Coca-Cola Enterprises today pulled a U-turn by adopting the UK Government’s voluntary front-of-pack ‘traffic light’ nutrition labeling scheme – ditching the EU-wide GDA system it had praised as ‘tried and tested’.
'AUSSIE ENERGY DRINK REGS TIGHTEST IN THE WORLD’ – ABCL
Coca-Cola Amatil insists all the ingredients in popular Australian energy drink Mother are safe to consume after a mother blamed excess consumption of such drinks on the death of her 34 year-old son.
Coca-Cola Hellenic has confirmed that Swiss Competition Commission (WEKO) is investigating allegations that it illegally stopped retailer Denner buying its branded sodas abroad at lower prices.
Merrill Lynch analyst David Errington has savaged Coca-Cola Amatil’s former management – insisting that they ‘compromised the business to meet short-term earnings targets’ in 2013.
Flux Power insists that large beverage companies active in everything from beer to soda are excited by the productivity advantages and cost savings its next generation lithium-ion batteries offer over traditional lead acid rivals.
Pure Via labels will be amended, but 'natural' claim will stay
10 months after Cargill agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it was misleading shoppers by marketing consumer products under the Truvia brand as ‘natural’, the firms behind rival stevia brand Pure Via have agreed to settle a similar lawsuit.
Monster Energy CEO Rodney Sacks insists the brand will be well-placed to crack the Chinese market using the distribution might of new shareholder The Coca-Cola Company.
As Coke inks a $2bn+ deal to buy a stake in Monster Energy, we explore the implications for energy drinks – and predict a harder fight for PepsiCo and Red Bull.
Coke says that Monster Energy will become its ‘exclusive energy play’ after it finally moved to seal a significant 16.7% stake in the controversial beverage company.
German firm EnerDrinks believes it can challenge established energy drink brands such as Red Bull with its combination of flavored milk and energizing ingredients such as taurine.
Survata is 'democratizing' consumer insights, says CEO
Until pretty recently, food marketers looking to test new product ideas, brand names or pack designs could look to friends, family, and colleagues for cheap - though notoriously unreliable - feedback, or expect to spend serious time and money on hiring...
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters CEO Brian Kelley insists the firm is on track for a fiscal 2015 launch of its cold carbonated soft drinks system and is working closely with shareholder Coca-Cola to perfect the latter's brands for use.
INDUSTRY VOICES: Seth Hillstrom, American Beverage Consortium Managing Partner
As we gear up for eBev 2014 in Atlanta Georgia, the American Beverage Consortium’s Seth Hillstrom tells us that personalized beverage marketing is here to stay, but warns that getting too personal can be ‘just creepy’.
UPDATED: Significant changes to the Nutrition Facts panel on foods & beverages have been proposed in the US and Canada, with the plan to include ‘added sugars’ tweak rules on dietary fiber labeling, and update the reference values used to calculate...
INDUSTRY VOICES: LAURENT JARDIN, SIDEL MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, GREATER MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
Laurent Jardin from Sidel talks trends ahead of an September 9 meeting with customers in Nigeria, and tells Ben Bouckley that Africa’s largest city Lagos is a beverage ‘trendsetter’.
SEE INSIDE MONSTER ENERGY'S INNOVATION LOCKER: THE BEVERAGEDAILY.COM TOP 5
Monster Energy CEO Rodney Sacks insists new launch Ultra Sunrise will not go head-to-head PepsiCo's Mountain Dew Kickstart, despite its lighter 'Orangina-type flavor'.
Specialty label and packaging supplier CCL Industries has signed a binding agreement to acquire Bandfix for CAD $18m and says the purchase will give it a foothold in Switzerland.
Sugar reduction campaigners have praised the Coca-Cola Company’s (CCC’s) refusal to drop the natural sweetener stevia in its Glaceau Vitaminwater in the UK, as it has done in the US.
Coke CEO Muhtar Kent insists Africa is the ‘most dynamic region in the world I can see right now’ as he unveils a further $5bn system investment there and ethical ingredient sourcing plans.
ENERGY GIANT RUMORED TO BE READYING LAUNCHES TO GRAB MORNING, AFTERNOON, EVENING CONSUMPTION
Monster Energy has filed a US trademark for the term Ultra Sunrise and one analyst predicts the name will be used for a CSD that will take on $150m brand Mountain Dew Kickstart.
