The UK government will announce plans to ban junk food in the
nation's schools, bringing an end to the sale of crisps, chocolate
and fizzy drinks in school vending machines.
Canadian wine group Vincor has rejected takeover advances from
fellow top-ten producer Constellation Brands, prompting a shouting
match between the two, yet the march of industry consolidation may
be hard to halt.
French wine cooperatives have rejected the recent wine labelling
agreement between the EU and US, claiming the deal will not benefit
European producers as much as the Commission thinks.
A chance to fight Pierce's disease, one of the wine industry's most
deadly foes, at its origins has come a step closer after scientists
found common weeds nestling in vineyards were helping the sickness
to spread.
There is nothing so redolent of a corporate mid-life crisis as the
strategic equivalent of a new car, new girl and new image, set
firmly on the shoulders of the same old idea. McDonald's, it seems,
is firmly in the throes of...
Soft drinks giant PepsiCo is thought to have asked Cadbury
Schweppes for information on the sale of its European soft drinks
arm, according to a report in the UK's Financial Times.
Pernod Ricard ambled forward in its first half of 2005,
out-performing new rival Diageo, but higher expenses again show the
growing importance of cost-savings and consolidation to the drinks
industry.
UK brewing scientists have adapted Pursuit Dynamics' award-winning
processing technology for the drinks industry with early results
revealing substantial cost and energy savings for producers.
Fruit and vegetable juices are excellently placed to take
functional innovation forward, but producers must first get to
grips with the intense scrutiny their products will attract from
regulators and consumers, says Cargill nutritionist.
The world's largest supplier of private label soft drinks, Cott,
says 2005 profits will be badly hit by low fizzy drink consumption,
rising PET costs and poor performances from own-label bottled
water.
EU farm ministers met with African and Caribbean counterparts on
Monday to discuss the sweeping EU sugar reform that will bring
cheaper sugar ingredients into the bloc.
Scientists investigating the effects of green tea antioxidant EGCG
on mice's brains believe their positive results may signal its use
as a preventative or treatment of Alzheimer's disease in humans.
The evidence in favor of pomegranates is stacking up, as the latest
research indicates that drinking a glass of pomegranate juice each
day may be of benefit for patients with coronary heart disease.
Too many producers are falsely labelling their products as
probiotic and could present a stumbling block to the sector's
expansion, says the marketing head of leading innovator Valio at
Drinktec 2005.
US wine producers may soon scrub names of traditional European wine
regions, like Champagne and Burgundy, off their bottles in exchange
for better access to EU markets, in a breakthrough deal.
Novis, the publisher of BeverageDaily, 22 other business news
websites and more than 50 specialist e-newsletters, is today
changing its name to Decision News Media, to convey the editorial
ethos that has made the group's news...
A new rapid pasteurisation technology developed by Tetra Pak claims
it can slash production costs and time by combining pasteurisation
and mixing, as well as retain more nutrients in the end product.
Five alcoholic drinks or more a day can significantly raise the
risk of a stroke in men, finds a new study that backs a torrent of
research to suggest heavy drink can harm health.
The global increase in demand for caps and closures will be
partially driven by their increased use in traditionally
closureless food and drink packaging, research group Freedonia says
in its latest forecast report.
Developing healthier foods is not only key to stronger sales for
food makers but it also boosts a firm's financial value, as
investors increasingly consider it an important element of
corporate sustainability.
New yeast blends to help vintners enhance flavour as they make
wines with ever higher alcohol content have been developed by
international ingredients firm Chr Hansen.
Belgian brewer InBev is making further inroads in the Chinese
market, announcing this week that it has bought the remaining 30
per cent of Ningo-based brewer K.K.
Alfa Laval has designed a scaled-down model of its vapour
condensing machine, offering the food industry a cheaper method of
doing evaporation and condensation processes, the company claims.
Heineken has come out fighting after announcing losses so far in
2005 with plans to cut back on brands and step up efficiency drives
to beat cost pressures and stagnant Western European beer markets.
Freak storms have ravaged France's Languedoc-Roussillon region,
threatening to damage the new wine crop by leaving some vineyards
under water at the crucial harvesting stage.
As a further sign that packing companies are about to hike prices
in a big way, two of the industry's associations have told
customers they should expect to pay more their products.
Opportunities await for Europe's beer industry to tap into growing
consumer health trends as Belgian brewing scientists offer newly
developed testing to assess the nutritional quality of beers.
Opportunities in the mature enzyme market lie in developments,
driven by biotechnology, that provide food and beverage makers with
the right tools to meet consumer trends, claims a new report.
Foster's has taken a streamlined approach to 'brand Australia' on
the world wine market, announcing two wineries will be sold off as
the firm tries to realise cost-savings from its Southcorp buyout.
Cash, cash, cash. Castigated as simple asset-strippers out to make
a quick buck, the entrance of private equity onto the food industry
stage has participants chattering in the wings.
Several Dutch brewers, including Inbev and Heineken, could face
tough fines after the European Union charged them with price-fixing
on their home market.
All vending machines are now banned from schools across France in
an attempt to tackle child obesity fears, but the move remains
controversial amid industry accusations of heavy-handedness.
Prices for the omnipresent beverage and confectionery ingredient
coffee leapt this week after flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina
put inventories of beans in New Orleans at risk.
After months of secrecy and whisperings, Cadbury Schweppes has
finally confirmed that it is looking to dump its European soft
drinks arm for a greater focus on confectionery.
Untreated juices are still causing serious outbreaks of foodborne
illness across America, according to the US Food and Drug
Administration, warning consumers to be extra careful.
Praise where praise is due. And it is certainly due for one
small-time drinks firm in southern Britain, which is spear-heading
answers to global water shortages that threaten to wreak havoc on
food producers everywhere.
Cadbury Schweppes still looks likely to ditch its European soft
drinks arm for the right price, yet it is difficult to find a buyer
for a stumbling business with little growth prospects.
Soft drinks, particularly fruit juices, are set to make a greater
contribution to Britons' heart health, as both innovative small
businesses and major players roll out new, heart healthy drinks.
A new high-capacity aseptic plastic bag will help food processors
meet the demand for extended shelf-life products in the wholesale
market, according to the manufacturer.
Heineken has ended talks to increase its stake in the Chinese
brewer Kingway, according to a report, after a lack of progress in
discussions with its controlling shareholder GDH.