Lawyers in the US announced yesterday they were taking two soft
drinks firms to court, alleging lab tests showed drinks
contaminated with benzene above America's safety limit for tap
water.
Testing soft drinks to reflect the effects of storage and transport
conditions will be crucial to realistically monitor benzene
formation in different drinks, a former industry scientist told
BeverageDaily.com.
Danisco has launched a new range of enzymes to help fruit juice
makers save money and improve quality as they look to target
growing consumer demand for healthier soft drinks.
Tetra Pak's own packaging machines could soon be used against it,
after rival group Alternapak claimed it had found a way to run its
own packaging reels on Tetra Pak production lines.
A human observational study has revealed that adults consuming
aspartame-containing beverages did not show any increased incidence
of certain cancers, but scientists caution that the study could
have certain "limitations"...
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.
Soft drinks firm Britvic has announced a 7.3 per cent drop in
half-year carbonates sales as a slump in the fizzy drinks market
impacts revenue and share price.
COLOGNE, Germany: Aseptic cold filling is being promoted
here at a four-day conference on food technology as another
solution to meeting the demand for minimally processed foods and
drinks.
Soft drinks makers have been hauled before the European Commission
to explain the presence of benzene traces in drinks, putting the
industry under pressure after recalls in the UK.
Soft drink consumption is the principal factor behind the growth in
global drinks, with health playing an increasingly important role
in consumer choice.
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.
Both green and black tea could protect against age-related diseases
like Alzheimer's, says a new study, adding yet more support to the
benefits of tea extract on brain health.
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.
The French government has launched a multi-million euro rescue plan
for France's ailing wine industry, including €12m export support
and an overhaul of the quality control system.
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.
Proposed guidelines to restrict food advertising directed at
children will herald a new era of tighter regulatory control in the
UK, according to food law experts at Eversheds.
Levels of benzene found in soft drinks so far are not a safety risk
for consumers, says the US food safety watchdog, attempting to calm
public concern.
Combining alcohol and Red Bull reduces the 'perception' of
impairment, though alcohol's harmful effects on motor coordination
remain intact, according to a new study.
Green tea catechins may improve reference and working-memory
related learning ability, say research from Japan, adding to claims
that green tea can help ward off Alzheimer's.
The UK government's budget for 2006 was greeted with a mixture of
praise and stern criticism by the drinks industry, as some felt the
Chancellor had ignored important measures.
Pursuit Dynamics, the UK-based creators of a novel sonic wave
processing technology, today announced the purchase of a specialist
food and drink equipment distributor.
Dynasty Fine Wine Group, one of China's top three wine makers, is
set to increase its production capacity to 50,000 tons this year,
to meet fast-rising demand for the drink in an increasingly
affluent population.
More and more wineries are putting pictures of animals on their
wine labels, a plan that has shown early success with younger,
fun-seeking consumers, says a new report.
One of southern France's biggest wine groups has pulled out of
negotiations over a battle plan for the country's ailing wine
sector, days after militant winemakers sent 1.5m litres of its wine
flowing into the street.
SABMiller is in talks to buy Foster's overseas breweries in Asia,
BeverageDaily.com has learnt, as the potential sale offers
brewers a better foothold in one of the world's fastest growing
beer markets.
The Scotch Whisky Association says it will ask the EU to make an
official complaint at the WTO if India does not lift excessive duty
tax on imported spirit drinks.
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.
Greencore, the ingredients and food service group, said EU sugar
reform would force it to pull out of the sugar sector this year,
effectively spelling the end of sugar processing in Ireland.
The caffeine content of all carbonated and energy drinks should be
clearly labelled on drinks packaging to avoid unnecessary risk for
vulnerable consumers, argues a new study in the US.
Europe has no time for national champions if it is to compete in
the world, warned the European Commission president Wednesday, as
French president Jacques Chirac dismissed claims that France was
protectionist.
The EU's packaging industry association has called on the European
Commission to crackdown on members states who break the rules under
the bloc's harmonised system of law.
PepsiCo has launched a range of flavoured waters enriched with
vitamins across the US, in a further sign that functional drinks
are pushing their way into the mainstream soft drinks sector.
A controversial agreement to protect Europe's traditional wine
names like Champagne and Port from use by American winemakers has
been officially signed by the US and European Union.
Trace amounts of a little-researched toxic metal have been found in
bottled water brands in PET bottles across Europe and Canada, says
new research from Germany.
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.
Burning police cars, wine gushing into streets and trashed
government offices have threatened to send violence in southern
France's vineyards out of control this week.
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.
Children kept off sugary drinks lost weight after a period of six
months, according to a new study, findings that add to the mounting
body of evidence linking childhood obesity with soda consumption.
The gamble by US authorities 15 years ago to let the industry deal
with benzene residues in soft drinks has failed, and instead only
kept those who needed to know in the dark.