Consumer research company Technomic has released its list of the top ten adult beverage trends that will shape the US alcohol industry in 2013. Based on ongoing research into spirits, wine and beer volume and sales, as well as surveys, interviews and discussions involving brand marketers, on-premise and retail operators, bartenders and consumers, these insights are supported by Technomic’s extensive adult beverage database including its Trends in Adult Beverage reports. The major developments influencing... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has announced an anticipated growth of 4-5 per cent growth in net profit for 2012, 2-3 per cent below what analysts had predicted. Attributed to the “high Australian dollar” and “price-driven competitor activity”, Coca-Cola Amatil’s latest trading update report says the Company is confident the future remains positive, and confirms it will be entering a long-term agreement for the distribution of Rekorderlig cider. Rekorderlig cider is produced in Sweden, but is the... ...Read more »

Two reports by Deakin University and the Cancer Council Victoria respectively have made separate findings on alcoholic drinking patterns in Australia. The Deakin University study is Australia’s largest study into alcohol-related crime. It found that the increasingly common practice of drinking before leaving to go to a nightclub is a major predictor of people experiencing harm or violence. The study compared effectiveness of alcohol-related crime prevention measures put in place between 2005 and... ...Read more »

Matilda Bay Brewing Company has launched its first ever outdoor and press campaign for its Dirty Granny matured apple cider, featuring talent sourced from a local Melbourne bridge club where it was also shot. The series of portrait stills of three elderly men pulling “cheeky” faces at something in the distance, which is later revealed to be a bottle of Dirty Granny cider. According to Matilda Bay Brewing Company, the campaign suggests “you are never too old for a bit of fun.” The series artwork... ...Read more »

A new Dutch study has compared alcohol consumption alone against alcohol mixed with energy drinks and has purportedly found that alcohol and energy drink combinations decrease overall alcohol consumption and its negative effects. While several health organisations have been calling for tighter regulation of the energy drink industry, the study concluded that alcohol and energy drink mixes “do not have an effect on subjective intoxication.” The study of 6002 students from the Utrecht University... ...Read more »

Researchers at the National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA) at Flinders University in Adelaide have found that there is currently one liquor licence for every 317 people in Australia that can legally drink. The national review of liquor licensing legislation by the Flinders University researchers found that the number of liquor licences had increased by 120 per cent in Victoria and 60 per cent in South Australia since 1996. The project, which was led by Professor Ann Roche,... ...Read more »

Flavoured vodka is one of the fastest growing segments in the United States spirits industry according to US market research firm, Technomic, in its recent Trends in Adult Beverage report. The report showed that flavoured vodka sales of 9-litre cases increased by 3.3 Million during 2011, with flavoured vodka fuelling the ongoing growth of the US vodka industry. It was reported that almost three-quarters of new vodka products introduced in the US in 2011 were flavoured vodka products. Although all... ...Read more »

Australian Food News previously reported on the follow-up to the death of a Melbourne teenager Sara Milosevic, who died in June 2011 following consumption of three cans of a caffeinated alcoholic beverage. The New South Wales Coroner’s Court is now being asked to obtain information from the Victorian Coroner’s Court to review the autopsy of Sara Milosevic, following concerns raised by her family. The Age newspaper reported in Melbourne the Victorian Coroner’s Court investigation  in progress,... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) ‘s Interim Results issued on 22 August 2012 reveal net profit after tax increased by 5.6% to $247.1 million, before significant items.  CCA also reported that trading revenue increased by 8.9% on strong Group volume growth of 5.5%. The strong cash flow generation of $309.7 million, included the net proceeds from the sale of CCA’s joint venture interest in Pacific Beverages. CCA report another excellent result from Indonesia and PNG. According to CCA’s report, to... ...Read more »

The Australian National Preventative Health Agency (ANHPA) is conducting an enquiry into whether governments in Australia should be setting a national floor price for alcoholic drinks served in bars and hotels. The enquiry seems to have been triggered by a number of international developments where minimum pricing has been set in countries such as Russia and Scotland. The fact that  governments in Australia already impose substantial consumption taxes and turnover taxes on alcohol seems to be outside... ...Read more »