Water resources in the Middle East are under increasing pressure. Population growth in the region is predicted to be around 2% a year. This rate suggests that, by 2025 at current levels of consumption, the region will need four times as much water as is available from natural sources. Water scarcity has an impact on many aspects of the economy of the region, from the necessity of relying on imported food to the development of industries that use less water. The reliance on importing food from outside the region has reduced pressures on water resources by exporting the need for water. For example, to produce a tonne of grain requires around 1,000 tonnes of water. So importing a tonne of grain saves this water locally. Ironically, this may have slowed the development of water efficient technologies in the region. As pressures on world food production increase, this policy of exporting water demand may become less viable. *So what can be done? * As pressures increase, sustainable water resource development will become more important and more sought after by governments. Sustainability in this sense means using only what is available, reducing the demand and reusing water is different ways, such as in grey water systems or through water recovery from wastewater treatment. Saudi Arabia, for example, has recently changed the law to allow the use of treated effluent to irrigate crops for human consumption. In UAE, city municipalities are using treated effluent for municipal irrigation and are changing from spray irrigation to trickle irrigation, which is proven to increase soil water availability while reducing evaporation. Pressure on resources Will this increase in pressure on resources have an impact on the bottled water industry? Groundwater from sustainable supplies will be required if the industry is to continue using natural sources. Water sourced from areas where there is sufficient recharge can be considered sustainable, and some of the volume required to feed the market is likely to be recharged. Where there is very low rainfall, such as in much of Saudi Arabia, water abstraction is likely to exceed recharge rates and is therefore unsustainable. The other main source of water is from desalinated seawater; while sustainable with respect to water, desalination requires significant energy and therefore cost. Despite this, desalination is considered the shining hope of the region’s requirements for potable water. This, in turn, will move the pressure from water to energy. Whatever is done, it is clear that the growing pressures on water supply are only going to increase. Both practical and technical solutions will be key in managing resources, both now and in the near future. * Ric Horobin biography* Dr Ric Horobin, Zenith International Water & Environment Director, has degrees in geophysics and hydrogeology, devoting his working life to environmental issues. His specialised team manages projects all over the world focusing on hydrogeology, hydrochemistry, microbiology and groundwater engineering.

With no sign of the public’s taste for cider abating, expect to see premium ciders the drink of choice to accompany barbecues this summer, says Merrydown Managing Director Chris Carr. “There’s huge synergy between barbecues and cider – both are growing year on year and the season for enjoying them is getting longer. Cider is no longer considered a drink solely for summer. Sales are strong all year round,” says Carr. “A good quality premium cider, made with the juice of eating apples, is not only refreshing in hot weather but also stands up well to the robust flavours of barbecue food.” The stylish, 1 litre glass bottles of Merrydown’s 7.5% Vintage Dry are designed for table top use while Merrydown Gold, a 5% ABV cider, is suited for drinking straight from the 500 ml bottle on al fresco occasions. Merrydown Vintage 440 ml cans complete the `family'. But it is the liquid inside that sets Merrydown apart, says Carr. “Our new marketing message is `Made with Love' – and it’s completely true. Merrydown Vintage is made by expert brewers to the same Sussex recipe perfected more than 60 years ago. We care passionately about the taste and quality of our ciders. We use the juice of real eating apples and Champagne yeast in the brewing process and there are no artificial colourings or sweeteners.” A summer marketing campaign will pitch Merrydown ciders as the perfect partners to food. The theme will be extended through Merrydown’s consumer friendly website and national press activity.

