2012 Beverage industry retrospective

10 Days that Shook the Beverage World in 2012: Mayan Doomsday Countdown

Relive ten seismic days that shook the earth to its core in 2012, from health campaigners petitioning the UK health ministry over Coke, Pepsi and 4-MEI to Dr Pepper's run...

DSM buys Swedish oat beta-glucan brand

A day after confirming the €500m acquisition of New York-based blends specialist Fortitech, Royal DSM has concluded the year by buying beta-glucan brand Oatwell from Swedish Oat Fiber (SOF).

Heineken ‘disappointed’ by €200m cartel loss in last chance EU saloon

Heineken yesterday lost its final appeal against a European Commission decision to fine it around €200m ($264.7m) for alleged collusion in an illegal Dutch beer cartel, as the European Court...

EFSA on caramel colours: Consumer exposure lower than previously estimated

Consumer exposure to three caramel colours used in a variety of food and drink applications is ‘considerably lower’ than a 2011 scientific opinion published by EFSA suggested, says the Authority.  ...

Heineken, Carlsberg ratings will survive French beer tax: Moody’s Investment Service

Moody’s says it will not downgrade its ratings of Carlsberg and Heineken, despite the potential harm a massive French tax increase in January could pose to national beer sales.

5-minute festive flick

Happy holidays from William Reed Business Media!

The working year is almost done, time to pause from ‘the business’ and embrace the festive season…go on, give it a big hug. Happy holidays!

'Bad science' on soft drinks a fact of life: Coca-Cola Enterprises CEO

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) CEO John Brock has taken a sideswipe at detractors of soft drink ingredients who he claims base negative comments on ‘bad science or no science’.

Lindt and Haribo Gold Teddy row to rumble all the way to German Supreme Court

Lindt and Haribo’s trademark battle over golden bears in Germany will drag on until a Supreme Court decision despite yesterday’s ruling in favour of Haribo, sources told this site....

Carlsberg ‘surprised’ by UK Alcohol Strategy unit price push

Carlsberg says that UK government plans to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol are surprising and will not curb alcohol misuse, especially since the EU suggests such a policy could...

Red Bull welcomes French court action to strike out energy drink tax

Red Bull has welcomed a ruling from France’s highest constitutional court striking-down the government’s plans to tax caffeine and taurine-rich energy drinks from 2013.

News in brief

Cheese recalled due to metal contamination

Two types of cheese have been withdrawn from three UK supermarkets after being found to be contaminated with pieces of metal.

EFSA health claim opinions

Kuntze: EFSA rejects green tea-guarana weight loss claims (and more)

Green tea extracts (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) and guarana do not promote weight loss, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found, amid a fresh batch of article 13.5 health claim...

Italy proposes €500 fines for prohibited health claims: “Cheaper to violate than comply”

As attention turns to the enforcement of the EU’s controversial article 13, general function health claims list after a six month waiting period, an expert on the ground in Italy...

EU health claims: FoodDrinkEurope welcomes “certainty and clarity”

The EU’s biggest food industry group – FoodDrinkEurope – has backed Friday’s enabling of the article 13 list of 222 approved and 1500+ rejected health claims in the European Union’s 27 member states.

European economic woes have led to less ‘real innovation’, says Mintel

Major food and drink brands are producing fewer truly innovative new products as recessionary mindsets and behaviours continue throughout Europe, according to Mintel director of innovation and insight David Jago.

It’s official! There are 222 general function approved health claims in the EU; 1500+ rejected

From today food and supplement products marketed in the EU’s 27 member states must comply with the article 13, permitted list of health claims or face prosecution for misleading marketing.

NI exclusive

Chr Hansen claims long-life probiotic beverage breakthrough

After 20 failed starts, probiotics leader Chr Hansen says it has finally found an ingredient dispensing cap partner that can handle the demands of high speed filling utilised by the...

Special Edition: Fibre

From bakery to beverage: Are ‘high fibre’ claims diversifying?

‘High fibre’ claims are traditionally the realm of bakery products, but has recent growing demand for fibre by consumers resulted in a shift away from bread-based products?

December 14 EU health claims deadline

Stakeholder vox pop: December 14 EU health claim deadline

With the December 14 enforcement of the EU's article 13 general function health claim list that includes 200+ approved claims and about 1500 rejections just two days away (after a...

EC study: Do retailers’ own brands reduce consumer choice and industry innovation?

The European Commission (EC) has said it intends to conduct a study on whether expanded use of private label food and beverage products has restricted consumer choice and industry innovation.

New EFSA health claims chief: “I prefer pedagogic behavior”; offers 2013 hope

As the formlisation of the main organ (article 13.1 list) of the nutrition and health claims regulation (NHCR) kicks in this week, Professor Ambroise Martin, the new chair of the...

All in the mind? Meal memories may influence later feelings of satiety

People who believe they have eaten a large meal feel less hungry for hours after the meal, irrespective of the actual amount they consume, say researchers.

ANALYST INSIGHT

Beam Inc. deal more likely after Diageo terminates Cuervo talks: City analyst

A City analyst tells BeverageDaily.com that he believes recent talk of Diageo mounting a $10bn+ takeover of Beam Inc. is more likely now the UK plc. has ended talks with...