Coca-Cola Great Britain tells BeverageDaily.com that UK Diet Coke contains slightly more caffeine than the regular version to ensure the soda's 'distinct flavor profile' after a Sunday Times article criticized the brand for offering diet-conscious...
PURECIRCLE COMMENTS AFTER FACEBOOK FIRESTORM FORCES GLACEAU TO DITCH STEVIA
Coke stevia supplier PureCircle insists formulating beverages such as Vitaminwater is especially challenging but says hundreds of drinks have been successfully reworked with the zero-calorie sweetener.
Red Bull: 'All future claims will be medically and/or scientifically supported'
Red Bull has agreed to pay $13m to resolve a class action lawsuit accusing it of falsely advertising its energy drinks as providing functional benefits above and beyond what might be obtained from “a simple cup of coffee or a caffeine pill”.
The Coca-Cola Company has ditched stevia as a sweetener for Glaceau Vitaminwater in the US and will revert to the original sweetening system – which used crystalline fructose and, in some cases, cane sugar.
5-Hour Energy has hit back at a sports science researcher who says there is ‘chasm’ between the claims made by America’s top-selling energy shot and the scientific evidence for its effectiveness.
Heineken's Ignite bottles which illuminate when clinked with another bottle, and Ballantine's graphic equaliser, which adjusts its lighting with loud music, are some of the ways brands have added 'theatrical' technology to products.
Caffeine does not have a diuretic effect on regular coffee drinkers and is safe to use, says sports nutrition researcher and consultant in elite sport.
IRI Consulting warns that US food and beverage manufacturers risk a significant impact on their profitability when they get sucked into unduly aggressive promotional cycles.
Taxes imposed on sugary, salty or fatty foods do lead to reductions in consumption, says the European Commission in a new report. But higher taxes could also encourage consumers to simply go for cheaper products, it warns.
Comax Flavors agrees that the trend in the US towards greater flavour differentiation and localization is challenging for big beverage brands as it launches a range targeting Hispanic, Asian and younger consumers.
US neurotech startup Think Drinks says it plans to conduct high-calibre peer-reviewed study to prove the benefits of what it claims is the world’s ‘first functional nootropic’ brain beverage.
ANALYSTS WARN DR PEPPER NEEDS 'CATALYSTS' TO DRIVE TOP-LINE GROWTH
Dr Pepper Snapple CEO Larry Young says he loves the young entrepreneurs who run his allied brands – these include Bai 5 and Vita Coco – but says the buyout prices startups demand are ‘ridiculous’.
Krones said today that it will scrap packaging and palletising operations at its subsidiary Kosme, which specializes in smaller-sized filling and labelling machines for small bottlers and SMEs.
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi says the company is positioning itself as the highest growth food and beverage manufacturer in a ‘relatively low growth’ US retail landscape where fresh food is trending strongly.
Already one of the most widely-used stimulants in sport, recent research suggests there may be greater scope for caffeine to be used in a wider range of sports as well as during exercise, says sports nutrition researcher and consultant in elite sport.
PepsiCo and Coca-Cola energy drinks brands AMP, NOS and Full Throttle continue to lose ground on Red Bull and Monster despite a massive advertising spend – because of unappealing packaging…
A daily glass of beetroot juice may boost the aerobic fitness of swimmers, reports a new study that supports the sports nutrition potential of beetroot previously reported for cycling, walking, and running.
Monster Beverage Corporation has moved to quell investor disquiet as a jury trial starts to decide if it is liable for injury suffered by a teen whose mother claims its drinks caused his heart attack.
Monster Energy has launched two new drinks in the UK market via Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), with soda-energy blend Monster Assault seemingly pitched at more mainstream CSD drinkers.
The Coca-Cola Company has patented what it says is a new method allowing it to naturally fortify beverages including colas with high vitamin levels using a single micro-organism.
'WE WILL FIGHT TO DEFEND OURSELVES AGAINST CIVIL INTIMIDATION': 5-HOUR ENERGY
Washington state attorneys insist that 5-Hour Energy wouldn’t work if it wasn’t for its caffeine content in a fierce attack on the credibility of America’s top-selling shot.
Australian academics have called for greater analysis of the potential harm caused by mixing energy drinks with alcohol after new research found the practice can turn a few quick drinks into a much longer session.
Bottled water, energy and iced tea are expected to win big in 2014 as C-store operators predict a ‘banner year’ in packaged beverages led by brands including Sparkling Ice, Monster and Lipton.
