Ingredients

Report calls for more measures to reduce energy drink consumption among children

25-Jul-2016 By Rachel Arthur

A UK research group is calling for measures to curb excessive energy drinks consumption among children and young people: such as preventing sales to under 16s and banning marketing targeted at children. 

Advantame sweetener approved by Mexican health authority

18-Jul-2016 By Adi Menayang

Advantame, a brand-name sweetener from Ajinomoto, has been approved for general use in food and beverage by the Mexican health authority (COFEPRIS).

Algae calcium not permitted in organic soy drinks, says German court

13-Jul-2016 By Shane Starling

A German state court has ruled an algae-sourced calcium has no place in an organic soy drink – the manufacturer has appealed the verdict.

Consumer group calls on Monster Energy to stop using claims on its 'dangerous caffeine bombs'

13-Jul-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The German arm of consumer group Foodwatch has called on Monster Energy to voluntarily stop using health claims on its drinks following clear recent political calls for change.

Energy drink concerns ‘nothing to do with sportspeople’, says frustrated ESSNA

11-Jul-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Specialist Sports Nutrition Alliance (ESSNA) has called for a distinction to be made between the two blocked caffeine claims referring to endurance and a further two referring to alertness and concentration.

EU caffeine claim ban

MEP caffeine vote 'disgraceful' victory of politics over science: Industry

08-Jul-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Industry has lamented yesterday’s European Parliament plenary vote to block four caffeine claims, which otherwise seemed set to pass into EU law books after years of delay. 

Caffeine claim calamity should give nutrient profiles wings

06-Jul-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Commission has started the first phase of its investigation into the need for nutrient profiles, with a report expected in spring 2017. Yet with the caffeine claim fiasco ongoing, it’s never been clearer how necessary the profiles are.

Summer Fancy Food Show

Numi Organic Tea rides rising wave of turmeric’s & matcha’s popularity

05-Jul-2016 By Elizabeth Crawford

Matcha and turmeric continue to rise in popularity as consumers and manufacturers embrace the ancient ingredients for their health benefits, unique flavor profiles and brilliant colors. 

Commission asks: Can the EU go on without nutrient profiles?

04-Jul-2016 By Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn from Brussels

The European Commission has started the first phase of its investigation into the need for nutrient profiles, which it hopes will settle the issue once and for all.

SPECIAL EDITION: ANTIOXIDANTS, POLYPHENOLS & CAROTENOIDS

Juice maker shares polyphenols venture experience

22-Jun-2016 By Shane Starling

Massachusetts-based Juice maker Welch’s entered the global ingredients business in 2014 with its polyphenol-loaded Concord grape offerings. We fly at the speed of words inside the grape with global ingredients VP Wayne D Lutomski.

Special Edition: Antioxidants, polyphenols & carotenoids

Pint of polyphenols? Culture shift needed to find value in brewery waste

22-Jun-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The EU has offered up big money for a project to get high value polyphenol compounds from brewing industry waste. Yet the leader of the project says a business culture shift is also needed to take the practice mainstream.

Sports drinks sector unites to fight UK sugar tax

21-Jun-2016 By Shane STARLING

UK sports drink manufacturers have formed a lobby group to win exemption from the UK’s sugar tax – due to be levied in 2018.

ASA ruling

Health claim fail: ASA gives UK smoothie firm rough ride

16-Jun-2016 By Lynda Searby

For the second time in 13 months Juice Garden has been pulled up by the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for making unauthorised health claims.

MEPs vote to veto 4 caffeine health claims

15-Jun-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Parliament’s Environment and Public Health Committee (ENVI) has adopted a last-minute motion that could see four controversial caffeine claims vetoed in a move the energy drink sector warns could result in yet more years of "legal uncertainty”.

Sector to grow 40% by 2020

The world’s unquenchable thirst for energy drinks

14-Jun-2016 By Shane STARLING

Global sales of energy drinks hit €38.2 billion last year and will be worth €53.4bn in 2020 according to Euromonitor International, even as regulatory winds blow ill beneath the sector's wings. 

