Drinks giants Coca-Cola and Nestlé have this week been officially
slapped with a lawsuit for claiming their new Enviga energy drink
can help consumers burn off calories.
Australia's biggest soft drinks maker Coca-Cola Amatil has expanded
its alcoholic beverages portfolio through a new agreement with
premium spirits distributor Maxxium.
Coca-Cola and Nestlé will limit their joint venture group to black
tea drinks, allowing the two giants to revitalise their position in
this sector and compete openly on other fast-growing beverages.
Emerging markets and a hot summer in Europe helped Coca-Cola to
pick up momentum in the third quarter, buying it time to address
problems in Japan and North America.
A sparkling green tea drink developed jointly by Coca-Cola and
Nestlé claims to help consumers burn off calories, catapulting both
companies further into the growing health and wellness market.
Coca-Coca Australia will relabel all of its drinks to include the
number of kilojoules on the front of the package, as part of a
major new marketing campaign to show the group's healthy
credentials.
Coca-Cola is to be sued by an Indian state after new tests showed
its soft drinks contained pesticide residues above the proposed
legal limit, says a report.
International brewer SABMiller said it had signed a joint venture
deal with Coca-Cola Amatil to import, market and distribute premium
beer brands in Australia.
Carlsberg raised its profit prediction for the year after beer
sales rose eight per cent in the first half of 2006, thanks to a
limited recovery in Western Europe and more gains in the East.
Pressure was growing on the soft drink giants early this week after
India's Supreme Court ordered them to reveal every ingredient in
their drinks, following tests that found they were contaminated
with pesticides.
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.
Lossmaking water delivery firm Palm Springs has finally succumbed
to an offer from the Asia-Pacific drinks group Coca-Cola Amatil,
allowing the bigger group to continue its expansion in this
fast-growing market.
Coca-Cola beat several predictions with a seven per cent profit
rise in the second quarter of 2006, as improved performances in
Europe and Latin America offset difficulties in Japan.
Coca-Cola has recalled 40,000 cases of soft drinks in South Korea
and claimed it was the victim of a blackmail campaign, after a
consumer was allegedly poisoned by drinking a bottle of Coke.
Coca-Cola said nearly all of its new refrigeration equipment for
sales and marketing will work without puffing out powerful
greenhouse gases, as the group jumps aboard the trend for
sustainable production.
Coca-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes have joined the list of beverage
firms set to be sued in Florida over allegations their drinks
contained benzene, 15 years after the industry first pledged to fix
the problem.
Carlsberg's plan to scale down operations in Western Europe in
favour of emerging beer markets in Eastern Europe and Asia has
helped it to improve first quarter results this year.
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.
Coca-Cola can continue selling orange juice fortified with calcium,
after having settled with Procter and Gamble over a patent
infringement lawsuit a development that opens the way forpotential
collaborations in the future.
Coca-Cola said it was testing its soft drinks around the world for
benzene, as the group sought to reassure consumers that soft drinks
were only a very small contributor to daily benzene intake.
Coca-Cola said it would fight to put down a lawsuit filed against
it by more than 50 of its own bottlers over the distribution of
sports drink Powerade to Wal-Mart stores.
More than 50 bottlers have now lined up to sue Coca-Cola in the US
in a move to stop the soft drinks group distributing its Powerade
sports drink directly to Wal-Mart supermarkets around the country.
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.
Coca-Cola faces a challenging 2006 as the firm experiences rising
levels of bad publicity on alleged human rights abuse and, of
course, obesity. In the first of two parts,
BeverageDaily.com takes a closer look, starting with human...
PepsiCo's successful diversity and faster action on health has
taken it ahead of Coca-Cola in the market for the first time in 112
years, but don't be fooled into thinking Coca-Cola is dead wood.
As Coca-Cola prepares to launch mid-calorie cola containing coffee
in France, the group faces a challenge to win over sceptical
consumers who view the move as more of a gimmick.
Carlsberg's plan to launch its Tetley's Original ale in UK pubs may
thrive on the country's ale revival, yet the move is risky as
others warn of falling consumer confidence.
Coca-Cola has launched Powerade Aqua+ in the UK, aiming to grab
more of the blossoming healthy drinks market as part of a new push
on non-carbonated drinks in Europe.
Sports drinks, juice and bottled water spearheaded a set of
encouraging third quarter results from Coca-Cola as
health-conscious consumers force a realignment at the major soft
drinks players.
Carlsberg has confirmed it plans to shut around half its European
breweries within a decade to reflect a permanent shift in beer
market growth from west to east, and more specifically, China.
Coca-Cola, hit by a slow-down in fizzy drinks sales, may be looking
to expand into vitamin-enriched milk after the firm's bottling arm
announces talks to buy control of Bravo! Foods.
Coca-Cola can no longer negotiate exclusive supply deals for its
fizzy soft drinks in the EU and must open its coolers to rival
brands as the European Commission tries to improve competition,
reports Chris Mercer.
Coca-Cola is introducing its Minute Maid juice brand to the UK
market this week, which is currently experiencing booming juice
sales thanks to increasingly health-conscious consumers, reports
Dominique Patton.
Carlsberg is close to signing a new joint venture deal in China,
says the country's official news agency, as the major brewers take
up position on their East Asian nest eggs, writes Chris
Mercer.
Teamsters unions at seven Coca-Cola bottling anddistribution
facilities in Connecticut and the Los Angeles area in US plan to
continue their strike today over wages and health care benefits,
reports Ahmed ElAmin.
Falling beer markets across Western Europe have claimed Carlsberg
as their latest victim, handing the Danish brewer heavy losses in
its first quarter despite strong performances in Russia and Asia,
reports Chris Mercer.
Opportunities are flourishing for flavour suppliers targeting
health-positioned drinks as number one soft drinks firm Coca-Cola
says it will push R&D investment in health positioned products.
Coca-Cola will gain the right to sell Evian in the US after buying
out Danone from their joint venture, while Czech brewer Budejovicky
Budvar scores another victory in the Budweiser trademark war with
Anheuser Busch, reports Chris...