Guest article

Eight winners: Are EU diabetes-metabolic syndrome health claims set to explode?

Eight ingredients have won EU health claims that can be used to back messaging around metabolic syndrome – although the take-up to date has been lacklustre, says Euromonitor analyst, Diana Cowland....

New French system rates products’ health and eco-credentials

French organisation Institut Noteo has developed a free-access system that allows shoppers to check and compare products’ health and eco-credentials online.

ANALYST INSIGHT

Diageo unlikely to swoop for $10bn+ Beam Inc. in short term: City analyst

Diageo remains tight-lipped on reports it may make a $10bn+ swoop for Beam Inc. but one analyst tells BeverageDaily.com he believes no imminent deal is likely, given the firm’s preoccupation...

News in brief

Analyst hails Scottish firm for setting A.G Barr high

One City analyst has hailed UK soft drinks firm A.G Barr for 'outpacing the market' with volume growth in the 18 weeks to December 1, but warned that the nation's...

UK hasn’t ‘scratched the surface’ with craft brewing potential: academic

A UK brewing science academic tells BeverageDaily.com that a regional project to help microbrewers crack China could benefit similar firms nationwide, and that the country hasn't ‘scratched the surface’ in...

Red Bull rival claims to have dealt ‘significant blow’ against monopoly rights abuse

Red Bull rival Sun Mark claims to have dealt a “very significant blow” to the abuse of monopoly rights in the soft drinks industry, after the EU body let the UK firm...

TETRA PAK VIDEO EXCLUSIVE

Tetra Pak researches processing methods to tap ‘explosive’ coconut water trend

Kit Lai, director of Tetra Pak’s Soya- and Coconut Knowledge Centers, discusses the global growth of coconut water and soya milks as categories, and the firm's latest formulation and processing...

EU food industry competitiveness ‘lagging behind’: Report

The European Union’s food industry is lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of competitiveness, according to a new report from FoodDrinkEurope, which outlines priorities for new EU-wide...

Ferrero UK says it’s in the ‘top spot’ of food media spend this Christmas

Ferrero UK has lined up a flurry of seasonal promotion totting up to £6m ($9.6m) that it says puts it in second spot for food media spend this year, just...

News in brief

No Moody blues for Britvic CEO post ₤2.9m payoff?

Despite leading Britvic while it suffered the Fruit Shoot recall debacle that wiped 20% off full-year 2012 profits, CEO Paul Moody will receive a ₤2.9m ($3.78m) pension as he exits...

'See you in court Nespresso!' Rival alleges ‘systematic’ smear campaign

The Ethical Coffee Company (ECC) has launched a law suit against Nestlé subsidiary Nespresso in Paris claiming its larger rival ran a ‘systematic smear and defamatory’ campaign to discredit ECC's...

Guest article

December 14 EU health claims crack down: Are B2B comms affected?

December 14 brings the long awaited and widely disputed EU crack down on health claims. That means 222 general function claims are good to go, another 1500 or so prohibited....

Intersnack snaps up KP Snacks for undisclosed sum

European Intersnack Group has snapped up United Biscuits’ KP Snacks for an undisclosed sum in a move that will enable the UK firm to 'dedicate focus' to its biscuits business, United...

Nutricia wins follow-on milk TV ad battle over ‘2x’ nutrient claims

Infant and medical food specialist Nutricia has had a UK TV campaign claiming toddlers needed twice the nutrients of adults backed by the watchdog there.

McCambridge sells strong private label cake division in Christmas run-up

UK bakery firm McCambridge Group has sold its private label cake division to NBGI Private Equity and despite the run-up to Christmas its MD said now is a good time...

Groceries adjudicator gets power to fine supermarkets

News that the Groceries Code Adjudicator will have power to fine supermarkets if they break the Groceries Code of Practice has been welcomed by the food manufacturers, farmers and poverty campaigners....

CASH retracts cheese salt claim after admitting ‘error’

Campaign group Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) has issued an apology and retracted a recent press statement that wrongfully labelled cheese as the third “biggest contributor of salt in...

Thin models in chocolate ads tempt consumers to overindulge, study finds

Chocolate adverts portraying ‘ideal’ thin models may tempt even the most restrained of consumers to overindulge, suggest researchers.

The shelling of PARNUTS

EU sports food group on PARNUTS: “We need resolution and closure"

A pan-European sports nutrition group that counts Volac, Carbery and Abbott Laboratories (EAS) as members says it is time the lengthy debate over European Union sports food regulation ended –...

Artificial sweeteners backed for weight management in functional food products

Functional food and drink products should utilise non-nutritive artificial sweeteners as a means to help consumers aid weight management and reduce the risk of diabetes, say scientists.

Comment

Acrylamide: A scandal in the making

Acrylamide is a recognised carcinogen that we’ve known is in our food at dangerous levels for a decade. Today, the food industry has tools to mitigate it, but uptake is...

Guest article

Provexis winner: EU health claims enforcement may dish rotten tomatoes

Steve Morrision was the COO at Provexis when the UK start-up won the EU‘s first ever article 13.5 health claim for its blood circulation-boosting tomato extract called Fruitflow in 2009....

News in brief

FAO stresses importance of industry for global food security

The private sector has an important role to play in promoting sustainable agriculture and fighting poverty and hunger, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) director-general José Graziano da Silva.