Enjoy chips, but find those free wooden chip forks just too down-market? Well here’s the answer – the diamond solitaire chip fork.

It’s crazy cutlery week here at FoodBev Media. Hot on the heals of yesterday’s dumbell cutlery story, we now bring you news of the diamond solitaire chip fork – a silver plated fork finished with a solitaire pavé set diamond, which can be engraved with a personal message.

This culinary gem comes from FooFitch, the recently launched luxury dining brand created by Hatton Garden’s leading contemporary jeweller Nicholas James and Digi Foo-Kune, MD of creative agency, Wonderberry.

Digi Berry, founder of FooFitch explained the inspiration behind the fork: “Having grown up in the deepest, darkest, ‘fish & chip’ territory of 1970s Yorkshire I am a fanatical chip lover! There’s a lot of snobbery attached to food, which I think sadly misses the point. At the end of the day fish and chips are guilty pleasure that’s all about indulgence and satisfaction. What better Valentine’s gift can there be?”

The FooFitch diamond chip fork retails at only £495 and is available from Harrods, Nicholas James and Rhodes 24.

Arla Foods has started to build its £150m fresh milk dairy in Aylesbury (UK).

Once completed, the dairy will process and pack up to one billion litres of milk per year. The project is being 100% funded by Arla and will provide a £20m annual wages bill.

It will also create 700 new jobs and up to 1,000 construction jobs over the next 18 months, according to Arla Foods.

Peter Lauritzen, CEO of Arla Foods UK, said: “We are delighted to be underway with the development of this new dairy. We have ambitions for it to be the world’s first zero carbon fresh milk dairy, which will help Arla achieve its growth ambitions in the UK. The new facility will create a platform for the company to grow its fresh milk business, allowing us to deliver our UK growth strategy.”

Source: Arla Foods

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A soup crowned the Best in Britain is launching at Waitrose so everyone can easily taste the winning recipe.

The chicken, chorizo and paprika soup beat more than a thousand other entries to scoop the top prize in the Britain’s Best Soup contest on ITV1's Lorraine.

Mother-of-two Karen Tanner, 59, first created the winning dish to tempt her son and daughter with when they were younger. The soup is launching at Waitrose as part of Karen’s prize, making it accessible to soup-lovers nationwide (UK).

Karen’s prize also included a Waitrose hamper worth £150 plus John Lewis Partnership vouchers worth £1,000.

Source: Waitrose

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Diet Pepsi returns to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to provide a runway show experience.

In partnership with fashion commentator Simon Doonan, Diet Pepsi will give four up-and-coming designers the opportunity to showcase their collections at the ‘Diet Pepsi Style Studio’ fashion show on February 9.

Curated by Simon Doonan and presented on a set designed by Jonathan Adler, each designer will bring their unique hometown perspective to three themed looks. The themes, reflecting key style trends, include fierce safari prints, workwear and metallic finishes inspired by the refreshing Diet Pepsi can.

Amy Wirtanen, senior marketing director, Pepsi Beverages Company, said: “We’re excited to be partnering with regional designers who can bring their hometown perspective to the cutting-edge fashion of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. We hope that by translating high-end trends, we are opening the doors of the industry’s premiere event, and making style accessible to all women.”

Source: PepsiCo

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In a new global study from UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a company specialising in advancing safety, food manufacturers identified product safety as a top business priority, but the majority of consumers believe food manufacturers can do even better to earn their confidence.

The new study, Navigating the Product Mindset, explores the connections and contradictions between perceptions of consumers and food manufacturers on issues of safety, innovation, performance and sustainability.

Global perceptions were collected from consumers and manufacturers in China, India, Germany, and the US across industries in high tech, food, building materials and household chemicals. In addition to the study, UL has created industry-specific reports for High Tech, Household Chemicals, Food and Building Materials.

Hank Lambert, general manager of UL's global food and water businesses, said: "Food manufacturers understand that product safety is imperative to the success of their business, but a significant opportunity remains to better demonstrate and communicate their commitment to boost consumer confidence. This research demonstrates the importance of moving existing food safety management to the next level."

