drinks
Microflakes ‘designed to deliver chocolate flavour and colour’
ADM Cocoa International has launched deZaan Chocolate Microflakes, which it says will allow manufacturers ‘to capture the indulgence of real chocolate in a convenient, dispersible powder form’. The microflakes have been designed to deliver the flavour and colour of real chocolate to ice creams, dairy desserts, drinks and confiseur chocolates. “Formulated to disperse and dissolve […]
Thirst for new dairy-free drink ingredients
While soy milk may continue to dominate the growing global dairy-free market, there are signs that newer alternatives are emerging into the mainstream grocery sector, according to the Innova Database. They include rice, oats and, more recently, almonds. Dairy alternative drinks launches recorded on the database reached over 600 in 2010, with almond milks and […]
Premier Foods sell canning business
PREMIER Foods has sold its canned business to tinned fish giant Princes for £182 million (€214m). The deal comes just weeks after the UK food and drinks group sealed the £205m (€242m) disposal of its Quorn meat-free business. Premier has been restructuring to reduce a £1.37 billion (€1.61bn) debt pile as of June last year, […]
Drinking to good health
Rising consumer interest in health and naturalness is being strongly reflected in new product activity in the global soft drinks market, according to Innova Market Insights. According to the market research company, 60% of the soft drinks launches recorded globally in 2010 had a health positioning of some sort. This was primarily in terms of […]
M&S launches super juice for heart health
Marks & Spencer has launched a new juice drink which it claims will help health-conscious consumers to lower their cholesterol. The Red Grape, Blueberry and Blackcurrant Super Juice, which has just hit shelves in the UK, is boosted by the addition of PromOat, the oat beta glucan soluble fibre ingredient from Swedish company Biovelop AB. […]
2011 ‘the year of product benchmarking’
The next 12 months will see a substantial rise in the amount of food and drink product benchmarking, as companies bid to maintain a competitive edge and hold or build their market share, according to Campden BRI. The UK-based food and drink research organisation says it has seen demand for its product benchmarking services increase […]
Nutrigenomics part of food future, says new research
UK consumers could soon be buying food and drink based on whether it suits their genetic make up as interest in new technology soars, according to market analysts Datamonitor. Research by the independent market analyst has revealed that almost half – 47% – of UK consumers now find the idea of using information about their […]
Rules relaxed on beer, wine and bread sales
The UK government has confirmed that it’s to scrap regulations banning the sale of small measures of beer and wine as well as different unwrapped bread sizes. Existing laws limit licensed premises to selling alcoholic drinks in certain measures, while bakers may produce loaves of unpackaged bread in set sizes only. But science minister David […]
Pepsi to buy majority stake in Wimm-Bill-Dann
Soft drinks maker PepsiCo has revealed that it’s buying a 66% stake in Wimm-Bill-Dann for £2.4 billion (€2.8bn). PepsiCo says it will also seek to buy the remaining shares in the Russian dairy and fruit juice maker when the initial deal is completed. The deal is the biggest foreign investment in Russia outside the energy […]
Wasabi taking root in new launches
While wasabi has been used in Asia for many years, interest in its use as a flavouring elsewhere in the world is growing, with the number of product launches outside Asia rising strongly in recent years, according to market analysts. Innova Market Insight’s Innova Database records that such launches have more than quadrupled over the […]
Probiotic drinks may not help health, says EFSA
Probiotic drinks and yogurts taken by millions to aid their health have not been proved to help digestion, according to EFSA. Scientists from the European food watchdog looked at more than 800 health claims from food companies, including those submitted by the probiotic industry. And they concluded that many of the claims – on which […]
No need to change BPA guidelines, says EFSA
Following a comprehensive review of recent scientific literature and studies on the toxicity of bisphenol A at low doses, EU food safety watchdog EFSA says it sees no need to cut the official limit on accepted exposure to bisphenol A, a chemical in plastic containers which some experts believe may harm human health. Some European […]
New trend in adult soft drink sector
Flavour company Wild has used cider as the inspiration for a range of new products in the ‘adult soft drinks’ sector. With flavours such as blackcurrant and bitter orange, the firm says its non-alcoholic, cider-mix beverages ‘with a tart, tangy, fruity note’ offer ‘a perfect match for the palates of adult consumers, and a refreshing […]
Aussies in EU deal to drop Champagne and Port names
Australian winemakers will no longer be able to use traditional names such as Champagne, Port or Sherry under a major deal with Europe which comes into force this week. The country has one year to phase out the names of drinks protected under the EU labelling regime based on geographic locations. These are the rules […]