*Alpenmilch, Austria’s fifth largest dairy company has launched a new website - www.milch.com. * The website presents a modern new image for the Salzburg dairy company. Visitors can find details of the company’s range of dairy products, together with nutrient details. A Gastro section includes recipes using many of the dairy company’s products. And there is an added bonus for visitors to the website – the chance to win a range of prizes.

*Three million visitors to the Tower of London can now enjoy the delights of Beechdean Dairies’ Farmhouse Dairy ice cream now that work to the Well Tower Kiosk has been completed and the unit is back in use. * The kiosk had been redundant for some time but after a complete facelift it is back in operation and Beechdean ice cream is now being sold to visitors from all over the world who enjoy this popular historic attraction in the heart of London. In addition the Jewel Kiosk within the grounds of the Tower also stocks Beechdean ice cream, made from Jersey milk and double cream from Beechdean’s own dairy herd.

French Health Minister, Roselyne Bachelot, has rejected calls for a higher tax on foods considered to be unhealthy. A French parliamentary report released on Tuesday outlined 70 proposals for tackling obesity, including a controversial “junk food tax” that would increase the tax applied to certain food products. It would result in high fat, high sugar and high salt foods commanding a VAT (Value Added Tax) of almost 20%, well above the current 5.5% level. Ms Bachelot cited concerns of the impact of such a tax on lower socio-economic groups and suggested that any health plan “should not go in that direction”. The other issue would be the implementation of such a scheme, as there can be a grey area with some foods as to their true nutritional benefit. For example, high fat doesn’t necessarily mean the food is unhealthy, as there are a number of healthy fats considered important in the human diet. Additionally, would a food with medium fat, sugar and salt levels avoid the tax while a product high in fat but low in sugar and salt be subject to the higher tax? The suggestion of lowering the VAT, from 5.5% to just over 2%, for fruit and vegetables was also mooted, with Ms Bachelot not ruling out the idea being considered at some stage in the future. * *

According to a CNN report, lawyers said they had not heard of any other civil lawsuit being filed in response to the melamine contamination. The parents of the sick infant, who is still being treated at Beijing Children's Hospital, is seeking 150,000 Yuan (£12,340 or $21,904) in compensation from the dairy company, and this amount could rise. Last month, Sanlu Group admitted that, during a self-check, it found that some of its baby milk powder products were contaminated by tripolycyanamide (melamine).

US ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s is introducing a cleaner, greener freezer for testing in the US, with the hope that it will eventually be approved for long-term use. The company announced the launch of a pilot project testing hydrocarbon-based freezers, which present great environmental benefits by minimising the freezer’s impact on global warming. For years, the Vermont ice cream maker has pursued alternatives to greener freezers. The company feels the time is right for a new kind of cool, though getting to this point hasn’t been easy. “This is an important step for our business which we hope will clearly demonstrate that a more environmentally friendly refrigeration technology can work in the US market,” said Ben & Jerry’s CEO, Walt Freese. “The technology is commonplace in Europe with literally millions of home and commercial units in place.” “We’ve been working on getting better refrigeration technology into our distribution networks in the US since 2001, and more specifically on hyrdrocarbon freezing for the past year,” said engineer Pete Gosselin. For now, the efforts from the team – including Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever, Greenpeace and others – can claim moderate success with approximately 50 freezers this autumn, with approval to test up to 2,000 freezers over the next few years. “This climate-safe freezer will keep pints of Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia as cold as ever, but it's also going to help cool our planet,” said Greenpeace USA Executive Director, John Passacantando. “With hurricanes intensifying, tropical disease spreading, sea levels rising, and polar bears going extinct, we need to make sure that what cools our ice cream, drinks and homes isn’t also melting the ice caps.” The freezer green team launched the kick-off to the programme in Washington DC at the Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop in Georgetown, with Ben & Jerry’s co-founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, and CEO Walt Freese, Greenpeace USA ED John Passacantando and Solutions Director Amy Larkin as well as Unilever Global Project Leader Alan Gerrard, who has championed the placement of the same freezers throughout the world. The technology is currently allowed in every country except the US.

