*UK-based Firefly Tonics will add Recharge, an antioxidant-rich drink, to its range of healthy beverages. * “We developed Recharge because we wanted to make the ultimate drink for a run-down day," said Harry Briggs of Firefly Tonics. "We picked the most antioxidant-rich juices (pomegranate, blood orange and rose hip), and asked our herbalist to develop a formula that would give an immediate boost, and support the immune system. He chose echinacea, elderflower and Siberian ginseng for immune support, along with kola nut, rosemary and chilli for a mood-lift. “We started developing the drink in May this year, and it took about three months of testing to get the drink absolutely right. “The photo on the front of the silver bottle was sent to us by a customer, and captures the spring in your step you have when you’re on form. It’s a man leaping on Bondi beach!”

Panamanian-based Next Generation Waters has launched its eponymous range of functional waters in the US. The low-calorie beverages are being distributed by Southern Wine and Spirits and sold in independent convenience stores throughout Southern Florida. Following two years of product development, sampling and advance marketing activities, Next Generation Waters had already gained widespread attention at US trade events earlier this year, and had entered the 2008 <1>. The brand’s dumbbell-shaped packaging is striking and male-oriented. Fortunately, animations on the labelling help to soften the masculinity of the product, which is aimed at young men and women. The six variants of Next Generation Waters include: Hot, a tropical dragonfruit flavoured water marketed as a drink to enhance sexual appetite; Strong, a fruit punch flavoured water that contains whey protein; Live Long, a pomegranate flavoured water with antioxidants and tea extracts; Chill, a lavender-pear flavoured water with herbs such as chamomile and lemon balm; Thin, a strawberry flavoured water with Super Citimax and ChromeMate; and Kick, a citrus flavoured water with energy boosting caffeine and ginseng. The business also produces Ñúu, a brand of spring water sourced from the highlands of Volcán, Chiriquí in Panama. The business pledges to donate a portion of its sales of its drinks to WaterAid. <1>: http://www.waterinnovationawards.com

CCL Label scooped the top prize for the best cost savings idea at Heineken’s first Pitch Event for packaging suppliers. Heinken invited 12 packaging material suppliers to participate in the first Heineken Pitch Event, which was established as a means of tapping into the expertise and creativity of its packaging material suppliers to generate innovative and feasible ideas for cost savings. Proposals were presented by the suppliers to a multidisciplinary team of Heineken managers who picked one overall winner. CCL Label suggested small changes to the label to allow for a more efficient use of materials and machinery. “Heineken is actively pursuing innovations and costs savings,” said Wiggert Deelen, director Heineken Nederland Supply. “Our goal is to generate a continuous supply of cost savings ideas, and this is the first time that our purchasing department has generated ideas together with suppliers in this interactive way.” It was the simplicity of CCL Label's idea and the amount of savings achieved that were decisive factors in the decision to award the company the prize.

Nestlé Pure Life earned the company an estimated $3.2bn in 2007. This figure surpasses the combined sales of major rival water brands Evian and Volvic from Danone, according to research from Zenith International and ACNielsen. Nestlé Waters executive vice president and CEO, John Harris, said: “Nestlé Pure Life didn’t even exist 10 years ago, yet it has now become the world’s top selling bottled water brand. That’s quite a remarkable achievement.” Harris revealed that the brand had achieved a 28% compound growth rate over the last four years. Year-to-date growth for the brand was 16%, which rises to an impressive 18% when looking specifically at the North American market. This time next year, the product is set to become the number one selling brand of water produced in the US. In the US, Nestlé didn't launch NPL as a completely new brand. Instead, it acquired the long-established regional brand Aberfoyle in 2000 and transformed the product into Pure Life. The company has since released low-calorie flavour extensions to add value to the brand and give it more flexibility in pricing. The company is making no secret of its determination to grow the Pure Life brand in emerging markets, including parts of Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. The brand has already achieved significant inroads in China, the Philippines, Nigeria, Egypt and parts of the Middle East over the past few years. Nestlé Pure Life is bottled, where possible, in the country or at least the region where it's sold, combining the benefit of a local production and the strength of a worldwide brand. Depending on the country and the consumer needs, the brand is sold as a still, sparkling, plain or flavoured water. Pure Life was also the Official Water of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006. .

