Beyond The Headlines: Coca-Cola expands alcoholic beverage range, Nestlé ends South Korean partnership

This week in industry news, Coca-Cola rolled out vodka-based lemonade to expand its alcoholic innovations, and Nestlé terminated its South Korean partnership with Lotte Group. Meanwhile, Swedish government officials met with retailers to discuss high food prices, and UK researchers called for an extension of sugar tax on all food products to tackle obesity concerns.

New product releases

Coca-Cola unveiled vodka-based versions of its Minute Maid lemonade and pink lemonade to expand its alcoholic beverage range, which includes its wine-based Minute Maid Spiked product that debuted last year. The drinks will be launched through Coca-Cola’s alcohol subsidiary Red Tree Beverages and have 5% ABV with no carbonation. The beverage giant is also rolling out a range of Minute Maid Spike Vodka Punch in citrus, berry, and tropical punch flavors.

Dutch company Schouten Europe rolled out two plant-based snacks, Power Bites and Sea Bites. Power Bites are nut-free alternatives to nut balls to address allergen concerns, while Sea Bites are plant-based fish snacks formulated using the company’s innovative fiber technology. As the global demand for protein increases, the company aims to reduce the environmental impact of traditional protein production with these launches.

Business highlights

Nestlé announced it is ending its 50:50 South Korean partnership with Lotte Group. The collaboration will wind down by the first quarter of 2026 after struggling to gain a share in the coffee, pet food, and kitchen ingredients markets. Nestlé Korea CEO Thomas Caso cited overall global priorities and domestic market conditions as the reason behind the decision. Lotte-Nestlé Korea posted an annual net loss of ₩10.1billion (US$7.3 million) in 2023 amid heightened competition from domestic food corporations.

Coca-Cola’s vodka-based lemonades contain 5% ABV and no carbonation (Image credit: Red Tree Beverages).UK retailer Sainsbury’s discontinued its own-brand vegan product, Plant Pioneers Meat Free Steaks, online and in stores. The move has sparked widespread dissatisfaction from consumers who appreciate the vegan steak’s taste and texture. The retailer also removed popular breakfast product Yeo Valley Organic Greek Recipe Peach & Raspberry Yogurts from market shelves and online, which contained 12 g of protein per pot.

Legislative highlights

Swedish government officials met supermarket chains ICA, Coop, and Axfood, which account for 90% of Sweden’s grocery store market, on Thursday to discuss escalating food prices and rising consumer displeasure in the Nordic country. Food prices rose 3.9% in February from the same month a year earlier, with butter costs increasing by 26% in a year. Previous meetings on the issue yielded no clear results, said the Swedish Consumers’ Association, adding that it wants to see measures for low-income groups as they are the most vulnerable.

Researchers at the University of Reading, England, called for the UK government to extend its sugar tax beyond soft drinks in a report titled “Regulatory tools for a healthy and sustainable diet.” It highlights how the current soft drinks levy has reduced sugar content in beverages by 44% and suggests a similar approach for all foods to tackle the UK’s obesity crisis. The report also proposes a new salt tax, reporting of sales of unhealthy products by large food businesses, and making traffic light labels on food packaging mandatory for all products.

Sustainability highlights

US-based Force of Nature Meats launched a sustainable chicken program for ethical poultry sourcing by prioritizing breed selection, animal welfare, and environmental stewardship. The initiative aims to provide high-quality pasture-raised, organic-fed, and slow-growth chickens to consumers for better nutrition and flavor. The company says its chickens undergo no chemical processing and are fed a traceable diet free from GMOs, pesticides, and synthetic additives.

Force of Nature Meats’ chicken targets consumers’ transparency and nutrition demands for a sustainable protein source.Climate solutions provider 3Degrees launched the Low Carbon Fertilizer Alliance to reduce emissions in agricultural supply chains. The alliance is supported by founding member Mars, Inc., three Fortune 200 food companies, and nitrogen fertilizer producer CF Industries. The Alliance provides a scalable approach to decarbonizing fertilizer manufacturing by funding emissions reduction initiatives to target an industry currently emitting 2.6 gigatons of CO2 annually.

US-based Seeding The Future Foundation and the Institute of Food Technologists announced the winners of the Grand Prize, Growth Grant semifinalists and the Seed Grant finalists for the 2024 Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge. Thirteen winners will share US$1 million in prizes, which include solutions for climate change adaptation, fruit and vegetable preservation, food toxin management, plant defect identification with IoT and bioherbicide technology for crop protection against pests, and more.

Research highlights

Scientists from Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines found that tapuy lees, residues from rice wine production, show strong potential as an ingredient in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and cosmetics. The findings, published in Discover Food, align with a growing interest in repurposing byproducts from alcohol production for use in these products. The authors state that future studies need to focus on clinical trials in humans to validate these findings and further explore the potential of tapuy lees as a natural, sustainable source of bioactive compounds.