News & Analysis for the Beverage Industry
There’s no shortage of beverage innovation out there: but which ideas truly have the potential to shape the industry in the years to come? And how can innovators get a great idea off the ground and into the mass market? Join us this week for our FREE...
Championing the success of the policy so far, the UK government wants to increase the impact of the Soft Drinks Industry Levy. It’s already announced an increase to the tax: and is also considering extending it to include milk-based drinks.
Milk-based drinks are currently exempt from the UK's Soft Drinks Industry Levy: but the tax's scope could be extended to include sugary milkshakes, dairy drinks and RTD coffee.
Coca-Cola Consolidated LLC has recalled cartons of Minute Maid Zero Sugar Lemonade: which in fact contained regular Minute Maid Lemonade.
A trial in UK pubs swapped the standard British pint for a smaller size, reducing overall alcohol consumption by nearly 10%. Researchers say it's a measure that could be considered in public health policies. How could this idea evolve?
Scotland is doubling down on tackling alcohol harm with increased minimum unit pricing (MUP) and a new push to shake up alcohol marketing rules.
The World Health Organization is getting serious on alcohol. And its policy recommendations can be expected to influence alcohol regulation at a country level. From minimum unit pricing to marketing restrictions, we take a look at the direction of travel.
News
Almost three quarters of Brits want to see the new Labour government press ahead with a deposit return scheme (DRS) for all drinks containers.
A ‘Hello Kitty’ wine will no longer be sold in the UK after the alcohol industry’s self-regulator said it was likely to appeal to children: acting as a warning to alcohol brands who are tempted to draw on child-like branding or nostalgia.
Ingredient lists, calorie counts, alcohol strength and more – are UK consumers getting all the information they want from their alcohol labels?
How big a problem is counterfeit alcohol - and what can be done to fight the problem?
Moves to introduce new alcoholic labelling standards in Australia and New Zealand, including listing carbohydrate, sugar, and energy values on pack, have moved a step closer.
Fake alcohol refers to drinks produced illegally and made to look like well-known brands – but these products can be lethal. How can people identify what's genuine and what's counterfeit?
New research puts the daily cuppa under the microscope. But how will the food and beverage industry react and what are the NPD opportunities?
News
Scotch whisky has secured Geographical Indication (GI) in Brazil, protection that could be worth £25m to the industry over the next five years.
The UK’s advertising watchdog took issue with exactly who provided the testimonials for the fast-growing brands' Facebook ads: Steven Bartlett, a TV personality who has a commercial interest in each company.
Children’s sugary drink intake rose 23% between 1990 and 2018, according to a new study published in the BMJ - nearly twice the increase seen among adults. Sounding the alarm, researchers say that interventions such as school soda sales bans have become...
The International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) has teamed up with Google, Meta, Pinterest, Snap, TikTok and X to strengthen standards for advertising alcohol responsibly online.
The Vietnamese government has drafted new regulations proposing a phased increase on excise taxes for alcoholic beverages to 100% by 2030 as well as 10% for sugar-sweetened beverages, in attempts to curb overconsumption as well as boosting national income.
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has warned UK supplement brand Hangcure Ltd that it must not claim that its product can prevent, treat or cure disease through product name or advertising.
Most ‘sugar taxes’ are, in reality, ones that apply specifically to beverages. Is this fair – and would extending them to items such as chocolate, cakes and biscuits work?
The Labour Party says it will ban the sale of energy drinks to under 16s if it wins the UK’s General Election next month.
Budweiser has recently clarified its 'brewed with 100% renewable electricity' claim in the UK and Ireland after scrutiny from advertising watchdogs. How careful do brands need to be when making similar claims?
SA Canegrowers says South Africa's sugar tax is hurting the livelihoods of small-scale farmers.
The potential of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes to tackle childhood obesity has been a key rationale for their introduction. How effective are they?
A Kuwait study found that children who consumed a lot of soda and milk had higher obesity risk than those who consumed high amounts of juice.
Alcohol adverts should not be shown alongside programs that appeal particularly to children. But how many alcohol adverts do children end up seeing?
China State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has announced new, stricter excessive packaging regulations governing the tea industry, one of the country’s largest and most traditional commodities.
Food waste reduction targets, from factory to fork, are under discussion in the EU. Are they ambitious enough?
In Europe, food and drink makers tapping into the gut health trend find themselves hamstrung by health claims regulations. How can they communicate benefits, without breaking the law?
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is clamping down on e-commerce websites selling “health drinks”, as there are currently no regulations set in place for such products.
Industry leaders in China’s baijiu and dairy sectors have urged lawmakers to prioritise policies that encourage modernisation and productivity to help drive exports.
Consumer and health groups are pushing for nutrition, ingredient and allergen labeling on alcoholic beverages: and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has been gathering opinions from stakeholders on the subject. What happens next?
Targeted messaging based on personal characteristics and demographics might have more success in garnering support for controversial sugar taxes than focusing on the impact to the food industry, claim researchers in Australia. Several countries in...
The local government of Shanghai, China has launched a pilot traffic light labelling scheme for sugar-sweetened beverages, with grades to be implemented based on not only sugar but also saturated and trans-fat content.
FDA remains steadfast in its opinion that CBD is not a dietary supplement.
Sugar-sweetened beverage taxes are no longer a novel policy tool. A deep delve into the data throws up some surprises...
Many phone apps offer to help people cut down on drinking – but do they actually work?
In the last five years, European policymakers have been focused on creating healthier food systems and addressing some of the issues related to the fragmentation of food policies across the EU Single Market. One important policy initiative was the...
A food additive petition submitted by the Environmental Defense Fund, et al is calling on the FDA to remove methylene chloride, among three other solvents, from the most commonly used decaffeinated coffee known as European Method decaf, a move that the...
News
The UK is to lift the current import tariff on California prune juice as it continues to navigate trade deals with its partners in the Indo-Pacific bloc.
The federal government has announced a two-year extension of the 2% cap on the annual alcohol excise duty inflation adjustment, as well as announcing reduced excise duty rates on beer to benefit the smaller brewers.
Connecticut lawmakers once again seek to ban the sale of energy drinks to consumers younger than 16 years, as regulators and researchers raise concerns about the negative health impact of caffeine.
Alcohol duty in the UK will be frozen until February 2025, the UK government announced in the Budget released today (March 6).
UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe, the Brussels-based trade association representing the non-alcoholic beverage sector, has published its manifesto with key ambitions and policy priorities for the 2024-2029 EU political term.
Should beer brands use cartoon characters? Will bright colors appeal to children? What about celebrity tie-ups or sweet-flavored spirits? 2023 saw a rise in the number of alcohol brands that found themselves in hot water with advertising authorities over...
The South Korean government is looking to mandate label-free packaging for drinking water bottles, replacing this with a digital QR code system over the next two years.
Many of us start our day with a piping hot cup of tea or coffee. In fact, it’s sometimes the very first thought we have before we’ve even opened our eyes. But what are the advantages and disadvantages of consuming caffeine and how much is too much?
The Scottish government plans to increase the Minimum Unit Price (MUP) for alcohol by 15p per unit to 65p this year
The UK high court has dismissed a trademark infringement claim by Thatchers Cider against supermarket Aldi. Intellectual property lawyer Daniel Fletcher of Forbes Solicitors looks at what beverage brands can learn from the case.