Speyside Glenlivet Natural Mineral Water has been named New Scottish Exporter of the Year at Food From Britain’s Export Awards Ceremony, held at the Landmark Hotel in London on 10 December 2008. The Award, sponsored by Scottish Development International, is designed to endorse the success of Scottish food and drink exports to all parts of the world, and to highlight the opportunities for Scottish brands. Stephen Price, Chief Executive of Speyside Glenlivet Natural Mineral Water, said: “Winning this award is a triumph for brand development and demonstrates the unique provenance of Speyside Glenlivet Natural Mineral Water. Our low mineral content, our brand name and our fine quality presentation ensures our positioning as a premium beverage brand.” Speyside Glenlivet focuses on the premium food service sector and has an impressive client base within the UK as well as overseas. Its reputation for top-end quality branding has been rapidly spreading worldwide as consumers become more discerning. From initial sales close to home in France, Spain and Belgium, Speyside Glenlivet is now exporting to Japan, Dubai, Thailand and Hong Kong. The water is on the menus of some of the world’s most exclusive establishments including the Burj Al Arab in Dubai; Macdonald Hotels, Principal Hotels and Hand Picked Hotels in the UK; and The Ritz in Paris. “The world’s best hotels and restaurants demand top quality products on their menus and wine lists, and their water offering is no different. Speyside Glenlivet Natural Mineral Water isn't just another bottled water but a strong brand with unique Scottish provenance,” added Mr Price.

*Florida mum Ruth Tacks has won the chance to join famous Hispanic mums like actress and model Barbara Mori, singer Alicia Villarreal and TV personality Charityn as a star in the iconic US milk moustache campaign. * The competition was part of got milk?’s Hispanic campaign and Ruth stars in the ad with her three teenage sons: Alvaro David (19), Juan Diego (17) and José Daniel (15). The purpose of the contest was to reward a special mum who understands the importance of drinking and serving milk to her family in order to stay healthy, strong and in shape. Ruth was selected as the contest winner because of her obvious dedication to her family's health. When asked what it meant to be a ‘Super Mamá’, Ruth described it as "doing what's best for your family, including looking out for their nutrition. Ever since my boys were young, I instilled in them the nutritional benefits of low-fat milk. Today, my teenage boys are 19, 17 and 15 and I'm proud that they each still drink three glasses of milk a day."

TNO has developed a drying technology that requires less energy to remove the moisture from food, and boosts the capacity of existing driers. The result of an EET research project (Dutch Economy, Ecology, Technology project), which TNO worked on with HB Drying Systems, Hosokawa, Kievit (Friesland Foods), Unifine and Wageningen University, the adsorption dryer technology reduces energy consumption, yet ensures that the organoleptic qualities of products are retained. According to TNO, the system works by conditioning the dry air sucked in from the environment (which has a varying moisture content) and by generating dry air that has a constant moisture content and constant temperature. Attached to an existing dryer, it improves the dryer capacity and production yield. In addition, the energy extracted from the warm, moist air can be reused in the adsorption process, said TNO, thereby reducing the energy consumption still further. Extracted moisture is no longer transported away from the plant as water vapour but as liquid water. The pilot system has already been installed at the food ingredient company, Friesland Foods Kievit, where it's connected to equipment that's used to make products that are susceptible to temperature and oxidation. In February 2009, the pilot installation will be transported to the spice producer, Unifine, where it will be used to recirculate the drying air, enabling the expensive aromas and flavourings of the spices to be retained.

PET Engineering’s Research & Development team has perfected what it claims is a revolutionary lightweight 500ml bottle that uses only 6.6g of PET. The new Bottle Fly lightweight bottles has been designed with a weight distribution and thickness that guarantees that it can withstand all the rigours of the production process and treatment throughout the supply chain. It features a geometrical shape with stiffened ribs, shoulder and bottom, and has horizontal rings that make handling easier. It is said to have excellent resistance to axial load, which protects it during distribution and transport on multilevel pallets. According to PET Engineering, Bottle Fly is suitable for use in all modern filling lines and is compatible with several cap variants.