Other key insights from the study include:

• Food manufacturers express confidence in their performance related to product safety, innovation, sustainability and reliability, but consumers feel food manufacturers can do a better job testing food products and fresh foods especially.
• Consumers' primary safety concerns for food products relate to contracting food borne illness, exposure to unsafe chemical additives and unsanitary conditions.
• Food manufacturers agree that consumers are becoming more empowered. They value positive consumer claims on product quality and safety more than government endorsements.
• Even though manufacturers say it is their job to communicate product safety information to consumers, the majority of consumers find it difficult to locate that information.
• Manufacturers are more likely to hold the manufacturers that assemble the final product accountable for safety, but consumers feel it is more important to know the country of origin for each of the individual ingredients that constitute a food product rather than where the finished product is assembled.

Source: UL

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Liquid Nutrition Group has confirmed a major franchise deal in Quebec which will more than double the number of Liquid Nutrition stores in the Province.

10 new retail locations are scheduled to open throughout Quebec beginning in the spring 2012.

Glenn Young, president, Liquid Nutrition Group, said: “This deal will see Liquid Nutrition expand from its roots in Montreal to the rest of the Province. Created in Montreal in 2005, Liquid Nutrition now has six franchises in Montreal and the deal announced today clearly shows the market for healthy and delicious nutrition is growing well beyond our original market."

Following the success in securing franchise partners in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Kingston, Liquid Nutrition Group announced a recent expansion in the Middle East and continues to expand across Canada and North America, according to the company.

Liquid Nutrition offers more than 25 different functional beverages prepared fresh for each customer.

Source: Liquid Nutrition

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McCormick is to open its first retail destination, McCormick World of Flavours, at the popular Harborplace (Baltimore) tourist attraction.

In a step to promote its global brand, the new locale will have interactive and educational displays to engage families. You will be able to determine your personal flavour profile or chart the origins of spices, among other activities, the company said.

Visitors will enjoy a cooking demonstration area where McCormick’s own chefs and celebrity chefs will display their culinary magic using McCormick flavours.

“McCormick World of Flavours is a milestone for McCormick,” president, chairman and CEO Alan Wilson said. “What better way to communicate what we do than to allow visitors to experience it personally. It will show visitors how McCormick brings great taste to their lives – every day. You can see how our business, rooted in the exploration of the New World, has its sights on the newest frontiers of flavour.”

The 3,800-plus sqft centre will showcase the extensive McCormick product range with sections focusing on cooking, baking and grilling. In addition to the many products displaying the McCormick brand, visitors will also see other McCormick brands like Grill Mates, Lawry’s, Zatarain’s and Old Bay.

There will be a wide range of gifts to purchase too. Unique gift packages, special cooking items and signature products will complete the visitors’ experience.

Source: McCormick

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RCapital, the turnaround specialist, has completed the restructuring of PTSR, the parent company of Little Chef.

In January, Little Chef confirmed plans to close a number of its sites that were trading. The move was part of a broader restructuring strategy that included a detailed review of the lease agreements on a number of sites.

Rents were set well above market levels and has been prompted by a deadlock in negotiations with a number of landlords.

RCapital remains the owner of the road side restaurant chain following a restructuring process which has now been completed. As a result of this move, Little Chef will continue to operate the 95 sites which it identified in January as being consistently profitable. There will be no further job losses or restaurant closures as a result.

Jamie Constable founder of RCapital, said: "Any restructuring of lease commitments is always a complex arena and needs a willingness of the landlord to negotiate. Although we have had some great support from some of our landlords, we have taken the business through a formal re-structuring process to complete the planned closures."

Graham Sims, chairman of Little Chef, said: "Today's announcement represents a final hurdle in long journey to complete our critical rebuilding process. We are profitable and cash generative and will continue to deliver first rate customer service to our customers. Little Chef is very much open for business."

Source: Little Chef

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The judging panel for the Beverage Innovation Functional Drinks Awards has been finalised and includes an expert panel of specialists from beverage industry and beyond.

Celebrating the spirit of innovation in the functional drinks industry since 1 January 2011, the Beverage Innovation Functional Drinks Awards celebrates excellence and creativity across the international beverage industry.

Entries close on 24 February and finalists and winners will be announced at a special gala dinner during the InnoBev Global Beverages Congress on 20 March 2012 in London, UK.

The judging panel

Kate Waddell – insight and innovation director, Dragon Rouge

Prof Dr Fred Brouns – professor of health food innovation at Maastricht University

Dean Bellefleur – independent packaging consultant

Ian Sterritt – innovation deployment specialist

Steve Galloway – independent management consultant

Sam Rowe – communications manager, UNESDA

Claire Phoenix – managing editor, Beverage Innovation

Rebecca Prescott – editor, Functional Food & Drink

Chairman of the judges – Bill Bruce, group editorial director, FoodBev Media.

