07 Sep 2017 --- The Irish Beverage Council, the lobby group representing the soft drink sector, has called for a deferral of the proposed sugar-sweetened drink tax claiming it could lead to increased border smuggling and will drive consumers to buy cheaper goods in Northern Ireland.
25 Aug 2017 --- Ministry of Health officials in Singapore say that seven big name soft drink companies have pledged to cut sugar content in drinks within the next few years. The soft drink manufacturers – Coca-Cola, F&N Foods, Malaysia Dairy Industries, Nestle, PepsiCo, Pokka and Yeo Hiap Seng – are reportedly reducing sugar as part of an initiative to drive down diabetes in the sovereign city state.
23 Aug 2017 --- Bell Flavors & Fragrances EMEA has announced new trend concepts and flavor creations for beverage products, including botanical extracts and taste concepts. This year, Bell is focusing on the “craft” megatrend, covering inspiring ideas for sparkling craft lemonades, refreshing flavors of cider, as well as innovative concepts for refining beer mixers.
27 Jul 2017 --- Coca-Cola is promising the same taste as regular Coke, as it officially launches a replacement for Coca-Cola Zero with its innovative “better-tasting” recipe in the US, which will now be called Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
21 Jul 2017 --- Anheuser Busch InBev (AB InBev) has announced the acquisition of Hiball, a San Francisco-based producer of energy drinks and owner of the Alta Palla brand of organic sparkling juices and sparkling waters.
17 Jul 2017 --- Consumers expect more from beverages than just to quench their thirst. Ideally, soft drinks, smoothies and the like offer new drinking experiences and bursts of flavor – while suiting people’s individual lifestyles. The GNT Group recently compiled five ways for food and beverage companies to meet this challenge.
14 Jul 2017 --- A US lawsuit has been filed accusing Coca-Cola and the American Beverage Association of obscuring the link between drinking sugar-packed sodas and obesity as well as other health problems.
23 Jun 2017 --- Consumers expect more from beverages than just to quench their thirst. Ideally, soft drinks, smoothies and the like offer new drinking experiences and bursts of flavor – while suiting people’s individual lifestyles. The GNT Group has compiled five ways for food and beverage companies to meet this challenge.
12 Jun 2017 --- Following on from its debut in Mexico last year, Coke No Sugar is now available in Australia and New Zealand with the planned global rollout predicted to be the biggest launch of a new Coca-Cola since Coke Zero was introduced over a decade ago in 2006. The soft drinks giant promises consumers it has found “the answer” for those who love the taste of Classic Coca-Cola, but are watching their sugar intake with big promises that this is “closer than ever to the classic Coca-Cola taste.”
31 May 2017 --- Symrise AG are set to strengthen their position in the British market segment for beverages. The Company has signed an agreement to acquire Cobell Limited from the Managing Partners. Cobell, which was established in 1999, is the largest supplier of processed fruit and vegetable juices in Great Britain and a leading supplier across Europe. Cobell ideally complements the activities and will enhance Symrise’s local presence and customer proximity.
25 May 2017 --- The UAE is introducing new fiscal measures to tax carbonated drinks by 50% and a 100% tax hike on energy drinks.
27 Apr 2017 --- The falling demand for fizzy drinks has hit Coca-Cola as the soft drinks giant posts its first quarter results and also announces 1,200 job losses. As global consumers continue to opt out of sugar sweetened soda in favor of healthier choices and a general change in tastes and preferences continues to sweep across many food and drinks sectors, growth is stalling at Coca Cola.
11 Apr 2017 --- In response to policy efforts aimed at limiting individuals' intake of sugary drinks, businesses could enact various strategies that would allow them to comply with the limits while preserving business and consumer choice. New research shows that one of these strategies - offering smaller cup sizes with free refills - can actually increase individual consumption of sugary drinks. The findings are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
10 Apr 2017 --- Low-sugar Coca Cola Life is to be phased out in Britain in June after sales of the stevia soft drink have nosedived. The move comes as Coca Cola increases its investment in Coca-Cola Zero Sugar as part of its on-going zero sugary strategy. This will allow the company to “simplify consumer choice between sugar and sugar-free formats” as Coca-Cola continues to focus on the growth of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Diet Coke.
05 Apr 2017 --- The Beverage Association of South Africa (BevSA) welcomed changes to the proposed Sugar Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) tax outlined in the Budget speech, but maintains its concerns about the negative economic impact; limited health gains; as well as inadequate baseline studies in a submission to National Treasury on the matter.
29 Mar 2017 --- The Coca-Cola Company, together with its bottlers in Latin America, have announced the closing of the acquisition of Unilever’s AdeS plant-based beverage business. The Coca-Cola Company is now the sole owner of the AdeS brand.
21 Mar 2017 --- Millennial fruit juice drinkers in Europe overwhelmingly view 100% fruit juice as a healthy beverage, according to the findings of a new, independent consumer survey conducted by Concord grape juice supplier Welch’s Global Ingredients Group.
09 Mar 2017 --- Yesterday Chancellor Philip Hammond confirmed the final Soft Drinks Industry Levy rates of 18 pence per liter and 24 pence per liter for the two sugar bands at 5g/100ml and 8g/100ml respectively. It is now over to MPs to pass the legislation, and then manufacturers and retailers to continue to raise their sugar reduction game.
08 Mar 2017 --- Kefir appears to be bucking the trend that has seen launch activity in drinking yogurts and fermented beverages remain relatively static in recent years. While kefir launch numbers are still limited globally, Innova Market Insights data indicate that they grew more than three-fold between 2011 and 2016. This is despite launches in the overall drinking yogurt/fermented beverages sub-category rising by a much more modest +60%.
28 Feb 2017 --- Sugar will continue to come under fire throughout 2017, although it remains the key ingredient delivering the sweetness and great taste that consumers are looking for. “Sweeter Balance” was tipped as trend 3 for 2017 by Innova Market Insights. The quest to combine taste and health is driving NPD, as the industry faces the challenge of balancing public demand to reduce added sugars and create indulgent experiences, while at the same time presenting clean label products.
