One of Australia’s leading consumer product surveys, Product of the Year, today released its third annual survey results for innovative new products in the Australian supermarket retail industry. Product of the Year was established 25 years ago in France and currently operates in 28 countries worldwide. For a product to be eligible for the survey, each product must be one that has launched 18 months before the survey and a proven established product in the relevant market. Seven thousand Australian... ...Read more »

Australia is presently suffering a severe shortage of CO2 required for soft drinks to bubble. Ironically, the Australian Federal government recently passing a law to impose a carbon tax (still to come into effect) and this law aims to discourage production of carbon dioxide (CO2). In actual fact, the current shortage is  a consequence of necessary State government protective measures responding to non-comformances with environmental safety laws  by an upstream supplier to the CO2 plant.The temporary... ...Read more »

Australian governments have been investigating the concept of a Container Deposit Scheme that will encompass the whole country. Currently, the Northern Territory is due to implement its own CDS system on 3 January 2012. In South Australia, Australia’s first Container Deposit Scheme began operating operating in the State of 1977. An investigation by Australia’s Environment Ministers has now found that the cost of a national Container Deposit Scheme (CDS) would be between A$1.4 billion and A$1.8... ...Read more »

International research body, Innova Market Insights, has identified five key trends that it claims will impact the Australian food and beverage market through 2012 and beyond. According to Innova, the top trends for 2012 relate purity, authenticity and sustainability, as consumers continue to look for products with added value, despite the ongoing economic uncertainty. Innova’s top five trends are as follows: ‘Pure’ is the new ‘natural’: Natural products are becoming the rule rather... ...Read more »

The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers have given their approval for the use of steviol glycosides, a natural sweetener derived from the stevia plant, as an ingredient in foods and beverages in the European Union. The new regulatory policy will enter into force twenty days after it is published in the EU Official Journal.  This means that products sweetened with steviol glycosides could be available to consumers across Europe by as early as 3 December 2011. Steviol glycosides are considered... ...Read more »

The Canadian Government has announced it will reform the way it regulates energy drinks in Canada. Energy drinks are non-alcoholic beverages characterised by the addition of ‘energy enhancing’ ingredients. These may include a number of water-soluble B vitamins, amino acids and other substances, and caffeine. The proposed Canadian legislation includes: A cap on the amount of caffeine that can be included in an energy drink at 180 mg per single serving. In addition to current labels that... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil Australasia (CCAA) has invested A$35 Million in new “blowfill” technology at its Thebarton production facility in Adelaide, enabling the company to design and manufacture its own bottles using less raw materials. CCAA’s Managing Director, Warwick White, described the new technology as the single largest capital investment in the company’s history, adding that it will fundamentally change the nature of manufacturing in the business. He said, “The introduction of this technology... ...Read more »

The Coca-Cola Company and its Chinese bottling partners today announced a new investment of US$4 billion over the next three years, commencing 2012. By the end of 2011, Coca-Cola and its China bottling partners Swire Beverages Ltd. and COFCO Coca-Cola Beverage Co. Ltd. will have invested more than $3 billion in China over the last three years, bringing the total investment to $7 billion between 2009 and 2014 in the largest and fastest-growing consumer market in the world. Chairman and CEO of The... ...Read more »

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced it will not oppose the proposed acquisition of P&N Beverages Australia by Japanese brewery group Asahi after competition concerns were resolved by Asahi. On 9 March 2011, the ACCC opposed an earlier acquisition proposal, saying it would ‘remove P&N as a vigorous and effective competitor in the markets for the supply of carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) and cordial’. Asahi then revised its proposal to acquire P&N... ...Read more »

Japanese beverage giant Asahi has announced takeover bids for two major Australasian beverage companies, P&N Beverages and Charlie’s Juices. Asahi, which purchased Schweppes in 2009, has entered into a binding agreement to purchase 100% of shares in P&N, which it will then divide, selling the company’s carbonated soft drinks and cordials arm on to Tru Blu Beverages, while retaining P&N’s water and juice businesses. The split comes as an attempt to appease the ACCC, which... ...Read more »