*Canada’s Big Earth Brands has launched Vital Action Performance Water (VAPW), a low-calorie aqua plus drink targeting athletes and those looking to enhance their sports performance. * Each VAPW offers a mix of vitamins and active ingredients that target immunity, energy, stamina and recovery. For example, some drinks contain ginseng (to promote alertness) or arginine (that enhances blood flow and prepares the body for exercise. VAPW is the first in the niche market of performance waters to use Fruit Up Premium, an innovative sweetening system made from a blend of clear fruit such as apples and grapes. The company claims the sweetener’s extremely low glycaemic index is a more sustainable fuel, allowing athletes to perform longer eat a higher level. VAPW is offered in seven bold colours with corresponding flavours for visual flavour identification: red (cherry); orange (orange); purple (grape); Green (grape); White (lemonade); Pink (strawberry); and Yellow (tropical fruits). At 45 calories a serving, VAPW is lower than the other leading vitamin waters.

John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, appears in his first TV commercial to help promote Country Life butter as part of a £5m relaunch campaign for the brand. Created by Grey London, the ad follows the former Sex Pistols lead vocalist as he seeks to explore what attracts him to the brand. Lydon reckons it’s because Country Life is a British product, but after a hazardous journey across Britain, in which he’s chased by a herd of cows and perturbed by Morris dancers, Lydon realises that the taste of Country Life is the reason why it’s his butter of choice. * *

Heinz has taken the "precautionary measure" of recalling 270 cases of the Heinz Intelligence Many Many Vegetable Cereal baby food, sold in Hong Kong. According to the Heinz website, the recall is "being initiated in conjunction with the Hong Kong authorities". All other Heinz varieties were found to be free of melamine following widespread testing. Only one Heinz variety is affected with trace levels and is being recalled as a precautionary measure. This variety represents less than 1% of Heinz’s baby food sales in Hong Kong.

*Hall & Woodhouse, an independent brewer, pub operator and soft drinks brand owner, has selected Drink-IT from K3, the UK’s largest provider of Microsoft Dynamics, to provide a fully integrated finance, sales, production and property system to meet the company’s expansion plans. * Hall & Woodhouse has grown Badger bottled ales tenfold in the last decade to over 10% market share, and its pub estate has grown to more than 250. The implementation is scheduled for the start of early 2009. Hall & Woodhouse will be able to deliver immediate cost savings of around £80,000 a year on associated third party products and services that will no longer be required. Steve Lacey, Group Head of IT at Hall & Woodhouse, said: “The new system will provide us with a new starting point from which we can develop our next generation of computer systems in support of the business in the medium and long term.” There has been significant investment over the last five years in the company’s technical infrastructure and business solutions. The next stage for Hall & Woodhouse is to create an integrated applications platform which can deliver immediate benefits and also be flexible and responsive enough to help meet the growing demands placed on the company. K3 has extensive experience within the drinks industry having successfully delivered solutions for a number of regional brewers, including Caledonian Brewing Co Ltd, Frederic Robinson Ltd and Everards Brewery Limited.

The sleek, resealable bottles feature a wide, 38mm opening that provides a smooth flow, are quick to chill and are 100% recyclable. The Miller Lite aluminium pint will be tested throughout much of the Midwest and South through the end of the year. Sold as part of a nine-pack, it's intended for off-premise retailers, with a focus on convenience stores. In addition to beer, the lightweight Alumi-Tek bottle can be used for a wide variety of beverages, such as carbonated soft drinks, juices, energy drinks, and beverages requiring retort processing. Ball leverages its two-piece aluminium beverage can manufacturing expertise to produce the Alumi-Tek bottle because the manufacturing technology for both packages is similar. The bottles have the same high-quality graphics found on cans and are decorated with the same printing process. Both 12oz and 16oz bottles are manufactured at Ball's aluminium beverage can plant in Monticello, Indiana.

Owens most recently moved into second place on the NFL touchdown receptions list and was elected a captain of the Dallas Cowboys for the 2008 season. "We're excited that the best wide receiver in the NFL has joined our team," said Randy Gier, chief marketing officer of Dr Pepper Snapple Group. As his first official order of business, Owens will call on Venom Energy's parent company – Dr Pepper Snapple Group – to support his charitable foundation, Catch a Dream, which provides food, clothing, shelter and proper resources to 81 underprivileged families. Through March 2009, Dr Pepper Snapple Group will donate money to Catch a Dream for every bottle of Venom sold. Owens will participate in Venom Energy promotion and marketing campaigns, including attendance at sponsored events and on in-store merchandising materials.

