The European Parliament has voted in favour of putting in place tighter legislation on the composition of fruit juices, ensuring companies stick to stricter labelling guidelines. Companies will no longer be able to add sugar and sweeteners to drinks labelled as “fruit juices” under the EU’s new labelling rules. It is already industry practice not to add sugar to juices, and that practice is now being written into law. The new legislation will apply to all juice products regardless of whether... ...Read more »

The world’s largest coffee chain, Starbucks Coffee Company, announced today that it has bought American-based premium fruit juice company Evolution Fresh for US$30 million (A$29 million). Announcing the takeover deal today, Starbucks’ President Howard Schultz unveiled plans to establish a chain of juice bars. He said, “With Evolution Fresh, Starbucks will bring a unique, premium juice product to the marketplace, similar to what Starbucks did 40 years ago with coffee. “Not only are we able... ...Read more »

Japanese soft drink company Asahi Beverages Australia Pty Ltd and Woolworths Supermarkets have announced an immediate recall of several home branded fruit juices over fears that they may contain metal shavings. The products in question are Woolworths’ Apple Time Juice Varieties with the following best before dates: Apple Time Apple (2 litre) 28/05/2012, Apple Time Apple Mango (2 litre) 28/05/2012, Apple Time Triple Berries (2 litre) 28/05/2012. These products have been recalled in Queensland... ...Read more »

National Foods’ juice line Berri will be required to change two of its flagship brands, Australian Fresh and The Daily Juice Company, after an ACCC investigation found the brand names might be misleading customers into believing the juice was 100% freshly-squeezed. Some Australian Fresh juices contain a blend of fresh and cold stored juice, depending on seasonal availability, with only the Australian Fresh apple juice being 100% freshly squeezed. Daily Juice Company juices contain a blend of... ...Read more »

An Australian juice, made with the assistance of the CSIRO, has claimed two awards at the prestigious Beverage Innovation Awards in Germany overnight. Preshafood Ltd, formerly Donny Boy Fresh Food Company, received the accolade for “Best new juice or juice drink” plus the overall prize of “Best new concept” across all 24 categories. They were also a finalist in the “Best newcomer brand or business” category. Their juice products were created with innovative technology... ...Read more »

The ever lucrative seniors market is growing, presenting food and beverage marketers with a major opportunity. Access to significant liquid capital ensures seniors are likely to ‘upgrade’ and choose premium products, according to research group Datamonitor, particularly amongst ‘empty nesters’ who have no dependent children to support. And, in the non-alcoholic drinks sector, this means opportunities for bottled water, functional products and fruit juice. Consumers over the... ...Read more »

Technology developed by Food Science Australia (FSA) to improve the way fruit juices and other food products are pasteurised, is being used commercially in a new Melbourne food processing facility opened this morning. The Director of FSA’s Innovative Foods Centre (IFC), Dr Kees Versteeg, reported that the technology developed by the IFC – called High Pressure Processing (HPP) – uses pressures of about 6000 times the average air pressure at sea level to pasteurise food products. “The... ...Read more »

Straight fruit juice sold in supermarkets can be just as healthy than those which make health claims based on added extras such as herbal supplements or antioxidants, according to a report by consumer group Choice.Choice found juice promoting the likes of aloe vera, echinacea, ginkgo, ginseng, spirulina, barleygrass and wheatgrass did not contain enough of these extracts to be of any significant health benefit. Many of the products, which go by names such as Kickstart, Energy Lift and Green Recovery,... ...Read more »

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) – an independent government agency responsible for setting food regulations – today invited public comment on a request to approve the use of phytosterols, derived from vegetable oils, in fruit juice and fruit juice drinks. Phytosterols (also known as plant sterols) are classified as a ‘novel food’ for food regulation purposes, which means that they are not a traditional part of the Australian and New Zealand diet and they have not... ...Read more »

Although brands account for the majority of volume with most types, private label permeates virtually every beverage category in the United States. Private label beverages, also known as store or home brands, can now be found in the largest and the smallest of beverage categories. Although carbonated soft drinks remain popular, as the market has evolved and consumer tastes have shifted, retailers in private label have moved into more non-carbonated products, like bottled water and fruit beverages,... ...Read more »