Diageo export success tough act to follow for UK firms

09-Feb-2012 - Smirnoff manufacturer Diageo’s recent export success will be a tough act to follow for UK firms, according to city analysts, after the drinks giant revealed that 40% of its sales now come from emerging markets.

Fizzy drinks and chocolate: a £196M hit with consumers

06-Feb-2012 - Canned cola, canned sports drinks and chocolate confectionery are the fastest growing grocery categories, worth an addition £196M in sales last year compared with 2010, said market research firm SymphonyIRI Group.

How to analyse arsenic in apple juice

30-Jan-2012 - Analytical equipment has been developed for detecting arsenic contamination in apple juice. This coincides with recent consumer concern about elevated levels of arsenic found in juices in the US.

New partners in bio-based bottles

30-Jan-2012 - By Paul GanderCoca-Cola is partnering Dutch- based technology firm Avantium in the production of bottles made from an, as yet, uncommercialised bio-based polyester.

Nestlé to close 'high value' Hayes coffee plant by 2014

30-Jan-2012 - Nestlé's decision to close its Hayes coffee plant by 2014 and transfer production to Tutbury in Derbyshire, follows hot on the heels of news that it planned to close its HQ in Croydon and move to Gatwick by the end of 2012.

News in brief

Pepsi’s fizzy growth boosts Britvic results

25-Jan-2012 - A strong performance from its UK carbonates division, lead by “substantial” Pepsi share gain, has boosted revenues at soft drinks manufacturer Britvic for the all-important Christmas period, according to city analysts.

Nestlé's £200M restructure of UK coffee factories

16-Jan-2012 - Nestlé UK today unveiled proposals for a further £200M extension to its Nescafé factory in Tutbury, Derbyshire.

Union 'disgusted' by job cuts at Tradeteam plant

13-Jan-2012 - Drink distributor Tradeteam's decision to cut 128 jobs at its Hams Hall, Warwickshire plant has left employees “disgusted”, according to Unite the union.

General Mills launches new global innovation technology

09-Jan-2012 - General Mills has expanded its worldwide open innovation programme with the launch of new technologies to allow it to collaborate with external organisations that can help it to market its product range online.

News in brief

Nichols brands outperform soft drinks market

06-Jan-2012 - Soft drinks supplier Nichols reported sales up 18% in 2011 compared with 2010, adding that its brands, which include Vimto, had outperformed UK soft drinks as a whole.

Food industry confident of meeting Olympic challenge

06-Jan-2012 - Food and drink manufacturers are predicting that the London 2012 Olympics will give the industry a big boost – provided effective plans are put in place.

Soft drink firms deny ‘dodgy’ marketing claims

03-Jan-2012 - The British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) has rejected the Children’s Food Campaign’s (CFC) decision to include it in a report of firms that allegedly made the “dodgiest” junk food claims of 2011.

Courtauld waste targets 'realistic'

01-Jan-2012 - The limited reduction in supply chain product and packaging waste in the latest phase of the Courtauld Commitment is due to its relative recent introduction as a target, said the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Fat-busting liquorice extract gets regulatory status

01-Jan-2012 - The European Commission has granted Kaneka's liquorice extract novel food status.

Tesco’s Christmas surge defies flat beer sales

23-Dec-2011 - The UK’s biggest off licence, Tesco, has sold a record 500,000 bottles of ale in the past two days, the largest amount it has ever sold just before Christmas, despite a recent Mintel report revealing a sharp decline in beer sales over the past five years.

Cold pasteurisation gains in popularity

19-Dec-2011 - High Pressure Processing (HPP), the technique for cold pasteurisation using pressure to sterilise, is becoming more popular with both food and drink manufacturers and consumers, according to industry experts.

Polar beer for the adventurous

05-Dec-2011 - Norwegian beverage company Mack has chosen Rexam Beverage Can Europe to create a novel polar bear cut-out tab for its newly designed Arctic Beer series.

Judges' Special Award

05-Dec-2011 - Sponsored by: Zurich While the category winners are chosen for excellence across a range of criteria, the Judges' Special Award rewards the entrant that demonstrates outstanding achievement in one particular area of activity.

Beverage Manufacturing Company of the Year

05-Dec-2011 - Sponsored by: Foodmanjob Shortlisted: Fruitapeel and Kraft Foods

Market spreads bets to offset apple juice jitters

05-Dec-2011 - Volatile apple concentrate prices are forcing diversification and consolidation, despite the current buoyancy in the market, according to juice base processor David Berryman.

Vitamin cocktail joins war on bugs

05-Dec-2011 - Growing interest in vitamin fortified, immune-boosting products have led to the creation of a new water crammed with healthy ingredients to safeguard consumers in the war against bugs.

Feature

Can do man

05-Dec-2011 - We serve the whole of Great Britain from here and will be looking at a significant uplift in our volume more than 20% to 51M cases next year. It will be the first time our output will have been above 50M cases. The plant will have the capability to produce 75M cases by 2014.

Food firms look to sensory claims

05-Dec-2011 - Frustrated food and drink manufacturers are considering sensory claims in preference to health claims; few of which have been approved by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Brewer unveils business park for food manufacturers

05-Dec-2011 - A new brewery development in Leicester could also create facilities for small food and drinks producers.