British Turkey is fired up this summer with plans to not only reassure consumers that turkey is safe to eat but also to entice them to think outside the box – like putting a turkey drumstick on the barbecue! A simple recipe for long, slow barbecuing of a whole drumstick has been developed for British Turkey by celebrity chef Phil Vickery. The resident TV chef of This Morning insists the recipe is a summertime staple with his family. Says Vickery: “The flavour and texture you will get is second to none. I serve mine with the meat pulled from the bones and piled into a soft bap.” Says British Turkey spokesman Catriona Lee: “We are planning to use Phil’s recipe to get the media, and ultimately consumers, thinking about cuts of turkey they wouldn’t normally consider, and new and fun ways of cooking them.” Lee says retailers are giving more support to linking British Turkey with barbecues every year and producers are meeting demand by developing a fast-growing range of portioned and convenience products with al fresco and barbecue eating in mind. “The Best Barbecue Product is always a hotly contested category in our annual British Turkey awards. This year’s finalists included sausages, tikka marinaded steaks and – the winner – Morrisons Hot and Spicy Kebabs. “ And many retailers now flag up cuts of British turkey suitable for barbecuing with special BBQ stickers,” says Lee. “This sits nicely alongside the nutritional information because turkey must be the most healthy barbecue food you can eat. Plus, new for this summer, we will be going into the summer season with the benefit of the familiar Red Tractor logo longside our own Quality British Turkey assurance. This is double reassurance in many consumers’ minds, while retailers also appreciate that QBT is the only ISO 45001 approved turkey growing and processing scheme in the world. Reassurance just doesn’t get better than that.” The message that British turkey is good to barbecue – plus it’s healthy, versatile and delicious – will be spread among butchers, retailers, caterers plus the press and the public. There will BBQ related competitions on the website and through the media to further help raise the profile. Added Lee: “We feel this campaign will give British turkey a terrific boost during this important barbecue season, which seems to get extended each year. Many people now start barbecuing at Easter and don’t put the barbie away until October. Even the bad weather doesn’t stop them.”

*The history of Chaudfontaine dates back many centuries, with documented evidence on the water’s spring source found in a charter from the Bishop of Verdun in 1250 describing ‘Chauve-t-eau-Fontaine’. * There are many other fascinating milestones in the history of Chaudfontaine, such as the fact that in 1926 two different companies tapped the same water source, later merging into a single business in 1938. Moreover, the reason for the unique mineral taste of Chaudfontaine was explained in 1983, when hydrologists discovered that the water makes a 60 year journey through protecting and purifying rock layers from a depth of 1,600 metres before emerging at the surface at 37°C. June 2003 stands out as being the most important recent landmark. This was the moment when Coca-Cola Enterprises teamed up with The Coca-Cola Company to snap up the Chaudfontaine business for €31 million ($45 million) in cash and assumed debt from Iranian businessman Abbas Bayat. Since that time, Coca-Cola Belgium has poured significant levels of investment into production, packaging innovation, distribution and marketing. In fact, around €46 million ($67 million) has been spent on the Chaudfontaine plant; €20 million ($29 million) on new bottling lines from German company Krones; €16 million ($23 million) on new packaging and €10 million ($14.5 million) related to quality, environment, safety and hygiene. Support from the Coca-Cola sales force has also been a key factor in delivering success. Better still, the plant participates in the overall Coca-Cola strategy to increase water and energy efficiency and decrease waste. In 2006, Belgium based operations increased water efficiency by 9.8% and energy efficiency by 2.3% per litre of product. Over 97% of the solid waste of the Chaudfontaine plant is recycled. Furthermore, as a result of the upgrading of the production site, the greenhouse emissions of the plant have decreased to 63.7% of their 2003 level. However, Coca-Cola in Belgium doesn’t blow its own bottles on site so the glass bottles are shipped through a Dutch supplier. Nevertheless, these bottles contain on average 60% recycled glass. Brand revitalisation Since 2003, the Coca-Cola group has also importantly devoted considerable effort towards developing the brand in an innovative way. Country Director Belux Gaëtan Van Maldegem told water innovation: “Since Coca-Cola acquired the Chaudfontaine brand, our Belgian marketing team has completely