See more information about the judges in this special gallery.

Drinks

• Best alertness drink
• Best beauty drink
• Best bone health drink
• Best children’s functional drink
• Best digestive health drink
• Best energy drink
• Best energy shot
• Best heart health drink
• Best immunity defence drink
• Best natural functional drink
• Best protein drink
• Best recovery drink
• Best relaxation drink
• Best sports/ fitness drink
• Best weight management drink
• Best wellness or relaxation shot

Packaging

• Best closure for functional drinks
• Best functional drink label
• Best packaging for functional drinks

Business

• Best established functional drink brand or business
• Best new functional drink brand or business

Marketing

• Best functional drink advertising campaign
• Best functional drink consumer campaign

Ingredients

• Best natural ingredient for functional drinks
• Best new functional ingredient concept

You can read more about each category here.

“The pace of change is so fast in the functional drinks arena and following the success of last year’s Beverage Innovation Functional Drinks Awards, we are looking forward to seeing what’s changed, which trends have translated into success in the marketplace and which niches have caught consumers’ imagination,” said FoodBev Media group editorial director Bill Bruce, who will chair the judging panel.

“It is the successful creation of more and more specific niche categories that makes this sector so intriguing, with major established producers seeing a genuine challenge from energetic entrepreneurs. Consumer understanding and acceptance of functional benefits keeps pace with scientific innovation through social media and smarter marketing. We are looking forward to revealing the finalists and winners at the InnoBev Global Beverages Congress in London in March. See you there.”

Enter the Beverage Innovation Functional Drinks Awards here

See more information about the judges in this special gallery.

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Frutarom has acquired Frutarom which is the company's frost acquisition in Brazil, and the eighth acquisition for Frutarom over the last 12 months

Ori Yehudai, president of Frutarom, said: "The acquisition of Mylner represents an important base which will strengthen and boost Frutarom's growth in the flavour solutions market in Latin America, and will further enhance its position as a leading global flavours manufacturer and supplier."

Frutarom Industries has signed an agreement for the acquisition of the Brazilian Mylner Indústria E Comércio, in return for approximately $US15.7m. Mylner, founded in 1974 by three partners with many years of experience and a well established reputation, develops, manufactures and markets flavour solutions, focusing mainly on sweet flavours for beverages and baked goods, and natural flavour products.

Mylner has a modern development, production and marketing site in the area of Sao Paulo, Brazil, including land for future expansion, and employs some 70 workers. Mylner's wide customer base includes food manufacturers mainly in Brazil, and in other developing countries in Latin America.

Frutarom considers this acquisition of Mylner to be an important strategic step and a significant first entry into the taste solutions market in the important and large Brazilian market and in Latin American markets, which strengthens its presence and market share in these high growth potential markets.

Source: Frutarom

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What are the two leading questions for the bottled water industry when discussing PET. In a series of interviews, Water Innovation magazine asks the experts.

Cees van Dongen, *Director Sustainable Packaging Solutions at* Coca-Cola Europe.

Question 1: Lightweighting and energy efficient production


There have been dozens of lightweighting initiatives in the past few years, dramatically reducing wall thickness and neck heights. In preform production and bottle blowing, huge energy savings have also been achieved. What's next? Can bottles really become any lighter - and can production become even more energy efficient? How do you see the future? Where will the next big breakthroughs come from?


Cees van Dongen At Coke, lightweighting of PET bottles has been a focus area for many years. More than half our volume is going to market in PET with a tendency to grow even further. Also all packaging combined is the single biggest contributor to our product and services carbon footprint. Therefore it makes sense both from a resource efficiency as well as from an economics perspective to look at weight reduction opportunities.

And we have been making progress in that field! Where a 50cl CSD bottle would easily weigh 30 grams only 7 or 8 years back, we’re now closer to 20 grams. Over the next 5 to 10 years this may even further decrease to 16 or 17 grams. In other words: progress yes, but not with the same pace as in the recent past.

