Beverages

Bans melt in Taiwanese plasticiser scandal

20-Feb-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Taiwanese food exports are finally free of all border controls in major target markets, with Malaysia being the latest to allow the former’s food products without plasticiser-free certification.

Red Bull moves to dismiss concerns over harmful additives in China

14-Feb-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Supermarket chains in China have stopped selling Red Bull products even as the company has moved to dismiss concerns that the drink may contain unauthorised additives.

Tate & Lyle: Monk fruit sweetener attracting most interest in dairy and beverages

07-Feb-2012 By Elaine Watson

Dairy and beverages are proving the most popular application areas for monk fruit sweetener Purefruit, says Tate & Lyle.

Australian wine giant acquires distributor for Chinese expansion

26-Jan-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Even as Chinese companies gobble up Australian food and beverage manufacturing interests, one Australian wine maker has reversed the tables by buying up a Chinese concern to expand its market.

Lucrative Chinese partnership for Australian winery

23-Jan-2012 By Kacey Culliney

A strong Chinese investment in the Australian wine company Ferngrove has enabled it to expand its premium bottled wine business and successfully enter and market to China, according to the firm’s managing director.

The year of the dragon: A fiery prospect for winemakers?

19-Jan-2012 By Kacey Culliney

International wine makers will reap the benefits of the Chinese New Year period where wine consumption will at least double, according to industry experts.

Tsingtao sets its sight on overseas market

17-Jan-2012 By Jennifer Phang

Tsingtao has pledged US$100 million to set up a brewery in Thailand, its first overseas facility to target a larger international customer base.

Malaysia will inspect orange juice imports for carbendazim

16-Jan-2012 By Ankush Chibber

Malaysia has sounded an alarm for orange juice imports into the country in the wake of the discovery of traces of a toxic contaminant in certain brands of juice imported from Brazil into the US.

Nestlé and Coke ice Indian tea JV

09-Jan-2012 By Ankush Chibber

After being put on the backburner in October last year, it appears that the joint venture between Nestlé and Coca-Cola for the ready-to-drink (RTD) tea segment in India has been put permanently on ice.

New Zealand can triple exports over next 15 years: Report

09-Jan-2012 By Kacey Culliney

New Zealand’s food and beverage sector does have the growth potential to reach government targets of tripling exports over the next 15 years, with opportunities in processed foods and beverages, according to report.

Swiss flavour house builds Southeast Asian presence

09-Jan-2012 By Kacey Culliney

Swiss flavour and fragrance giant, Firmenich, will be able to better serve Southeast Asia’s market as it will be closer to clients and consumers with its new flavour production facility in Indonesia, according to the company.

Indian Tea industry set to boom, says study

02-Jan-2012 By Ankush Chibber

The Indian tea industry – the world’s biggest – Is set to almost double in just three years – leaping from US$3.7bn to US$6.3bn by 2015 as health benefit awareness rises, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

India ponders sugar deregulation in 2012

22-Dec-2011 By Ankush Chibber

The Indian Ministry of Food is in discussions with state governments and associated ministries to remove controls over the country’s sugar industry in the new year.

NBTY nutraceutical brands target India’s young and rich

22-Dec-2011 By Ankush Chibber

Rising incomes among an increasingly aware ‘youth’ segment in India is what My Nutrition Supplements (MNS) is banking on for sales of its newly launched bars and ready-to-drink (RTD) beverages.

Coke sees fizz in Indian non-fizzy drinks market

21-Dec-2011 By Ankush Chibber

Coca-Cola India has set up a division to innovate, sell and distribute juices, energy and powder drinks in order to garner a higher share of the growing non-fizzy drinks market in India.

Indian state brings the ‘death penalty’ hammer down on illicit liquor

20-Dec-2011 By Ankush Chibber

The western state of Gujarat has passed one of the most stringent laws in India against illicit liquor, as the death toll from consumption of the toxic ‘hooch’ in the eastern state of West Bengal reaches 170.

