While branded beverages continue to dominate the US drinks industry, private label manufacturers are now catering for more health focused product segments such as juices and waters, according to a new report.
“Food is a weapon – don’t waste it.” This message, which featured on a Second World War poster issued by the US Office of War Information in 1943, is a lesson from history we would do well to heed.
With global café chain Starbucks this week announcing a major
restructuring of it US operations to boost profitability, similar
concerns are not being shared by European coffee manufacturers
and retailers.
The Miller Brewing Company will not be following in the footsteps
of rivals by reformulating its caffeinated alcohol brands in the
US, claiming the products are fully compliant with regulatory and
labelling guidelines in the country.
This week, InBev confirms its interest in Budweiser brewer Anheuser
Busch, Foster's plans to shake up its flagging wine division and
the Dr Pepper Snapple Group targets the US energy drink market.
The consumption of popcorn is associated with a substantially
higher intake of whole grains and dietary fibre, says research,
indicating its benefits as a healthy snack.
Some food and beverage manufacturers may switch from high fructose
corn syrup (HFCS) to sugar as a result of high corn prices, but
this is only likely to be the case for relatively small scale
users, according to a consultant.
UK soup company Baxters is set to roll out new microwaveable pots
for its soup brands across the country, hoping to ride the trend
for snack foods that are both convenient and healthy.
US consumers drank 990m litres of energy drinks during 2006, a 47
per cent increase over the previous year, making the
country the largest global market for the product.
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.
US scientists have cloned a gene present in wheat and barley in
research which opens up the potential for cultivating the crops in
a wider range of climates, thereby increasing production and
supply.
A new report into irradiation finds conflicting and inconsistent
regulatory approaches to the use of the technology worldwide, a
problem for multinational processors who are using the technique as
a food safety measure.
US scientists have identified a gene from wild wheat that could
increase protein and micronutrient content of its cultivated cousin
by 10 to 15 per cent, and could soon be used in food products with
enhanced nutritional value.
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.
US based confectionery maker Hershey has launched a new range of
chocolate, designed to offer consumers a more upmarket version of
the traditional indulgence.
World coffee production over the next year will rise by nearly ten
per cent, or nearly 11 million bags, over the previous year,
fuelling a rising demand for the brew, according to a forecast
report.
US soft drinks giant Pepsi opened its first research and
development centre outside the US in Shanghai yesterday, signalling
its commitment to the fast-growing Chinese market.
Insoluble fiber, from wholegrains, is currently enjoying more
attention from consumers and the food industry than soluble fiber,
but interest in the soluble variety is rising fast, according to
Frost and Sullivan.
The EU and US have signed off the first stage of their wine
agreement as France's agriculture minister tells annoyed winemakers
the deal is not as strong as it could be.
Hopes of an early recovery on the US beer market have been dashed
as Anheuser Busch reports falling domestic sales and warns that it
expects full-year profits to drop below 2004 levels, reports
Chris Mercer.
Animosity is hotting up on America's stagnant beer market as
SABMiller lowers prices and attacks Anheuser-Busch in adverts, yet
productive responses to market pressures are still needed,
reports Chris Mercer.
Bordeaux - VinExpo, described as the largest gathering of wine and
spirits buyers and sellers in the world, is this year also a
showcase of the industry's response to a rapidly changing consumer
market, reports Ahmed ElAmin in...
South African winemakers are keen to capitalise on growing interest
in their wines from US consumers - and on the predicted growth in
the market there. Their US counterparts, meanwhile, continue to
focus on Europe, where sales have...
The last two years have seen a significant increase in businesses
using fair trade coffee, but Philippa Nuttall asks whether
the US is really serious about ethical food ingredients.
The US probiotic industry needs to step up a gear and finance
further research in order to win over consumer confidence by
providing scientific proof of its health benefits, according to
research published by the International Food...
Cargill, the largest private firm in the US, will link up with
biotech giant Monsanto to bring food makers an alternative source
of soybean oil, used to reduce the artery-clogging trans fats in
food products.
Damage from Hurricane Ivan that struck the US last week could send
prices for peanuts, a common confectionery ingredient, rising as
reports suggest that virtually all of the nation's 2004 peanut crop
could be at risk.
The drinks industry believes fortified beverages are the answer to
claims that Americans are increasingly drinking sweetened soft
drinks at the expense of more nutritious alternatives.
Girls are more likely than boys to be overexposed to adverts for
alcoholic beverages in magazines, although the figures for both
genders are worryingly high, according to a recent study carried
out by scientists in the US. But is...
Opponents of the low-carb diet fad in the US have joined their
counterparts in the UK in calling into question the safety of the
weight-loss regime. But whether the protests will be loud enough to
be heard over the increasingly raucous...
Food makers opting for sugar rich recipes for their soft drink
formulations are under constant attack from consumer groups
claiming that the sugar content is harmful to teeth. But a new
study from the US finds that flavour additives...
Public concern over BSE outbreaks is set to boost sales of organic
meat products in North America, according to a new report. But
North Americans have not historically been as influenced by food
scares as their European counterparts.
Much of the flour that goes into breads, pasta, cakes,
breakfastcereals and other foods comes from so-called 'winter
wheats', planted in autumn and harvested in spring. New research
has identified the key gene involved in...
First half profits for UK sugar and sweeteners group Tate &
Lyle slipped as US figures hit the bottom line but improved results
from European operations helped add sparkle to a generally
lacklustre performance.
Exports of Spanish Rioja wine dropped in both volume and value in
the first eight months of the year, although some markets showed
good gains. The US, for example, appears to have swapped French
wines for Spanish following the Iraq...
Carbonates are still the rulers of the US soft drinks market, but
Americans are turning increasingly to packaged water as a healthier
alternative to the sugary fizzy drinks. And with much of the US
suffering an almost permanent drought,...
The strength of the US dollar last year meant that exports of
Californian wine declined 7 per cent in volume terms during 2002.
But value sales were up 1 per cent for the year, with sales to the
biggest market, the UK, up 12 per cent.