There is a number of reasons behind this flattening out of the curve:

• Shelf life considerations We are getting closer to the point where further wall thickness reduction starts to impair product quality over the minimum required shelf life period. This by itself creates a limit for further weight reduction when we can go no further with stretch ratio increase and intrinsic properties of PET remain as they are today

• Customer and consumer acceptance Flimsiness of bottles appear to be of importance and concern to consumers and customers when handling thin-walled bottles thus creating a barrier towards further lightweighting

• Design considerations Obviously one could think of using scavengers or barriers to decrease gas permeability but we are very aware of the potentially negative effects such materials may have on the the recycling of post-consumer bottles. It is for that reason that Coke has welcomed and in fact has pushed internally and externally the universal use of design for recycling guidelines. These guidelines, created under the auspices of the European PET Bottle Platform have received wide recognition

• Use of recycled content Experience over the past 15 years in dealing with recycled content has shown us that the behaviour of recycled material in preforms and blown bottles is not exactly similar to virgin material. Bottle defects due to holes and delamination as well as colour effects are more commonplace with recycled content as without it in particular it seems when making use of preform designs with high stretch ratios.. As many brand owners do insist on having recycled material in their bottles, finding a good balance or sweet spot between design, bottle weight and level of recycled content is of more relevance than plain lightweighting.

So what is next? No ground breaking stuff around lightweighting for PET bottles over and above the incremental resource efficiency improvements that are still possible. When anything spectacular happens, it will be through the introduction of alternative materials, such as PEF which is claimed to have much better barrier properties than PET.

Question 2: Recycled PET


Many brand owners are pushing for greater and greater proportions of recycled PET (rPET) in their bottles while others are choosing to move over to plant-based PET. What challenges are faced using these new polymers and where do you see the future for rPET? What more can brand owners do to better engage with consumers so that they better understand their role in the recycling loop?


Cees van Dongen Coke believes that there are opportunities for both rPET and bio-based PET. It’s not either or, as these two materials are not mutually exclusive. We are using a combination of PlantBottle material with varying degrees of rPET mixed into it in a number of European countries where PlantBottle was introduced recently.

We have no intention to step out of use of rPET at all; for us rPET is a critical element of our ambitious plans to significantly reduce the carbon footprint reduction of our key packaging materials over the next decade.

There are several challenges connected with rPET and PlantBottle. Constraints in supply are at the top of the list for both materials. For PlantBottle this obviously has to do with its supply chain being very new and immature.

rPET is a different story. With the amount of bottle PET growing steadily and average collection rates increasing as well, post-consumer PET bottles have grown into a valuable secondary raw material for a number of applications. Different application end markets like fibre, sheet and bottle are competing for a limited resource, resulting in a sharp increase of prices over the last few years and no sign of this changing for the foreseeable future.

Coke therefore abandoned the idea of setting itself individual targets for the use of PlantBottle and rPET, instead looking for an optimal combination of both based on availability and cost.

Kingsmill is launching the first phase of its campaign to support this summer’s Big Lunch – a food-focused lesson programme to run as part of the national curriculum.

As proud sponsors of the event Kingsmill has planned a full programme of activity to drive participation in The Big Lunch, while capitalising on the brand’s innate connection to the meal occasion to drive sales.

The first phase, an exclusive nationwide ‘Feed Your Imagination’ schools’ initiative, which runs in conjunction with the National Schools Partnership (NSP), aims to educate children aged 7-11 about food, and in particular bread, in an exciting and engaging way.

The six lessons, which form part of the national curriculum for this age group, offer children the chance to learn and understand the importance of food hygiene, provide insights into how food differs around the world and explore different aspects of food packaging.

Source: Kingsmill

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Nestlé has launched a new coffee machine, designed to appeal to Europe’s millions of small businesses, the Nescafé Alegria.

Nescafé Alegria is being rolled out by the company’s ‘out-of-home’ food services business Nestlé Professional, is aimed at so-called ‘micro-enterprises’ of fewer than ten employees.

According to Nestlé, Micro-enterprises represent nine out of ten small to medium-sized enterprises in Europe, which in turn account for 99% of all businesses on the continent. Nestlé says it has identified a gap in this market for a cost-effective system that allows small organisations to make a range of café-style coffees for their customers.

“The days of a plain black coffee are over,” said Michiel Kernkamp, Nestlé Professional’s head of beverages. “Consumers want something more complex.

“It’s an advantage for small businesses like hairdressers, florists or car dealerships to be able to offer their clients a latte macchiato or cappuccino at the touch of a button. You simply place a cup of fresh milk on the machine and it steams it from above with a hot water jet,” he continued. “No milk passes through the system, so it’s very easy to clean.”

