The amount of fake foods, drinks and agricultural products being
traded worldwide is on the increase according to a new report on
counterfeiting released today by the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Sara Lee is to double the amount of sustainable coffee used in its
brands to 20,000 tonnes, a move the company says
will make it the market leader in the category.
Sales of premium beer continue to outgrow globally over private
label and discounted varieties, according to the latest findings by
beverage research group Canadean.
This week's news brief finds Portugal's largest brewer having to
close a plant, Procter and Gamble possibly going off coffee and
another victory in the
battle against forcing metric measurements.
The manufacturer of a new brewing enzyme claims its latest
innovation will shake up beer production in Europe, by cutting the
time and cost of processing.
The UK Tea Council has been criticised for exaggerating the
benefits of tea and banned from making further claims about the
drinks antioxidant potential after running a series of adverts.
Food safety and animal health top the agenda at
today's meeting of EU's agricultural ministers, with
the future of milk, wine and sugar production also up for
discussion.
German malting company Weyermann is posed to tap the trend towards
organic colourings by introducing an organic version of its Sinamar
natural liquid malt colour.
In the latest news round-up, Campari remains in good spirits
despite a decline in soft drinks sales, Czech beer is on the rise
and brewer Heineken is still lost in translation over its Rugby
World Cup sponsorship.
As manufacturers continue to react to the consumer backlash from
new findings linking artificial additive use to child
hyperactivity, the beverage industry claims companies are
moving to reformulate products accordingly.
Pepsi and Unilever are to extend their agreement over distribution
and marketing of the Lipton ready-to-drink tea brand to target a
growing global demand for the products..
Food and beverage group Sara Lee has announced plans for the future
growth of its hot beverage operations with an increased focus on
premium brands and emerging markets like Russia.
China Water & Drinks plans to acquire a stake in the
largest water packaging manufacturer in China, a bid by the company
to control its supply chain and bring down costs.
Nestle will expand its dominance in the bottled water market
after today agreeing to the acquisition of a majority share in
Switzerland-based Sources Minérales Henniez.
Australian brewer Foster's has posted 4.7 per cent increase in
sales to AUS$4.5bn (€2.6bn) for the full fiscal year as it
continues to expand its operations outside of its core beer brands.
That all-important coffee boost sought by about 70 per cent of the
UK population may be becoming a bit of a drag, with coffee related
illnesses having doubled during the last four years, according to
new figures released this week.
Global drinks company Anheuser-Busch has launched a new line of
bottled water that will be marketed as an integral part of any skin
care regime in a bid to make a side-step into the ever-growing skin
care market.
A new clinical study provided evidence that green tea catechins can
stimulate production of cancer-protective enzymes in people with
low natural levels - the first to demonstrate this effect in
humans, say researchers.
Private investment firm Lion Capital yesterday became the
latest foreign firm to enter the burgeoning Russian fruit juice
market through the acquisition of local manufacturer Nidan.
Drinking more than three cups of coffee a day may decrease a
woman's rate of cognitive decline associated with age, but offers
no such benefits for men, suggests a study.
Anheuser-Busch lifted net sales by 6.1 per cent to $4.5bn (€3.2bn)
during the second fiscal quarter, led by strong growth particularly
in its US beer operations.
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.
Heineken announced yesterday that it has doubled its forecast for
net profit growth, with strong sales in emerging markets offsetting
slow growth rates in Europe and the US.
In 2006, the price of beverages was on average two and a half
times more in the most expensive EU country than in the
cheapest, according to a Eurostat report.
The cost of imported wines and spirits in India are set to drop
following the decision yesterday by the country's Central Board of
Excise and Customs (CEBC) to withdraw additional duties on foreign
alcohol products.
It seems that mineral water just isn't healthy enough, as a growing
number of manufacturers move to tap growing demand for H2O
products that boast enhanced nutritional benefits.
Coca-Cola today pledged to overhaul how it uses water
throughout its operations and bottling franchises in a drive for
greater environmental sustainability.
Plans to rip out 400,000 hectares of vines to drain the EU's
bulging 'wine lake' will be watered down to put greater emphasis on
marketing wines abroad, Commission officials have confirmed.
Increased consumption of apple juice or bananas may prevent
childhood asthma, says new research from England that adds to an
ever-growing body of science linking easy breathing to apples.
Common preservative sodium benzoate, widely used in soft drinks and
other foods, is again at the centre of health concerns after
research emerged linking it to cell damage.
Drinking a whopping ten cups of coffee a day or more could slash
the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 74 per cent, suggests
a new prospective study from Finland.
French wine militants have warned the country's new president,
Nicolas Sarkozy, there will be more violence if he does not offer
more support to the sector.
Ethiopia's coffee industry, one of the largest in the world, was
this week closer to establishing a set of premium trademarks for
its beans after signing up coffeehouse giant Starbucks.
The Novozymes group claims that their new enzyme can help brewers
increase capacity at little extra cost by offering longer and more
consistent filtration cycles.
Britain's third largest supermarket is to remove artificial
flavours and colours, as well as the aspartame sweetener, from its
private label soft drinks.