rebuilt the brand, based on values that relate to the uniqueness of the water.” In April 2004, a year in which the business celebrated its 80th anniversary, Coca-Cola unveiled a logo for Chaudfontaine to enhance its brand identity. A simple rendering of a dove, a symbol expressing purity and emotional warmth, takes pride of place on all product packaging beside the brand name. The move demonstrated slick marketing as the brand was able to modernise, while retaining strong messages to consumers about the product’s heritage and overall taste. Concerning the orientation and taste profile of the brand, water connoisseur Michael Mascha commented: “Chaudfontaine has a neutral pH and a nice bicarbonate level. The low level of nitrate indicates an undisturbed source.” “Chaudfontaine is among the rare thermal, hot natural mineral waters in Europe. For over 60 years, Chaudfontaine water is purified by nature,” observed Chaudfontaine Production Director Jean-Louis Cornet. “There are different kinds of water, among which the category of the hot thermal natural mineral water is a truly exceptional one. The difference in origin has an impact on the taste. So choosing the appropriate water to drink deserves more consideration than many of us think it does.” * Promotional push* The brand’s marketing drive has been boosted by a robust screen advertising campaign since 2003, with TV spots looking at how the brand is associated with affection and friendship as well as an ad looking at the natural uniqueness of the brand. However, the marketing for Chaudfontaine moved up a gear in 2006. Spadel’s leading brands had already captured the attention of young, fashion conscious and affluent consumers. So it’s no coincidence that the screen campaign from Coca-Cola promoting Chaudfontaine in a PET bottle competed by featuring a male teenager listening to loud rock music in a comfortable kitchen setting. With the scene set for the ad, it’s time to describe the action. Oscar, a spritely goldfish, eyes a bottle of Chaudfontaine, next to the boy sat on the breakfast bar. Oscar bashes against his goldfish bowl in an attempt to move it closer to the bottle. The boy eventually notices the fish’s antics and pours some of the bottled water into the goldfish bowl. The ad cuts to a close-up of the brand and a new positioning statement: ‘Les connaisseurs préfèrent Chaudfontaine’. After drinking the water, Oscar shows his approval and appreciation with an endearing burp. Besides the excellent use of humour in the 2006 TV spot, this well crafted film communicates core brand values in an engaging manner. Product innovation To make the brand even more distinctive to consumers in horeca channels, Chaudfontaine became a pioneer in the Coke network in 2006 by offering a newly designed glass bottle range in three variants: still (blue label); sparkling (red label); mildly sparkling (green label). It’s a novel idea, but are the three variants of water useful to consumers? Wouter Vermeulen, Director of Communications at Coca-Cola Belgium and Luxembourg, clearly believes they are. He explained: “When having dinner, most people ask for advice concerning the choice of wine, but never ask for advice concerning the choice of water. Water can have an important influence on the taste of your dish. Sparkling water promotes appetite, so it’s perfect as an aperitif and a great partner for dishes such as seafood. Lightly sparkling water works well with subtle dishes such as Waldorf salad and wok dishes, and is always the right choice when you’re not sure. Still water is perfect at the end of the dinner and has a neutral taste, so it perfectly suits dishes with a more explicit taste such as Chateaubriand or pheasant.” The range of red, green and blue labelled waters are packaged in bold, contemporary and elegant 1 litre, 50cl and 25cl glass bottles, which express purity, stability and exceptional quality through the structural design of the bottle and the labelling. The innovative bottle, shaped as a rising droplet, has been kept as transparent as possible to highlight the intrinsic quality of the water. The company describes the design as “modern and timeless.” “The Chaudfontaine water is a unique thermal hot mineral water. Our challenge was to build a brand that reflects this uniqueness. This has been achieved by stressing the core values of the brand more, using the dove in the logo as a symbol for purity, by launching a new bottle with a design that reflects the purity and transparency of the water and by focusing our communication platform towards consumers making use of the ‘connoisseurs prefer Chaudfontaine’ tagline,” added Vermeulen. A renewed screen marketing push for Chaudfontaine in 2007 was equally compelling and important, but this time a restaurant setting was chosen in order to promote the brand’s latest range of glass bottles. As you can imagine with the help from sequential scenes from the advertisement (shown below), this advertisement – with a starring role for Omar the lobster – reinforces the positioning statement, punctuates the brand’s association with quality and communicates the brand proposition in an even more fun and compelling way. * Tangible results * The brand revitalisation efforts were undoubtedly a success. Before the activities, Chaudfontaine was growing in line with the market. Following the total rebranding process with new packaging and marketing, the brand has outperformed category growth by a clear margin. Statistics obtained from Coca-Cola provide evidence to support such a view. While the total bottled water market grew 2.8% in Belgium between 2001 to 2003, the Chaudfontaine brand registered 3.4% growth in the same period. Category growth in Belgium between 2004 and 2006 was 1.4% but Chaudfontaine achieved 5.7% growth. *Future outlook * Chaudfontaine is sold in all major distribution channels including hotels, bars and restaurants as well as retail outlets, petrol stations and venues such as cinemas. For example, the availability of the 50cl PET bottle in supermarkets has improved significantly from 17% in 2003 to 64% in 2007. Chaudfontaine is also available in 1.5 litre PET bottles in still and sparkling (blue and red label) formats. A 33cl PET bottle with sports cap is also available in the still range. Besides Belgium, the brand is currently available in the Netherlands and France through the local Coca-Cola bottling partners. There was market speculation last year that the Chaudfontaine brand could be introduced elsewhere in Western Europe including the UK, but the company declined to comment further on these reports. Coca-Cola also declined to reveal plans for Chaudfontaine in 2008, but marketing officials expressed their determination to maintain Chaudfontaine’s steady progress in the marketplace and resolve to ensure the brand continues to drive category growth in Belgium. * Home truths * According to Zenith International, the Belgian packaged water market has developed over the years to become one of the top in Europe, with consumption at 128 litres per person. This is expected to grow in 2008 to around 130 litres per person. In Belgium, still waters make up around two thirds of the market, with sparkling waters accounting for the remainder. Zenith International Senior Analyst Karen Wells commented: “In volume terms, Spadel, Nestlé Waters and Neptune (with its Cristaline brand) share around 55% of the Belgian market, with the remainder comprising both international and local manufacturers. Danone and Coca-Cola hold similar market shares of around 7% each.” Despite the success of the brand revitalisation and the ambitions of Coca-Cola to continue to grow in Belgium, Chaudfontaine is still less known than other major waters in the domestic market, so it faces plenty of challenges as it attempts to steal more limelight away from the leading brands in the still and sparkling segments. According to Spadel officials, the firm’s Spa and Bru brands combined had over a 19% market share across retail and horeca channels. In comparison, Chaudfontaine held a market share of some 7%. Although final data for 2007 has not yet been officially released, analysts do not expect any significant changes in how the market is carved up, but volumes declined because of a poor summer season. Meanwhile, Spadel’s four key brands - Spa Reine, Spa Barisart, Spa Marie-Henriette and Bru - have evolved and benefited from recent innovations and there’s more activity on the horizon. At the same time, Wattwiller, the company’s brand in France, also recently launched at Carrefour in Belgium. This spells even more competition for Chaudfontaine beyond the threats faced from popular Nestlé brands Perrier, Vittel, Contrex and San Pellegrino as well as Danone’s Evian, Volvic and Badoit and Neptune’s range. Only time will tell if Coca-Cola’s Chaudfontaine can continue to increase appeal following the promising momentum in product perception and customer loyalty it has built in the past few years. However, one thing is certain. As lessons in brand revitalisation in the bottled water industry go, Chaudfontaine is a master class one cannot help but admire. **Timeline ** * 1240 – The first written evidence related to the origin of the Chaudfontaine spring is found in a charter from the bishop of Verdun describing ‘Chauve-t-eau-Fontaine’ * 1676 – A farmer starts to exploit the warm Chaudfontaine spring as a bathing resort. Indeed, the site remained a popular spa location for the next 250 years * 1924 The Carter family are first to sell water from the Chaudfontaine thermal source. The enterprise uses the name Thermale Chaudfontaine * 1926 – On the other side of the river, William Grisard starts another water bottling company called Cristal Chaudfontaine * 1938 – Cristal Chaudfontaine acquires Thermale Chaudfontaine and begins trading as Monopole Chaudfontaine * 1961 The Piedboeuf brewery becomes the main shareholder of the Chaudfontaine business * 1983 – Discovery that Chaudfontaine water travels through rock layers at 1,600 metres for about 60 years before reaching the surface * 1988 – Piedboeuf is integrated into the Interbrew group * 1997 – ranian businessman Abbas Bayat buys Monopole Chaudfontaine from Interbrew and integrates the source into Chaudfontaine distribution * 2003 – Chaudfontaine becomes part of the Coca-Cola system. The company begins to pour investment into the brand, production and distribution * 2004 – Chaudfontaine celebrates its 80 year anniversary in style with a brand new logo * 2006 – Chaudfontaine’s revitalisation continues with new product developments and marketing activities. The brand scoops an award from our magazine in the process * 2007 – A creative screen marketing campaign demonstrating creative flair is broadcast building on themes from a Chaudfontaine ad which aired a year earlier

France’s Group Danone raised its expectations of growth in 2008, after a year of change in 2007 as the company tightened its focus on healthy foods and beverages. Danone completed the sale of its entire biscuits and cereal products division to Kraft Foods in the second half of 2007 and acquired Dutch baby food and clinical nutrition manufacturer Numico. Although Danone’s long running dispute with its estranged Chinese partner Hangzhou Wahaha has still not been resolved, the group believes it is now in better shape to prosper in the future. Chairman and CEO Franck Riboud said: “2007 was a year of strategic decisions that reinforce our leadership position in healthy food. It was also a year of remarkable profitable growth. Danone again reached its ambitious targets, thanks to the highest ever growth rate in the fresh dairy division and a very strong fourth quarter in the water division. The underlying strength of the business, coupled with the smooth integration of our Numico business, gives me particular confidence in the group’s ability to accelerate its growth profile even further. As a consequence, we are increasing our growth targets for 2008 and beyond.” Danone is now aiming for like for like sales growth of 8-10%, with increased operating profit and growth in underlying earnings per share of at least 15%. The company’s published IFRS results for 2007 included only six months’ sales from its joint venture with Wahaha, because of the dispute, plus €450 million in Numico sales over the last two months of the year. Consolidated revenue was reported as €12.77 billion, representing like for like growth of 9.7% against Danone’s 2007 target of 6-8% growth. Earnings trebled to €4.18 billion, boosted by €3.1 billion from the sale of the biscuit and cereals business. Underlying earnings were €1.18 billion or €2.47 per share, compared with €1.19 billion or €2.44 per share in 2006. Danone’s consolidated sales increased in all major geographical regions, with Europe up 7.4%, Asia up 4.7% and other markets up 17.4%. The water division grew just 4% over the year, due to the impact of the Wahaha dispute and poor weather in West European markets in the third quarter. Danone’s water brands performed strongly in Latin America and Asian markets with the exception of China.

This normally comes in the late summer, when so many people are away that journalists make news out of almost anything. Last week, no less than the cabinet secretary wrote to all UK government departments asking them to adopt tap-water-only policies, explaining "I have made this issue one of my key priorities". This was front page news for the Evening Standard, leaving no room for health or education, defence or crime – not even football. This is because Whitehall reportedly uses 250,000 bottles of water a year, which amounts to 0.02% of a market that's responsible for, at most, 0.1% of UK carbon emissions. Hardly a drop in the ocean. In mid February, the environment minister described bottled water as daft because tap water is so good. Yet Private Eye magazine found that his own department had installed special water filters at a cost of over £2,000 a tap. I'm surprised the minister didn't add "let them eat cake". This week, beverages will have been higher than usual on the chancellor's agenda, when considering his first budget statement. He has been urged to raise taxes on alcopops and lower taxes on fruit juice. These are not silly ideas, because the government can easily do more to encourage better social behaviour and better health. Important elements of public health policy are for us to eat five a day of fruit or vegetables and to drink eight glasses a day of water. There's no VAT on fruit or vegetables or tap water, yet we have to pay 17.5% tax for fruit juice and bottled water. The silliest thing would be not to promote better hydration and health by ending these anomalies, because the change would cost so little and save so much.