Growth opportunity in Japan’s alcohol-free beverage sector

13-Dec-2011 By Kacey Culliney

Japan’s alcoholic beverage market is shrinking and sluggish according to a Datamonitor report, but analysts have noted opportunity in the growing alcohol-free sector due to consumer focus on drink driving laws.

Emulsifier approved for Indonesian flavour applications

12-Dec-2011 By Kacey Culliney

Singapore-based ingredients technology company, Compass Foods, has announced the legal approval of its emulsifier for use in flavour applications in the Indonesian market.

Coca Cola drinks deemed safe after fatal poisoning

08-Dec-2011 By Jennifer Phang

Coca Cola China has declared its products safe following one death and three other serious incidences of poisoning connected to the consumption of its strawberry flavoured Minute Maid milk drink.

Chinese functional beverage market growing by 29%

01-Dec-2011 By Jennifer Phang

Impressive growth in the Chinese functional beverage market looks set to continue as some national experts predict China to become the largest functional beverage market in 2012.

Organic and health beverages help Nutrastar to record revenues

29-Nov-2011 By Jennifer Phang

Health products, such as cordyceps and functional beverages have helped Nutrastar International Inc gain record revenues despite the current global financial turmoil.

Wine certification scheme helps Hong Kong secure status as wine hub

28-Nov-2011 By Jennifer Phang

Efforts to boost Hong Kong’s reputation as a premier wine hub in Asia are paying off with a quality certification programme bearing fruit, said the organisation behind the scheme.

China is now 2nd largest tea exporter in the world

25-Nov-2011 By Jennifer Phang

The China tea market continues to heat up, with production and consumption going up rapidly.

Wine company slams Australian retailers over private label tactics

17-Nov-2011 By Ankush Chibber

An Australian winegrower has launched a scathing attack on supermarket chains in the country and their lean towards private label wines, which he says is squeezing the industry’s profits.

PepsiCo brings back the veterans

24-Oct-2011 By Ankush Chibber

Six years after it abandoned them, PepsiCo has announced the relaunch of its flavoured colas in the Mumbai market, with an inclination to expand the launch to the rest of India has well.

Strategy needed to tap into Japan’s sluggish and shrinking alcoholic beverage market

24-Oct-2011 By Kacey Culliney

Drinks manufacturers need to be strategic to succeed in the struggling Japanese market, paying attention to the trend for gourmet and healthier beverages and the younger generation’s preferences, according to an industry report.

Nestlé, Coca Cola put Nestea rollout on hold

21-Oct-2011 By Ankush Chibber

Plans for a nationwide rollout of Nestea, a ready-to-drink (RTD) iced tea, have been put on hold by the Indian units of Coca Cola and Nestlé.

Solae finds a small but growing market for bars and beverages in India

11-Oct-2011 By Ankush Chibber

The market for protein bars and ready-to-drink beverages in India is still too small to be financially significant, but it is expected to grow gradually over the next decade, claims Solae.

Blowfill investment sees CCA slash Australian PET use

11-Oct-2011

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has opened two new blowfill lines costing AUS $35m at its Australian bottling facility in Adelaide, in a move that it said would significantly reduce its use of PET resin and energy.

GLG seeks damages from bottler after ‘substandard’ product losses

07-Oct-2011 By Ben Bouckley

GLG Life Tech Corporation (GLG) claims it has made a ‘strong impact’ on the ready-to-drink (RTD) tea market in China, despite serious production issues in the third quarter of 2011 and warmer weather that hit consumer demand.

Sri Lanka could be a new South Asia hub for food manufacturers

04-Oct-2011 By Ankush Chibber

The island nation of Sri Lanka could potentially be a new, inexpensive hub for food manufacturing companies wanting to tap the booming Indian food market, especially its southern parts.

‘Parallel imports’ could trip Kiwi food companies

04-Oct-2011 By Ankush Chibber

Kiwi food processors are up against a new menace in the practice of “parallel imports,” in which local retailers are importing cheaper overseas versions of locally made food products.

Coffee production market in India yet to be tapped: Bühler

03-Oct-2011 By Kacey Culliney

Bühler has opened a new coffee technology centre near Bangalore in light of India’s increasing coffee consumption, the company said.

