Beverages

News in brief

Britvic’s job cut plan ‘a bitter blow’: union

23-May-2013 - Soft drinks firm Britvic’s plan to cut hundreds of with jobs – with the closure of two factories and a warehouse – has been slammed by Unite the union as “a bitter blow” to the workforce and the local economy.

Britvic to close two factories and warehouse as profits soar

22-May-2013 - Soft drinks firm Britvic is to close two factories and a warehouse, placing up to 400 jobs in jeopardy, in a bid to slash costs by £30M by 2016.

Guest article

Top tips on crisis management in the food industry

16-May-2013 - Do you remember when sales of Perrier Water were hit in 1990 by traces of carcinogenic benzene found in the bottles? The company had to withdraw 160M bottles worldwide at a cost of £150M and saw sales tumble for four years. Or when Heinz had to withdraw baby food worth an estimated £30M? Plus we can only speculate what the full financial impact of the horsemeat crisis will be. So how can you protect your food and drink business?

UK’s first dedicated beverage carton recycling plant to open

13-May-2013 - Half of UK local authorities now offer kerbside recycling of beverage cartons – a 12-fold increase from 2006, new figures reveal.

News in brief

Fine wine market to grow 22% by 2014

10-May-2013 - The fine wine market will grow 22% by Christmas 2014, according to Premier Cru Fine Wine Investments.

Soft drinks industry value rises 3.3% to £15bn

08-May-2013 - The value of the soft drinks industry rose by 3.3% to nearly £15bn last year, according to a new report published by the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) today (May 8).

Diageo boss to step down after 13 years

07-May-2013 - The boss of Guinness and Johnnie Walker whisky maker Diageo is to step down after 13 years at the helm, in what City analyst Investec described as “a well-flagged transition”.

Siemens’ food manufacturing to remain core focus

07-May-2013 - The food and beverage manufacturing sector will continue to be a core focus for German engineering giant Siemens, as news emerged that it planned to exit its water treatment solutions business.

Scotch whisky group appeals against minimum alcohol price ruling

07-May-2013 - The Scotch Whisky Association’s (SWA’s) legal challenge to Scottish government plans to set a minimum price for alcoholic drink has failed and the “disappointed” organisation will appeal against the judge’s decision.

News in brief

Diageo goes green with £65M bio-energy plant

01-May-2013 - Drinks manufacturer Diageo has ploughed £65M into a bio-energy plant at its Cameronbridge distillery – the largest grain distillery in Scotland.

UK coffee sales boost Nestlé's results

30-Apr-2013 - UK coffee sales have proved one of the few highlights for food giant Nestlé in its first quarter (Q1) results for 2013, which failed to meet analysts' expectations.

Energy drinks and health risks

30-Apr-2013 - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published results into consumption of energy drinks  ̶  the findings of which will be a key component of the organisation's forthcoming ruling on the health risks associated with caffeine.

News in brief

GlaxoSmithKline to sell Lucozade and Ribena brands

26-Apr-2013 - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced it is to sell its soft drink brands Lucozade and Ribena, in a bid to improve its strategic focus and enhance its growth profile.

News in brief

Coca-Cola plan to axe nearly 300 jobs is ‘devastating blow’

24-Apr-2013 - Unite the union has slammed Coca-Cola Enterprises’ (CCE’s) plan to cut nearly 300 jobs as “a devastating blow”.

Carling workers in ‘high-speed collision’ over ‘severe pay cuts’: Unite

15-Apr-2013 - A representative of the union Unite has warned that Carling management faces an impending “high-speed collision” with brewery workers over the “very severe pay cuts” and “radical changes to shift patterns” it has proposed at its site in Burton-on-Trent.

Call for a tax on unsustainable food: Food Ethics Council

08-Apr-2013 - Taxes should be levied on “unsustainable foods” as well as those that are deemed to be unhealthy, claims the new executive director of the Food Ethics Council.

Isotonics encourage heart rate recovery

02-Apr-2013 - New research shows that consuming isotonic drinks during exercise does not significantly influence heart rate variability (HRV) during exercise - but it does promote faster recovery afterwards.

Rexam's new Finland plant to put energy in cans

02-Apr-2013 - Rexam Beverage Can will produce cans for Finland's original energy drink brand Battery at its new plant at Mäntsälä in Finland.

Printer upgrade cuts downtime

02-Apr-2013 - The brewer of the Bombardier, McEwan's, Estrella Damm and Kirin Ichiban brands says the installation of five new Domino A-series A420i and two new A300+ Opaque continuous ink jet printers has almost paid for itself after a year.

Modern technology takes on heritage beer bottles

02-Apr-2013 - The distinct heritage feel to Edwin Holden's Bottling Company is deceptive as it recently invested in a Kawasaki Robotics palletising robot for its processing line.

Team spirit wins sales in China

02-Apr-2013 - German machinery manufacturer Krones has reported winning sales of its technology for handling mineral water, soft drinks, milk, beer and edible oil. It sold more than 500 systems featuring a Contiform Bloc and an ErgoBloc L to the beverage industry by the end of 2012. Most of the Contiform monoblocs delivered so far are currently operating in China.

Whisky packaging firm told to pay £219k for severed fingers

22-Mar-2013 - The packaging firm Smurfit Kappa has been ordered to pay £219,000, after a worker lost four fingers and severed parts of two others in an accident with a whisky packaging machine at its Whitehaven factory, Cumbria on September 14 2010.

Diageo to cut 80 jobs in Scotland

22-Mar-2013 - Diageo is planning to “take 80 roles out of the business” as it restructures its management operations in in Scotland.

AG Barr profit growth to be ‘slower than expected’: City

22-Mar-2013 - Leading City analyst Panmure Gordon has reduced its profit growth forecast for AG Barr, after the Irn Bru manufacturer posted results for the year ended January 26.