Leicester City signs sports supplements deal

10-Jun-2016 By Shane STARLING

Welsh firm Pro Athlete Supplementation (PAS) has signed a deal that makes it the exclusive sports supplements supplier to reigning English Premier League (EPL) champions Leicester City Football Club.

Bitten: Long-awaited sugar replacement tooth claim enters EU law books

07-Jun-2016

Almost three years after winning a positive EFSA opinion linking sugar replacement and tooth health, the claim has been written into EU law books.

'Green Beans M Java Monster' canned

You’ve got fax: Monster mashed in EU trademark battle

24-May-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Monster Energy Company has lost a trademark battle with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for the wording ‘Green Beans’ following a three year argument over a lost fax.

Product strategy expert says palatinose's 'time has come'

16-May-2016 By Lynda Searby

As consumer knowledge about blood sugar level management builds, low-glycaemic sweetener Palatinose could be about to enjoy its day in the sun, according to author and marketing guru Julian Mellentin. 

Berry drink shows skin benefits

15-Apr-2016 By Shane Starling

A polyphenol-rich red and black currant berry drink has shown significant anti-wrinkle and skin smoothing benefits in a 12-week French study.

Mountain Dew launches Mtn Dew Black Label

04-Apr-2016 By Douglas Yu

No puppy monkey baby this time. Mountain Dew's recent Black Label launch will appeal to a classier and more refined crowd, says the brand.

Hatch adds new single origin products to Canada’s embryonic cold brew coffee market

23-Mar-2016 By Douglas Yu

Canadian organic single origin cold brew coffee company, Hatch, is launching new products with two direct trades: one with a farm in Colombia from the Huila region, called Chalo’s Farm, and the other, a collaboration with Kalsada (a beverage business...

Canadian beverage company launches calorie-free organic energy water

18-Mar-2016 By Douglas Yu

Natural energy beverage company, Guru, has launched a sugar-free, zero-calorie organic energy water in Canada.

Taking on the big brands: Canadian organic sports drink prepares for US launch

15-Mar-2016 By Douglas Yu

Vancouver-based NorthStar Organic is preparing to enter the US sports drink market this year, according to the company’s president, Shahab Samimi.

Growing probiotic market prompts GoodBelly's new products launch

07-Mar-2016 By Douglas Yu

GoodBelly has launched four new product lines, including GoodBelly Protein Shake, GoodBelly Juice Drink, GoodBelly Sparkling Drinks and GoodBelly Ade, as consumers are gravitating more towards the functional beverage category, according to the company.

What if... the EU banned energy drink sales to under 18s

04-Mar-2016 By David Burrows

An EU-wide ban on selling energy drinks to under 18s would see volume sales fall by over 70 million litres, if the impact of similar legislation in Lithuania is anything to go by. The low-priced end of the market would be hit hardest, with standard and...

Law kicks in April 6, 2016

Downer? Could the UK Psychoactive Substances Act spell disaster for the food & supplements industry?

26-Feb-2016 By Shane STARLING

New laws in the UK designed to wipe out the mostly online ‘legal highs’ market that has run rampant in recent years, could impact foods, drinks and supplements, according to a legal expert.

EFSA health claim opinion

EFSA thumbs up for creatine & muscle strength in older adults

24-Feb-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved a health claim for creatine and muscle strength in over 55s when combined with resistance training.

Lemonaid and ChariTea Fairtrade beverages launch in the UAE

23-Feb-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Lemonaid and ChariTea is launching its non-alcoholic beverages in the UAE and expects the drinks industry to move towards products with a reduced sugar content in the next couple of years.

Bean boon? EC prepares for long-awaited caffeine claims

22-Feb-2016 By Shane STARLING

The EC has drafted four endurance and cognition health claims for caffeine indicating a belated entry into EU law books five years after EFSA first approved them – but industry isn’t holding its breath.

Green tea compound may form basis for future arthritis therapy

19-Feb-2016 By Will Chu

A compound found in green tea, may prove effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis, as its anti-inflammatory action is expressed without blocking other critical cellular functions, US researchers have shown.

Kombucha market to grow 25% each year to 2020

18-Feb-2016 By Hal Conick

The kombucha market is poised for huge growth by 2020, growing 25% each year, according to a report from MarketsandMarkets.

