UK bottled water sales are experiencing the fastest growth in Europe due to health associations.

Sales of bottled water in the UK have increased at the fastest rate in Europe over the past five years. The association between drinking plenty of water and a healthy lifestyle is driving demand as consumers choose it over other soft drinks because it does not contain calories, caffeine, or artificial colours. However, environmental concerns may hinder growth going forward.

Continue reading “Bottled Water: Despite Environmental Concern- Sales Boosted by Health-Conscious Consumers” »

Tory leader, David Cameron, claimed yesterday that obese people only have themselves to blame. He argued that social problems were often the the consequence of individuals’ choices. Meanwhile, UK obesity statistics say around 10% of UK children are now diagnosed as overweight, and between 2 and 3 % as obese. Doctors are struggling to see what can be done to shift an entire generation’s eating habits. So, if obesity is not a disease, would it help to ban marketing of food towards kids?

Continue reading “Is Being Obese Your Own Fault or is Society to Blame?” »

Coca-Cola is set to launch a range of coffee energy drinks under the Full Throttle energy drinks brand in the US in August 2008. The drinks are said to combine the taste of coffee with the intensity of an energy drink, representing another example of how manufacturers are maximising the appeal of energy drinks by combining energy-boosting ingredients with hedonistic flavours.

Continue reading “Coca-Cola Launches Energy Drink Especially Targeted at Urban Males” »

As highlighted in a recent report, The Fairtrade mark, once only visible in independent grocery shops or on the odd shelf in the supermarket, has come a long way since the launch of the Max Havelaar Fairtrade Certification Mark in the Netherlands in 1988. Worldwide consumers spent over 2.3 billion euros on Fairtrade certified products in 2007, representing a 47% increase on the previous year. This means that over 1.5 million producers and workers in 58 developing countries now benefit from Fairtrade sales.

Continue reading “Interest in Fairtrade Products Soar as the Concept Matures Worldwide” »

French wine and spirit producer Pernod Ricard has announced its acquisition of V&S Vin & Sprit AB from the Swedish government. The acquisition, which has occurred after months of speculation over the future of V&S, will see Pernod Ricard take control of the Absolut vodka brand. The purchase is indicative of the growing popularity of premium positioned vodkas in the European market.

Pernod Ricard’s $9.4 million purchase of V&S has seen the French producer take control of Absolut vodka, the world’s fourth largest international spirit brand. Continue reading “Pernod Ricard: tapping into European premium vodka market” »

Being Swedish I have never really understood the bottled water industry (if you order water in Sweden expect tap water.) Anyway, I just cannot see the purpose of paying for water, not least in a restaurant where they charge you double the price (actually 1000 times the price of tap water!) But it seems as if ordering tap water in the UK is a sign of being cheap; so many times have I experienced the the waiter’s raised eyebrows…

Continue reading “Is Tap Water the New Bottled Water?” »

So we’ve already heard about fat-free, low fat and sugar-free. However a new report shows that in the U.S. energy drinks, cereals and snack bars should include soy in order to boost our health. Is it yet another trap to fool the consumer, or is soy as healthy as the study suggests?

During the past decade, consumer awareness of soy as a healthy food has increased from 67% in 1998 to 85 percent in 2007, according to figures from the United Soybean Board’s 14th Annual National Report (2007).

Continue reading “Is Soy the ‘New’ Fat-free?” »

What is (really) old is new again as the latest craze sweeping the food industry worldwide is ancient grains. Packaged food and beverage markets are seeing a growing influx of new products featuring grains that were favoured by civilizations thousands of years ago.

According to a new report, some 515 new food and beverage products were introduced worldwide in 2007 featuring ancient grains like quinoa, spelt, kamut, amaranth and chia. This represents a doubling of the 257 new products featuring these grains in 2005 and a nearly five-fold increase over the 112 new products that used these grains in 2004.
Continue reading “Ancient Grains Make a Come-back” »

While Australia’s woes have attracted most media attention, all the wine-producing countries of the Southern Hemisphere face challenges in the year ahead. According to a recent report, wine production in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Chile in a marked state of flux.

Epitomising the “feast or famine” nature which sometimes besets agricultural commodities, 2008 sees Australia move from its much-publicised grape glut to a state of balance. However, that balance will not last long, the report warns. Having seen the last harvest hit by the country’s severe drought, further small harvests in 2008, 2009 and possibly beyond will leave the industry facing a serious shortage of grapes and struggling to meet global demand for its wines.

Continue reading “Challenges ahead for Southern Hemisphere wine producers” »

Consumers seem to be very easily fooled. As soon as “reduced-fat” appears on a product they seem to fly off the supermarket shelves. In fact: it doesn’t mean you’re being healthy- instead it means increased carbohydrates, and in worse cases- fat-free means increased sugar and chemicals.

But this doesn’t stop consumers. A new report shows that, in 2007, sales of healthier-eating biscuits, including reduced-fat and reduced-calorie options and cereal bars, overtook sales of chocolate biscuit bars to represent the largest subsector of the biscuits sector.

Continue reading “Consumers Choose Healthier Snacks in Favour of Biscuits and Cakes” »