Republic by sandwich bar owner Benjy's have ended
in failure, leaving Benjy's still looking for a means to expand.
Nescafe is the world's best known coffee brand, yet in the US it
has been limited to a handful of markets on the West Coast. But now
the brand is set to go nationwide with the launch of Nescafe
Frothe, a speciality coffee drink...