The Nescafé Alegria uses single ‘cartridges’ that can be slotted into the machine to fill its coffee tank. Made of recyclable carton, the cartridges contain a blend of soluble and finely ground roast coffee. A single cartridge contains 120g of coffee, enough to make up to 60 individual cups.

“No other coffee machine on the market works this way,” Mr Kernkamp added. “For a small company with a limited number of staff, it’s very economic and efficient.”

The design of the Nescafé Alegria is based on Nestlé’s Nescafé Barista home coffee machine. Available in Japan only, Nescafé Barista was created by Nestlé’s research and development network and launched in 2007. More than 600,000 have been sold since then, making it the most popular coffee machine in the country.

Source: Nestlé

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Stuff cheese and meat into the toaster? Surely that’s wrong. Not now... Marks & Spencer has launched the pop-up toaster pizza.

The first pop-up pizza available on the high street provides a time-saving snack which is ready in just four minutes.

The £2 pizzas, which have a pre-baked base, come in a special non-stick ‘pocket’ designed to prevent a melted mess when they are slotted into a standard toaster. And they are available in two flavours – tomato and mozzarella and spicy pepperoni.

“It is less indulgent than a typical pizza and well balanced in terms of fat', said M&S spokeswoman Claire Hodgson. “They're ready in less than four minutes, it doesn’t get much faster – and heating in a toaster means no soggy bases from the microwave.

“It’s a great option for people who want a slice of pizza at home or in the office, but not the temptation of a whole pizza.”

National Pubwatch is extending its efforts to encourage and recognise safer social drinking environments in all licensed premises throughout the UK by partnering with Diageo to launch the inaugural Diageo National Pubwatch Awards.

Chairman of National Pubwatch, Steve Baker, confirmed the partnership with Diageo at the organisation’s Annual Conference. The awards will be judged by the National Pubwatch Committee who will be looking for evidence that the applicants have been effective in promoting social responsibility through the introduction of local initiatives.

Steve Baker, chairman of National Pubwatch, said: “Launching an awards programme is testimony to how much the National Pubwatch scheme has achieved over the last 14 years. It is a trusted partner for helping to create safer night time environments in the on-trade for UK consumers. We want to celebrate nationally the good work that is taking place locally across the UK. With the support of Diageo GB we are able to further spread the word of this important work.”

Source: Diageo

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The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) has welcomed Alchemy Systems, as the inaugural participant in the AFFI Advantage Partner Programme.

The AFFI Advantage Partner Programme is designed to deliver exclusive benefits to associate members of the institute, including event sponsorships, promotion and recognition to help them build their business.

AFFI president and CEO, Kraig Naasz, said: “We are pleased to welcome a company with such a stellar reputation for professionalism and excellence as Alchemy Systems as our first AFFI Advantage Partner. The AFFI Advantage Partner Programme is intended to provide enhanced value to select member companies by facilitating greater exposure among and interaction with the frozen food-producing companies with whom they wish to do business.”

Alchemy has a widely adopted training platform, Sistem, which enables food processors and manufacturers to effectively deliver and document their employee training in a centralised, paperless and secure online platform. Well-known for helping companies meet the training requirements for the Global Food Safety Initiative’s approved schemes and the record keeping requirements of the Food Safety Modernisation Act, Sistem is revolutionising the impact training makes on ensuring a safe and productive workplace.

Source: AFFI

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As part of its ongoing efforts to help elevate the coffee industry in China’s Yunnan Province, Starbucks Coffee Company has signed an agreement to form a joint-venture company with Ai Ni Group, one of the province’s established coffee operators and agricultural companies in Yunnan.

The joint-venture company, which will be controlled by Starbucks, will purchase and export high-quality arabica Yunnan coffee beans and operate dry mills in the province.

John Culver, president, Starbucks China and Asia Pacific, and Liu Minghui, founder and chairman, Ai Ni Group, each representing their respective companies, attended the signing ceremony in Kunming, Yunnan’s provincial capital.

With the establishment of the joint venture, Starbucks aims to increase its coffee-sourcing activities in the Yunnan region for use in the company’s global blends, and build long term relationships with Yunnan’s coffee farmers. The joint-venture company will also adopt ‘best practice’ processing methods to ensure a consistent and reliable source of quality coffee for Starbucks, the company said.

