Cadbury Schweppes says that its American Beverages division is
defying the increasingly challenging conditions in the global
carbonated soft drinks market by performing above the company's
expectations for the year.
Cadbury Schweppes today opted to demerge its €10bn beverage
arm from its confectionary business by listing the unit
as a separate company on the New York Stock Exchange.
Juice maker Sunny Delight hopes to profit from Kraft's latest
restructuring drive with the acquisition of the food giant's
fruit-based soft drink and vitamin water brands in the US.
Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) has lifted its full year operating
profit guidance by about two percentage points to between 10 per
cent and 11 per cent after revenues rose by eight per cent to
$3.7bn (€2.6bn) during the third quarter.
In the latest news round-up, Campari remains in good spirits
despite a decline in soft drinks sales, Czech beer is on the rise
and brewer Heineken is still lost in translation over its Rugby
World Cup sponsorship.
Research released today linking sodium benzoate to
hyperactivity in children is not yet definitive enough to remove
the preservative from products, soft drink manufacturers claim.
The market for carbonated soft drinks in India has
plummeted by about five per cent for a second year in the
row as consumers in the country embrace non-carbonated
alternatives, new research has found.
PepsiCo and several other soft drink manufacturers have agreed to a
settlement in a lawsuit brought against the companies alleging
their products contained cancer-causing benzene.
Coca-Cola Hellenic bottling company yesterday announced it has
agreed to acquire Russian beverage group Aquavision as it aims to
tap the full potential for soft drink sales in the country.
Coca-Cola is launching a lighter-weight bottle for its major brands
in the UK, fulfilling a pledge to reduce the amount of
packaging used for its products, the company said today.
Coca-Cola will market Campbell's range of
vegetable-based juice brands in North America as it moves to
expand its presence in the non-carbonated drinks market.
Plans to cut 3,500 jobs in a restructuring drive at Coca-Cola's
main bottling arm may lead to widespread industrial action in the
US, warned a prominent union for soft drinks sector workers.
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.
Energy drinks last year stormed the US beverage market,
outperforming all other categories, while one sports drink inched
its way into the nation's top five trade marks by displacing a
popular soda brand, according to a new report.
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.
Access to aseptic drinks production and promising growth in
non-carbonated soft drinks in the UK helped Cott Corporation, the
world's largest private label soft drinks supplier, to increase
sales last year.
Easterly emerging markets have continued to stop the rot for
regular carbonated soft drinks as western consumers increasingly
turn to diet versions and water, a new report says.
The majority of the revenue from US school beverage contracts goes
to beverage firms and not schools, according to a new report, which
claims its findings should encourage schools to replace sodas with
healthier drinks.
Another soft drinks firm has reformulated and agreed to pay out
compensation in the US to head off a lawsuit over the potential
presence of cancer chemical benzene in its drinks, as the
controversial issue continues to bubble.
Restricting vending machine use or availability in schools is
crucial in the nation's efforts to drive down soda-related obesity,
according to a study published this month in the Journal of the
American Dietetic Association.
Two soft drink firms accused of using ingredients that could mix to
form a cancer-causing chemical in drinks plan to sign a settlement
with lawyers today, agreeing to change formulas and offer refunds.
Fizzy soft drinks and low alcohol beer do not increase risk of
esophageal cancer in consumers, says a new study from Sweden,
backing up earlier research in the US.
Tests in India that found soft drinks contaminated with pesticides
are 'doubtful', warns a lab affiliated to the UK government, as
PepsiCo and Coca-Cola face more bans and threats of legal action
across Indian states.
Soft drinks belonging to PepsiCo and Coca-Cola in India were
contaminated with pesticides at an average 24 times higher than the
government's proposed maximum limit, warns a new environmental
group study.
Britvic has appointed consultant group Nunwood to carry out product
and concept testing into a new range of innovative soft drinks, as
the firm looks to keep up with changing consumer tastes.
Roquette's marketing manager for beverage applications explains the
difficulties of formulating tasty sugar-free syrup drinks and why
she thinks her company has cracked it.
Rising oil prices are likely to make Cadbury Schweppes miss its
targets for profit margin growth this year, despite sales rises
across most of the business, the group said.
Lawyers have filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo in California,
alleging one of its drinks may contain the cancer-causing chemical
benzene, BeverageDaily.com has learned.
Soft drinks firms have bowed to pressure from lawyers by pledging
to pull more fizzy drinks out of US schools, but faced continued
uncertainty last night as some legal experts involved pointed to
loopholes in the deal.
More lawsuits have been filed against soft drinks firms alleging
their drinks were contaminated with the cancer-causing chemical
benzene above America's legal limit for drinking water.
The waiting is over for private label soft drinks supplier Cott
Corporation, after it received the blessing of British competition
authorities to buy its biggest UK rival, Macaw.
Cadbury Schweppes confirmed it has bought out its Dr Pepper/Seven
Up bottling partner in the US, predicting cost savings and better
bargaining power with supermarkets.
Cadbury Schweppes may be about to buy up its Dr Pepper/Seven Up
bottling partner in the US, says a report, indicating a growing
consolidation trend in the US soft drinks supply chain.
Cadbury Schweppes has reformulated its flagship Seven Up drink with
only natural ingredients, in an attempt to grow the brand through
rising consumer demand for natural products.
Quality not quantity was the catchphrase for Coca-Cola at its first
quarter results conference, as the group said it would sacrifice
volumes for higher margin beverages to lift profits.
A new test should more accurately show the amount of benzene in
soft drinks on shop shelves, but that does not mean there is no
problem, says the scientist behind the new procedure to
BeverageDaily.com.
America's Food and Drug Administration has questioned the accuracy
of its own testing for benzene in soft drinks between 1995 and
2001, but held off criticism from Congress members for refusing to
publish results from its current...
Britain's food safety watchdog has demanded recalls on four soft
drinks brands, after it found they were contaminated with benzene
at up to 28 times the country's limit for drinking water.
The door is open to the biggest consolidation yet on Britain's
private label soft drinks market, after competition authorities
provisionally backed Cott Corporation's takeover of rival Macaw.
Nestlé Waters has confirmed it is examining how to re-organise its
75 bottled water brands into a more coherent unit, as rivals spring
up from all sides.
Britain's food safety watchdog says initial tests on 230 soft
drinks show benzene levels above the UK limit for water, as the
industry tells BeverageDaily.com how it controls the issue.
America's soft drinks association said it would have to look again
at benzene in drinks, after new tests revealed to
BeverageDaily.com suggest it and food safety authorities
failed to stamp out a problem.
A lawsuit aimed at getting soft drinks out of US schools on obesity
grounds will be filed in Massachusetts, just as lawmakers there
prepare to vote on a school junk food ban.
Coca-Cola saw profits tumble by more than a quarter in the last
three months of 2005, underlining the challenges that still lie
ahead for the soft drinks firm in 2006.
A lawsuit aimed at getting soft drinks firms out of US schools on
obesity grounds is now ready to go, says one of the leading lawyers
involved to BeverageDaily.com, as new research suggests
obesity litigation will become the next...
Bottled water consumption is expected to overtake fizzy soft drinks
around the world within five years, says a new report, with Nestlé,
Danone and PepsiCo leading the charge.
Consuming fizzy soft drinks is not linked to esophageal cancer as
previously thought and diet drinks may even help decrease the risk,
suggests new research on the issue.