Soda companies rapped for allegedly targeting low and middle income countries

15-Feb-2016 By Hal Conick

The soda industry has vigorously defended itself against claims it is “borrowing a page from the tobacco industry playbook” by trying to spread its products in low- and middle-income countries.

Germany asks: When do energy drinks pose a risk?

12-Feb-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has launched an online forum entitled ‘Energy Drinks: When do they pose a risk?’, which it hopes will raise awareness of the risks of high consumption in conjunction with alcohol and sports. 

ISM & ProSweets 2016

Barry Callebaut to push the limits of chocolate in dairy drinks

12-Feb-2016 By Jenny Eagle

Barry Callebaut wants to push the limits of chocolate and sees drinks as an exciting category where consumers will see a lot of innovation over the next few years.

Low cal sports nutrition products are big stevia opportunity, Cargill says

11-Feb-2016 By Hank Schultz

The exploding sports nutrition market offers significant opportunity for alternative sweeteners taking stevia and erythritol beyond their applications as food ingredients, said Cargill experts.

Two studies suggest energy drinks can have negative effects on heart, cardiovascular system

05-Feb-2016 By Hal Conick

Scientists have found evidence of negative effects on the heart and cardiovascular system from energy drinks in two recent studies.

Wine and tea may decrease risk of erectile dysfunction: Study

01-Feb-2016 By Hal Conick

Wine, tea and other flavonoid-rich beverages and foods may help reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction, according to a recent study.

Coffee does not cause rapid heartbeat: Study

01-Feb-2016 By Hal Conick

Regular consumption of caffeine does not cause additional, rapid heartbeats, according to a recent study from the University of California-San Francisco.

Latvia to ban energy drink sales to under 18s

29-Jan-2016 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

Latvia will follow in the footsteps of its Baltic neighbour by banning the sale of energy drinks to under 18s – something the country’s advertising association has called anti-EU.

‘Artificial sweeteners are dinosaurs’: Food and beverage analyst discusses 2016 trends

29-Jan-2016 By Hal Conick

Health is reigning supreme in the beverage market in 2016, but are the right companies taking advantage of this consumer demand?

Sonoma Cider releases sarsaparilla-inspired cider

25-Jan-2016 By Hal Conick

California-based Sonoma Cider is adding a new cider with elements of sarsaparilla and vanilla to its year-round mix.

Stevia may benefit from consumer desire for natural claims: Mintel

15-Jan-2016 By Hal Conick

While stevia, a natural sweetener, is not yet widely known in the US, the product may benefit from consumers demanding healthier products.

PureCircle refining stevia product to fit consumer tastes

15-Jan-2016 By Hal Conick

Stevia is closing in on mainstream acceptance as a non-caloric sweetener, but the product will need additional innovation before it is fully accepted by consumers.

Sugar-sweetened beverages increase visceral belly fat, diet drinks don’t: Study

14-Jan-2016 By Hal Conick

A daily intake of sugary drinks can lead to high levels of visceral belly fat, according to a recent study from the American Heart Association.

Upcoming EU sports nutrition law revamp – a win for industry?

13-Jan-2016 By Shane STARLING

The way sports foods are regulated in the EU is set to change. But how? Craig Simpson, EU food law expert with Steptoe & Johnson in the UK, gives his view likely outcomes and industry impacts.

Habitual tea consumption may help reduce arterial stiffness

11-Jan-2016 By Hal Conick

A recent study has found that habitual consumption of tea may help reduce arterial stiffness.

DRY Sparkling gets non-GMO certification, will expand to food store channel

11-Jan-2016 By Hal Conick

DRY Sparkling, one of America’s fastest-growing soda brands, has been certified as non-GMO and will expand to larger stores this year.

What are the key beverage trends - and companies - to watch in 2016?

11-Jan-2016 By Elaine Watson

What distinguishes the winners from the losers in the ultra-competitive beverages market?

Winemaking waste shows antioxidant and anti-cholesterol benefits: Study

08-Jan-2016 By Louisa Richards

Researchers say polyphenols from winemaking by-product red grape pomice has potential as a functional ingredient in nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.