*Ardea Beverage, a subsidiary of US Pepsi bottler PepsiAmericas, has teamed up with Giant Bicycle Inc to encourage Americans to pedal their way to a healthier lifestyle. * Consumers of Ardea’s airforce Nutrisoda line of functional carbonates have the chance to win one of 10 Giant OCR Alliance 1 performance road bicycles, valued at $1,500 each, as top prizes in a national on-pack promotion. Other prizes in Ardea’s 'Good to Go' promotion include 100 Giant helmets and 1,000 Nutrisoda-Giant water bottles. Thousands more cycling products from Giant – the world’s biggest bicycle manufacturer – will be given away online and at retail locations across the country. “We're excited to be partnering with one of the most widely known bicycle brands in the world,” said Maile Buker, Ardea Beverage Co Vice President of Marketing and Strategy. “Teaming with Giant is an ideal way to introduce our delicious nutrient-enhanced soda to a fitness-oriented consumer.” At the heart of the Good to Go promotion is the Giant Code Game, running from 10 March to the end of May. Shoppers at participating retailers can play by entering the Giant Code printed inside specially marked Nutrisoda four-packs. Entries can be made either online at <<1>,">www.nutrisoda.com/giant]<1>, or by using a mailed entry form. Product range The Nutrisoda line comprises eight low-cal, vitamin and mineral-enhanced sparkling beverages: Immune, Renew, Radiant, Calm, Focus, Flex, Energize and Slender. The drinks are made with natural fruit flavours, natural colours and water “filtered four times for extra purity”. Ardea was founded by Joe Heron, who launched Nutrisoda in 2003. The business was acquired by PepsiAmericas, the second biggest US Pepsi bottler, at the beginning of 2006. <1>: http://www.nutrisoda.com/giant

*Greek food group Vivartia has signed a deal to buy US biscuit and snacks producer Nonni's for $320 million (€208 million) as part of its expansion plans. * Vivartia, which has operations in 30 countries - including Greece, Mexico, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Egypt, Poland, Romania and Russia - said it has agreed to buy 100% of Nonni's from US private equity firm Wind Point Partners and Nonni's board members in a deal expected to be completed by 1 April. "The technical knowhow offered by the company in combination with its broadened network and commercial potential make Nonni's a suitable platform to expand in the US," said Vivartia CEO Spyros Theodoropoulos. Nonni's offers six production units in the United States and reported 2007 EBITDA of $32 million (€21 million) on sales of $187 million (€122 million). The Greek food group, 84.6% held by Marfin Investments Group MIGr AT, earns about 30% of total revenues from foreign operations, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe.

Today Nestlé announced the establishment of the Chocolate Centre of Excellence, the company's first R&D facility entirely dedicated to the development of premium and luxury chocolate. The new centre will be located at Nestlé's chocolate factory in Broc (Switzerland), will be operational in the first half of 2009 and will bring together both internal and external know-how of international chocolate-making professionals such as top confiseurs, sensory experts and packaging designers. The project launch was attended by Nestlé Switzerland Marketing Head Roland Decorvet and Beat Vonlanthen, Minister of Economic Affairs of the Canton of Fribourg. Petraea Heynike, Global Head of Nestlé's Chocolate Strategic Business Unit, and Klaus Zimmermann, Global Head of Nestlé's R&D and Product Technology Centers, also attended. The establishment of the new Chocolate Centre of Excellence is a further sign that Nestlé sees luxury and premium products as one of its key strategic areas with above-average growth and profit potential over the coming years. In confectionery, the strong growth of dark and premium chocolate is the most visible sign of "premiumisation", as witnessed by strong brands such as Cailler, Perugina, Baci and Nestlé Noir. It also explains Nestlé's partnership with Belgian luxury chocolatier Pierre Marcolini who will provide inspiration to the team in Broc for some of the company's future chocolate ranges.