Australian wine giants call for tax changes

28-Sep-2011 By Kacey Culliney

Australia’s Premium Wine Brands and Treasury Wine Estates call on the government to reform the current value-based levies and abolish the wine equalisation tax (WET), as the country’s tax summit looms on the horizon.

Chinese jittery about beverage safety

27-Sep-2011 By Ankush Chibber

A survey conducted by an online polling site in China has revealed that only one in five Chinese consumers trust the quality of bottled beverages.

Rexam highlights ‘medical concerns’ of high caffeine soft drinks

22-Sep-2011 By Ben Bouckley

Sales of energy drinks are booming, but a new report from Rexam also highlights growing concerns about high caffeine soft drink use amongst young people, especially in the developing world.

Red wine for ‘joy and strength’ in China: Analyst

19-Sep-2011 By Kacey Culliney

International wine manufacturers should look to cultural preferences for niche and premium red wines to be successful in China, according to an industry analyst.

Premium Ingredients cuts casein with new pizza products

16-Sep-2011 By Ben Bouckley

Spanish ingredients company Premium Ingredients is poised to launch two new pizza topping ingredients targeted at cutting casein levels to reduce end product cost.

Online shopping made smarter

12-Sep-2011 By Kacey Culliney

Online shopping company yihaodian.com has launched a collection of virtual supermarkets for mobile users throughout Shanghai’s metro system, with researchers claiming the development could offer NPD potential for food and drink brand owners.

PepsiCo agrees to sell stake in $548m Thai soft drinks firm

12-Sep-2011 By Ben Bouckley

PepsiCo has agreed to sell its majority 41.5 per cent stake in Thai soft drinks and bottling firm Serm Suk (SSC), after ThaiBev (THBEV) announced plans to acquire the latter for $548m last week.

Australian takeover panel rejects SABMiller Foster’s complaint

08-Sep-2011 By Ben Bouckley

The Australian Takeovers Panel has rejected SABMiller’s claim that Foster’s published “misleading and deceptive” information in its financial results last week.

Look to Indonesia for opportunities during Ramadan, says Nielsen

31-Aug-2011 By Kacey Culliney

Indonesian consumers are driven to spend more on food and beverages during Ramadan, bringing opportunities for manufacturers, according to a new Nielsen study.

Crown invests in China to keep up with ‘rapid’ growth

30-Aug-2011 By Helen Glaberson

Global packaging giant Crown is responding to “rapid” growth in China by building two new beverage can plants in the region.

Australian food manufacturers close factories amid external pressures

29-Aug-2011 By Ankush Chibber

Two major food manufacturers in Australia have shut down factories under external pressures including the rise of the Australian dollar, high cost of raw materials, supermarket price wars and government policies.

Diageo profits boosted by emerging market growth

25-Aug-2011 By Helen Glaberson

Spirits giant Diageo posted a 17 per cent rise in annual revenue, fuelled by strong growth in emerging markets such as Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Indian fruit drink maker attracts investment

25-Aug-2011 By Ankush Chibber

An Indian beverage maker has attracted funding of US$10m from a major private equity player, which says India's fruit drink market is on the rise.

Alcohol may get health labels in Australia

25-Aug-2011 By Ankush Chibber

Consumer groups have urged the Australian government to make alcohol health warning labels on liquor beverages mandatory to help reduce the harm caused by alcohol.

Fosters to return A$500m to shareholders

23-Aug-2011

Fosters intends to return at least A$500m to its shareholders, as the company tries to fend off the hostile offer SABMiller (SAB) made last week.

$4bn Chinese investment is just the beginning, says Coca-Cola

23-Aug-2011 By Helen Glaberson

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is investing $4bn (€2.8) in China in a bid to double revenues in the region by 2020.

Australia’s RFG signs deal for NZ coffee facility

19-Aug-2011 By Ankush Chibber

Australia-based Retail Food Group (RFG) will acquire the assets of New Zealand-based Evolution Coffee Roasters Group (ECRG) in a deal the latter expects will bolster its existing portfolio of products in the region.