Both Australia and New Zealand have built a “strong self-contained” soft drinks industry, with specific product, brand and packaging preferences, according to research from global beverage market research organisation Canadean. Energy drinks in particular are a growing sector in Australia and New Zealand. Canadean said that energy drinks volumes have more than quadrupled across Australia and New Zealand in the past ten years, and continue to expand, albeit it at a lesser rate. According to Canadean,... ...Read more »

A new low sugar flavoured water range for children, called Water Buddies, will be available in Australian supermarkets in May 2013. The beverages, which are produced by New Zealand food manufacturer MMC Tradelink Ltd, will be available in Woolworths stores and New Zealand Natural Ice Cream stores. The expansion into the Australian market will be in part managed by Australian food marketing and distribution company Menora Foods, which said it expected the drinks would also soon be available in IGA... ...Read more »

Global soft drink company Coca-Cola has said it will work to make its beverages lower-calorie, and make nutrition information more widely available on its products globally. The US-based Company already has diet drinks available in most markets around the world, but they are not always as readily available in emerging markets such as China. Coca-Cola said the goal is to have diet options available wherever regular versions are sold, and to have cans and bottles of its soft drinks display nutrition... ...Read more »

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it will investigate the safety of caffeine in food products, particularly its effects on children and adolescents. The investigation is a response by the food safety authority to a growing trend in the US for caffeine-added food products, and the announcement came just weeks after confectionary company Wrigley’s began promoting a new chewing gum that contains caffeine. Launching the new caffeine-added gum, Alert Energy Caffeine Gum, in... ...Read more »

Sales of bottled water will overtake carbonates as the leading global soft drinks category in the next two years, according to data from beverage market research company Canadean. Canadean said the global trend toward bottled water is being bolstered by its healthy image, as well as necessity in areas of the world that are lacking alternative safe water supplies. Asia The main driver behind the category re-positioning is coming from Asia, according to Canadean. Volume sales in Asia are predicted... ...Read more »

US Healthy Beverage Expo, which will run in Las Vegas 7-9 June 2013, is predicting that “functional beverages, better sweeteners, healthy alcohol, drinks for the under-18 set, gastronomically seasoned beverages, better tasting and healthy ready-to-drink coffees, and simple lemonade drinks” are key trends emerging in 2013 and 2014. The Healthy Beverage Expo is sponsored the Martin Bauer Group, ChromaDex, McLean Design, Stepan Lipid Nutrition, Resource Natural Spring Water, Beverage World and Supermarket... ...Read more »

A new trend for ‘mid-calorie’ products has appeared in the global carbonated drinks market, according to market research organisation Innova Market Insights. The new products, which Innova Market Insights said are “positioned as a halfway house between the taste of full-sugar products and the health benefits of sugar-free options”, are being trialled by Pepsi-Co, Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper Snapple as a way of renewing interest in the carbonated drinks market, which is considered a “mature... ...Read more »

The global market for soft drinks is now worth $469 billion, with consumers spending more than ever on bottled refreshment, according to research released by market research company RTS Research in July 2012. A trend towards consumers preferring bottled water and energy drinks over soft drinks is seeing a gradual decline in the popularity of carbonated drinks. Along an awareness of health and wellbeing fuelling the growth of energy drinks, consumer trends also show that mood, energy and new flavour... ...Read more »

An international group of public health academics has collaborated in research finding that provocatively describes the role of big companies in low- to middle-income (LMIC) countries as a “manufacturing epidemic”. The article, commissioned by peer-reviewed online publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS) for their ‘Big Food’ series, was published yesterday in the PLoS Medicine Journal. The research suggests that low and middle-income countries are being “targeted” by large processed-food... ...Read more »

New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last Friday (1 June 2012) an unprecedented proposal to ban on large-sized soft drinks in New York restaurants and cinemas. The ban on soft drinks in excess of 500mL (both carbonated and uncarbonated) would see businesses that violate the rule facing fines of $200 per failed inspection. Mayor Bloomberg says he is targeting New York City’s “sky-rocketing” obesity levels. However, opponents of the measure claim it is the act of a “nanny state”,... ...Read more »