Liu Minghui, founder and chairman, Ai Ni Group, said: “Ai Ni Group is excited to partner with Starbucks to bring global best practices to the local coffee industry, and introduce Yunnan’s coffee to coffee lovers in China and beyond. With Starbucks coffee knowledge and expertise, and our well established presence in Yunnan, we are confident the new joint-venture company will be a resounding success in helping to build Yunnan up as a globally recognised premier coffee growing region.”

Source: Starbucks

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A year after pledging to develop a front-of-pack label that would give its customers an easier way to identify healthier food, Walmart unveiled the 'Great For You' icon at an event in Washington, US.

The icon, part of the company’s healthier food initiative, is an effort to implement a transparent, summary icon for its private label brand products backed by rigorous nutrition criteria. 'Great For You' will initially appear on select Walmart Great Value and Marketside items and on fresh and packaged fruits and vegetables at Walmart US stores nationwide this spring.

By extending 'Great For You' to fruits and vegetables and nutritious food options the company will make it easier for its customers to build healthier diets, the company said.

“When it comes to food, our customers want a variety of choices, but they also want help identifying healthier options. Customers asked us to make healthier food choices easy while keeping prices low”

Andrea Thomas, senior vice president of sustainability at Walmart, said: "Walmart moms are telling us they want to make healthier choices for their families, but need help deciphering all the claims and information already displayed on products. Our ‘Great For You’ icon provides customers with an easy way to quickly identify healthier food choices. As they continue to balance busy schedules and tight budgets, this simple tool encourages families to have a healthier diet.”

Items with the 'Great For You' icon must meet rigorous nutrition criteria informed by the latest nutrition science and authoritative guidance from the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Institute of Medicine (IOM).

The icon serves as a guide to help people make incremental changes to their diet by encouraging more nutritious food choices, according to the supermarket.

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Source: Walmart

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A second Food Hygiene Rating Scheme advertising campaign has started in Wales to publicise the scheme with users and owners of food businesses.

Headlined 'Good food hygiene is now easier to spot', the bilingual campaign will run for four weeks. It will start with outdoor posters in high street locations, near eating establishments and will be supplemented, in some areas of Wales, with phone kiosk advertisements.

Following this, there will be press advertising and advertorials in daily and weekly local press, as well as a presence on websites, such as Facebook and Google.

A leaflet for food business operators has also been developed for use by local authorities, reminding them that businesses could improve their rating by seeking advice from food law enforcement officers at their local authority.

The Welsh Government is currently consulting on the mandatory display of the scheme’s stickers in Wales. This consultation will close on Wednesday 7 March.

Source: FSA

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Pro Mach has acquired Edson Packaging Machinery, a manufacturer of high performance case packing equipment, based in Hamilton, Ontario.

Edson will join Pro Mach's End of Line Business Unit, which provides stand alone equipment and integrated packaging line solutions for many food, beverage, industrial products and consumer goods companies.

Edson also has long-standing customer relationships with food, pharmaceutical, and consumer goods companies that require innovative, high speed horizontal case packing, material handling, and top load robotic solutions.

Edson's strength in large-scale, high performance case packing solutions for the paper converting industry allows Pro Mach to reach new markets worldwide with its diverse brands of innovative, high quality equipment and integrated solutions, the company said.

Mark Anderson, Pro Mach President and CEO, said: "Edson has talented people and innovative solutions that complement our extensive End-of-Line capabilities. Pro Mach and Edson share a common tradition for customer service and product excellence.

"We look forward to investing in continued enhancements in Edson's product line and customer service capabilities in order to improve return on investment for their customers. We will continue to expand our capabilities and strengthen our position as a world leader in packaging machinery, integrated solutions and customer service excellence."

Source: Pro Mach

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Joint venture partners Owens-Illinois, (O-I), Berli Jucker Public Company Limited (BJC) and Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Company (SABECO) have opened a glass container manufacturing plant in Vietnam.

Located around 60km south east of Ho Chi Minh City in Ba Ria Vung Tau Province, the new $47m factory will initially produce approximately 75,000 tonnes annually of mainly returnable glass containers for Vietnam’s beer, soft drink, food, wine, spirits and pharmaceutical markets.

However, the new plant has the capacity to adapt to market trends, extending to four lines with a production capacity of 84,000 tonnes of glass annually.

Underlying the plant’s capability and flexibility, the new facility has one furnace, three glass-making lines and two applied ceramic labelling printing lines. The plant employs nearly 450 people, mainly from the Ba Ria region, and uses natural gas for improved sustainability.