*Aquafina Alive adds more functionality to PepsiCo's hydration portfolio with reformulated nutrient enhanced waters. * PepsiCo believes consumers are looking for great tasting beverages and they're seeking more functionality from their enhanced waters. To provide for consumer needs the company has introdued four reformulated versions of its Aquafina Alive Nutrient Enhanced Water Beverage lineup, including a new option with 10% of the daily recommended value (DV) of fibre. – Aquafina Alive Satisfy (10 calorie peach mango, with 10% DV of fiber) is one of the only waters on the market with a significant amount of fibre to help lightly fill you up. – Aquafina Alive Protect (calorie free Berry Pomegranate, with 10% DV of Vitamins E and C) contains beneficial antioxidants that help protect the body from free radicals. – Aquafina Alive Energize (calorie free orange lime, with caffeine, 10% DV of Vitamin B) is enhanced with about as much caffeine as an average cup of coffee. – Aquafina Alive Hydrate (calorie free lemon, with electrolytes, sodium and potassium) is enhanced with electrolytes to replenish the nutrients an active body loses throughout the day. "These beverages build on Aquafina's heritage, adding the relevant benefits of nutrients and delicious flavours - delivering the multitasking enhanced water consumers seek," said Aquafina Vice President Ahad Afridi. Aquafina Alive will also feature new label graphics, designed to clearly convey flavour, benefits and ingredients in a clean, simple way that brings the new flavours to life.

*Canadian drinks manufacturer Cott, which has struggled with flagging sales of carbonated beverages, has now developed Fortifido - a line of flavoured vitamin water for dogs. * The move will allow the company to tap the lucrative pet industry in the US valued at $40 billion. Fortified with calcium and zinc, Fortifido is sold in four flavours - peanut butter, spearmint, zinc and lemongrass. The drinks are touted for bone strengthening and healthy skin properties.

There have been protests from anti-drug campaigners in the US over a new energy drink called Blow. The drink comes in the form of a white powder, which is intended to be added to water or other beverages. Opponents claim that it's more like fake cocaine. The fact that 'blow' also happens to be street slang for cocaine is not the biggest objection. The critics are still more concerned about the packaging and presentation of Blow. The product website features showgirls in skimpy costumes against a background of heavy metal music. Blow Energy Drink Mix is described as “Pure uncut energy”. Online ordering options include 12 phials of Blow in an expanded polystyrene 'brick' that resembles a block of cocaine. There’s also a 'Stash Box Sampler Pack' and a 'Recreational User Pack'. Special promotional packs mailed out by the Las Vegas-based producer even include a mirror and Blow 'credit card'. The background behind Blow In reality, Blow gets its kick from familiar energy drink ingredients: Taurine, caffeine and carnitine, with a dash of kola nut extract and B vitamins. But US authorities fear the powder will encourage consumers to seek out “the real thing". The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has written to Blow founder Logan Gola, ordering him to change his marketing platform. The FDA also noted that Blow itself could be classed a drug “intended to affect the structure or function of the body”, and had not been officially cleared for sale. The agency made similar warning noises last year when another Las Vegas company, Redux Beverages, launched a carbonated energy drink explicitly branded as Cocaine. However, Cocaine is still on the market. Blow boss Gola was unrepentant. In an interview with cable TV network CN8, he defended the drink’s “tongue in cheek” presentation, adding: “Our product is marketed 100% towards adults. It’s an adult beverage product ... We’re very careful not to target anyone under the age of 18.” Gola claimed the powder was already stocked by about 1,400 stores across the country, in addition to online sales. According to the company, Blow may also go on sale shortly in Europe. “We've received a tremendous amount of inquiries from the UK, and are actively speaking to potential distributors,” a spokesperson told Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper. “We're in the process of getting approved in the Netherlands, which will give us entry into most of the European Union.”