*Northern Ireland-based contract bottler, Norbev, has won a contract from Elbar Services, the Derby-based food distributor, to supply a range of drinks to the UK operations of Makro, the leading cash and carry chain, in a deal worth around £1.5m. * Elbar is a major supplier of products to Makro depots. Norbev, based in Ballymena, secured its first contract from Elbar following a meeting organised by Invest Northern Ireland, the region’s business development agency. The contract for the supply of still and sparkling water under Makro’s established Rioba brand was announced by Damian McCarthy, Norbev’s Commercial Director. In addition, Norbev is developing a range of fruit juices for Makro as part of the Elbar agreement. The products will be sold through Makro’s 300-strong UK network of depots. Elbar is also discussing an opportunity to supply a range of mixers for the European cash and carry client. McCarthy described the Elbar contract as “very significant business” for the company, which has been in bottling since 1919 and now operates from a plant that opened in April 2004, in Ballymena, County Antrim. Mr McCarthy said: “We were delighted to be given the opportunity by Elbar to bid for the contract to develop a wide range of new products for such a prestigious client as Makro. It’s a tremendous endorsement of our experience in contract bottling for major clients, and also of the high quality of services that we provide across the UK. “Our strategic focus is on building close partnerships with clients that enable us to provide products that meet their individual requirements. “Extensive capital investment in plant and equipment enables us to produce about 100 million bottles of water, minerals and juices annually. We now have one of the most modern bottling operations in the UK and our vast experience in logistics means we can provide the consistently high quality that clients require. We can distribute these efficiently throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland,” he added.

Jacek Pastuszka has been appointed CEO of Carlsberg Polska with effect from 9 January 2009. He replaces Marcin Pirog, who has decided to set up his own company after eight years as CEO of Carlsberg’s subsidiary in Poland. Jacek Pastuszka began his business career at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1991 when the global company had just entered the Polish market. In 1996, he took a managerial job in the USA with P&G where he worked for Wal-Mart. He was made head of a P&G team developing the Tesco business in Central and Eastern Europe and Asia markets in 1999. Two years later, Pastuszka became Danone Trade Manager for Poland, where he managed sales and distribution within all sales channels. In time, his responsibilities were extended to include the Baltic States. Today Pastuszka is CEO of insurance company Amplico AIG Life.

*Anheuser-Busch InBev will be cutting 1,400 US jobs in its beer-related divisions. * About 75% of the cuts will be in St Louis, where the company's North American headquarters are based. In addition, more than 250 US positions that are currently open will not be filled, and 415 contractor positions will be eliminated. Most of the reductions will occur by the end of 2008. The cuts announced are in addition to the more than 1,000 US employees who accepted an early retirement programme. The company said the job losses will help it save at least $1.5bn a year by 2011 and cope with a "challenging economy". Anheuser-Busch had 8,600 salaried workers this summer and had planned to reduce that by 10% to 15%, mostly by offering some 1,000 employees a voluntary early retirement package. The redundancies occur only three weeks after the recent acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by InBev, based in Belgium. It is part of ongoing consolidation in the brewing industry, including the merging of Miller Brewing Co and Coors Brewing Co into the MillerCoors LLC joint venture.

Developments in the second half of this year have had a serious impact on earnings at Arla Foods. As a result, the Danish dairy company has downgraded its expectations for 2008 from profits of approx 900m DKK to 600-700m DKK. The financial crisis is affecting Arla in several ways. During this autumn, it became clear that the financial crisis had developed into an economic crisis, with consumers opting for cheaper dairy products and, in certain markets, avoiding buying them altogether. The latter especially has had a strong impact on Arla’s trading business. In addition, earnings were hit by losses on securities as a result of the general fall in share prices and foreign exchange adjustments in relation to Arla’s two main currencies: Sterling and Swedish Krona. Also, the market situation changed from a global shortage of milk in 2007 to a milk surplus at the end of 2008, which caused global market prices to fall. The trend was further intensified by the financial crisis and the provision for losses in the Chinese market as a result of the melamine crisis. Arla Foods wants to maintain the on-account price throughout the year, but the reduced earnings mean that the amount available for distribution is expected to fall from 15.6 DKK øre to 10-12 DKK øre per kg milk. “At the beginning of the autumn, we still believed that we would meet the budget. In recent months, however, global market prices for milk have fallen at a rate that nobody could have predicted only a few months ago – a fall that has been intensified by the financial crisis,” said Arla Foods CEO, Peder Tuborgh. The Board of Directors will assess the situation when the annual accounts for 2008 are available and will propose how profits should be allocated at the Board of Representatives’ meeting in early March. To alleviate the effects of reduced earnings, the leadership will be focusing on cost savings in its 2009 budget. “The economic crisis is developing dramatically. As we are preparing the budget for 2009, it seems that we are taking a snapshot that may be superseded by subsequent events,” said CFO Jørn Wendel Andersen. At its meeting in January, the Board of Directors will consider the budget for 2009 and a reduction in the Arla price.