European demand for beverage packaging machinery will continue to
rise due to industry demands for more environmentally sustainable,
energy efficient and health focused products, according to a new
report.
The UK Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is urging the UK Chancellor
of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, to support the food and drink
industry in his first budget.
Packaging firm Standard-Knapp claims that its integrated tray
packing and shrink wrapping system for water bottles now operates
at speeds of up to 70 trays per minute.
The UK environment minister has this week kicked off a war of words
with the bottled water industry, claiming that it is acting in a
"morally unacceptable" manner.
Ecolab, a global supplier of hygiene and safety systems, hopes to
step up its focus on sustainable water and energy supply for the
beverage and food industries with its latest acquisition.
A group of leading UK food and drink manufacturers is pledging to
reduce water use under a new programme designed to improve their
environmental credentials and cut costs.
PepsiCo is teaming up with the Earth Institute and the H2O Africa
Foundation in a bid to encourage sustainable use of non-industrial
water supplies in developing countries.
It looks set to be a vintage year ahead for Chateau Eau De Source
Public - or as it is more humbly known, tap water - as consumers
find themselves encouraged to shun the mineral variety of the
product to reduce packaging waste.
As phase two of the UK's new rules on TV advertising of unhealthy
foods targeted at children came into effect this week, the food
industry is preparing to lock horns with campaigners over a 9pm
watershed.
An attempt to introduce a new technique for producing a
low-alcohol sparkling wine has backfired for one UK processor,
which received a decision yesterday confirming the ban of the
product as it is now marketed.
Increasing criticism over the environmental impacts of consuming
water from bottles instead of a tap supply is needlessly misleading
consumer opinion, according to an international association
representing the industry.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo continued to dominate the soft drinks market
in 2006 accounting for more than a third of global sales in the
sector, according to market analyst Euromonitor.
Growth in bottled water sales in Western Europe
has slowed down to 2.5 per cent annually, compared to the
8 per cent increase in demand globally, according to new findings.
The amount of fake foods, drinks and agricultural products being
traded worldwide is on the increase according to a new report on
counterfeiting released today by the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD).
UK food and drink processors are being asked to take part in a
survey to help set a standard for measuring the environmental
impact of their logistical operations.
As manufacturers continue to react to the consumer backlash from
new findings linking artificial additive use to child
hyperactivity, the beverage industry claims companies are
moving to reformulate products accordingly.
China Water & Drinks plans to acquire a stake in the
largest water packaging manufacturer in China, a bid by the company
to control its supply chain and bring down costs.
Nestle will expand its dominance in the bottled water market
after today agreeing to the acquisition of a majority share in
Switzerland-based Sources Minérales Henniez.
Global drinks company Anheuser-Busch has launched a new line of
bottled water that will be marketed as an integral part of any skin
care regime in a bid to make a side-step into the ever-growing skin
care market.
The number of jobs in the UK's food and drink sector fell by 14 per
cent from 2000 to 2005, reflecting the decline in the number
of companies in the sector.
The UK government today published agreements it has made with
industry organisations - including those in the food and drink
sector -- on targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Healthy, environmentally friendly and delivered in a minimum time
period - a new water vending machine uses radio frequency
identification (RFID) to hit all the market trends.
In a sign that environment issues have risen high on the list of
boardroom priorities, the chief executives of Nestlé, Coca-Cola and
SABMiller have signed a UN commitment to manage water use at
manufacturing plants more efficiently.
Carbonated beverage sales may slowly going flat within the British
soft drinks industry, but they still continue to dominate the
market with a 41.8 per cent share according to consumer analyst
Zenith International.
It seems that mineral water just isn't healthy enough, as a growing
number of manufacturers move to tap growing demand for H2O
products that boast enhanced nutritional benefits.
Coca-Cola today pledged to overhaul how it uses water
throughout its operations and bottling franchises in a drive for
greater environmental sustainability.
Common preservative sodium benzoate, widely used in soft drinks and
other foods, is again at the centre of health concerns after
research emerged linking it to cell damage.
Bottled water, one of the world's fastest growing
beverages, faced fresh criticism this week
for contributing towards increased packaging that ends up in
landfill sites.
A new range of high-speed shrinkbanders can add tamper evident
wrapping to the necks of beverage containers with reduced
changeovers, its manufacturer claims.
A lucrative opportunity exists for the ingredients firm that can
develop a new product to make diet soft drinks taste more
acceptable to consumers, researchers have said.
Britain's third largest supermarket is to remove artificial
flavours and colours, as well as the aspartame sweetener, from its
private label soft drinks.
A new treatment system integrates two technologies to recycle
wastewater in plants, claims its manufacturer, helping food and
drink firms to meet their environmental commitments.
Processors will continue to use increasing amounts of gases,
boosted by an rise in total food consumption, the popularity of
frozen foods and a slight gain in carbonated beverage output,
according to a study.
Product development gurus are increasingly attempting to use
consumer trends for natural ingredients and more nutritious
beverages to drive growth in the carbonated soft drinks category.
Consumer trends for health and indulgence are expected to drive
"significant" growth in premium soft drinks over the next
five years, the marketing head of Britvic has said.
A simple cold preservation process could help increase sales of
bottled coconut water – a product yet to fully tap the growth of
health and energy drinks.