The new Vietnam plant, completed in November 2011, replaces an existing facility in District 4 of Ho Chi Minh City that was recently vacated by O-I BJC to facilitate the city’s urban development plans.

O-I CEO and Chairman Al Stroucken said: “Vietnam is experiencing strong economic growth, which clearly provides opportunity for the glass industry. We know that beer is packaged primarily in glass here, and we know that consumers are looking for quality, taste and purity of contents. Our high quality and versatile glass containers are the perfect packaging solution.

“Glass is the most economical and sustainable packaging available, especially when using returnable containers, so it is vital that we have operations in place as the markets in this region grow and mature. This new plant allows us to meet and exceed the high expectations of current and future customers in this region.”

Source: Berli Jucker

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Tetra Pak inaugurates today its new packaging material factory in Finland. The factory, located in the town of Imatra, with a planned capacity of 500 million packages per year, will expand Tetra Pak’s gable top capacity in Europe.

The laminated paper board used to produce the packaging material comes from the Imatra paper mills only 6km from the location of the new factory, and the short distance helps reduce the CO2 emissions for the transportation of paperboard to the factory.

The production facilities are expected to be ISO 14001 certified during Quarter 1, 2013, and plans are underway to implement World Class Manufacturing (WCM) practices at the plant. ISO 14001 is an environmental management system standard; WCM is a tool to help drive and visualise improvements in various areas, including cost, efficiency, competence, maintenance, availability, quality, safety and environment.

Source: Tetra Pak

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Tenth and Blake Beer Company, MillerCoors craft-and-import division, has acquired Crispin Cider Company, giving it a significant presence in the beer industry’s growing category.

Minneapolis-based (US) Crispin sold its first cases on St Crispin’s Day, October 25, 2008. The company grew approximately 200% in 2011, outpacing the overall cider category’s 2% growth during the same period, and is already the number three producer of cider in the US.

Tenth and Blake president and CEO, Tom Cardella, said: “Our vision is to accelerate our portfolio expansion within the world’s most exciting beer market. With cider’s explosion in the US, we were looking at the best way to participate in that growth.

“As we explored the category, Crispin stood out, not only because they were the most progressive and innovative producer, but also because we shared great personal chemistry. In addition to the best cider portfolio in the business, we love their energy, creativity and unsurpassed innovation capability. They make us an even better company right away.” The deal includes Crispin’s affiliate, Fox Barrel Cider Company.

Source: Tenth and Blake Beer Company

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According to recent Mintel research, among healthy snackers, 44% say they tend to eat healthfully most of the time and 42% make it a point to snack on foods that are healthy.

At the same time, indulgence can be part of a well-rounded lifestyle, as 39% of healthy snackers say they use less-healthy nibbles as an occasional treat.

“Eating healthy snacks can offer many benefits to consumers, such as increased energy and feeling fuller longer, so there is a big opportunity for the makers and marketers of snacks to leverage these connections to maximise health positioning,” says Molly Maier, senior wellness analyst at Mintel. “The number of snackers who only consume healthy treats is a relatively small one, but one that shouldn’t be ignored by snack-food manufacturers.”

The definition of 'healthy' is very subjective, but Mintel respondents seem to have a good grasp on truly healthful foods. Fresh fruit is overwhelmingly (86%) considered healthy snacking, followed by raw vegetables (73%), and nuts/seeds (71%). However, a surprising number of people rated ice cream (12%) and cookies (9%) as healthy snacks.

Snacks are often an impulsive purchase, and one of convenience. As a result, people are at the mercy of the food choices most available. Nearly half (46%) of respondents say it’s hard to find healthy snacks in vending machines or other on-the-go locations while 16% believe it takes more time to prepare a healthy snack than other types.

“Increasing accessibility and portability can help maximise usage,” adds Maier.

Source: Mintel

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The Pulse Beverage Corporation makers of Cabana 100% Natural Lemonade and Pulse brand of NutriPurpose beverages, has secured six more distributors in Wisconsin and Wyoming to expand its growing distribution network for its products and current sales of Cabana 100% Natural Lemonade.

Bob Rake, CEO of Webb, said: "It was an easy decision to bring on Cabana as it's a quality product in the fastest growing beverage sector. Cabana will greatly compliment our natural teas and sodas."

Source: The Pulse Beverage Corporation

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