**International industry leaders gathered in Wiesbaden near Frankfurt for the annual Global Bottled Water Congress organised by Zenith International in association with Water Innovation magazine.** Sponsored by Bericap, Döhler, Luso, NSF, Seaquist Closures and Simei, the event included a conference with the theme 'Motivating consumers'; plant tours to Gerolsteiner, Bericap and Döhler; a Flavoured and functional focus day; retail outlet visits; and a gala dinner featuring the presentation of the Water Innovation Awards. The event began on 22 September with a series of retail outlet visits arranged by Coca-Cola GmbH. Delegates were also able to visit the Gerolsteiner Brunnen GmbH & Co KG plant. Established in 1888, the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. It produces Germany’s leading water brand and is the country’s largest exporter, distributing its products to 42 countries worldwide. A tour of the Doehler GmbH plant at Darmstadt was also a highlight of the first day, as well as a briefing by Seaquist Closures and a welcome reception. Motivating consumers Day two featured the main conference, entitled 'Motivating consumers', and the elegant Friedrich von Thiersch Saal in Wiesbaden’s famous Kurhaus played host to a packed programme with speakers from all over the world. Zenith International Chairman Richard Hall welcomed delegates, and before proceedings could begin, invited Dr Peter Traumann, CEO of Gerolsteiner Brunnen, onto the stage for the presentation of a large cake to celebrate Gerolsteiner’s 120th birthday. Dr Traumann then gave the opening address in a session entitled 'Renewing momentum in Europe', looking at the German market. Considering the “still water opportunity in a sparkling market” was the theme for Christine Siemssen, General Manager of Danone Waters Deutschland GmbH. Volker Büttel, Marketing Director – Water for Coca-Cola GmbH, then discussed 'Awakening the sleeping beauty: The successful relaunch of Apollinaris'. Thomas Hilche, Technical Director of Genossenschaft Deutscher Brunnen, looked at 'Reusable packaging in Germany: Ecology and economics'. The session closed with a period of questions and discussion. The second session of the morning looked at international market development and began with Zenith International Chairman Richard Hall examining the “latest global market developments and leading company positions”. The keynote address: 'Meeting consumer needs, hopes and concerns' was given by Wolfgang Pasewald, Senior Vice President – Europe of Nestlé Waters. Lunch was followed by a look at the 'BRIC countries: Growth engines', and featured sessions including: 'Emerging sophistication in Brazil' with Cristiane Mocellin, Non-Executive Director of Aguas Ouro Fino; 'Russia: Drivers for rapid expansion' with Marc Schroeder, Business Development Director for Pepsi Bottling Group/PepsiCo JV Russia; and 'India: Premium opportunity for good sources' with Pradeep Poddar, MD of Mount Everest Mineral Water Ltd, part of Tata Enterprises. A session entitled 'Environmental action' featured three speakers: Barbara Chung of Fiji Water looked at 'Creating a truly sustainable business'; Sally Stanley, Marketing Director of Highland Spring Ltd considered the challenge of 'Maintaining consumer trust under media spotlight'; and Nextek Pty Ltd MD Edwards Kosior discussed 'Lightweighting and recycling for bottled water'. The day ended with the Water Innovation Awards gala dinner at the Kurhaus Colonades. Flavoured and functional focus Day three of the Congress was devoted to a flavoured and functional focus, beginning with two speakers: Douglas Lamont, MD of This Water for Innocent Drinks, who discussed the natural evolution from smoothies to This Water in the UK; and Ulf Spendrup, Vice CEO of Spendrups Bryggeri, which looked at the incremental opportunity for Loka flavoured water in Sweden. Four functional case studies then followed. Martin Chalk, co-founder or Australia’s Balance Water, presented 'Flower essences: Function without requiring flavour'; Nuño Ferreira Pires, Innovation Director and Head of Water and Soft Drinks Business Unit for Sociedade Central de Cervejas y Bebidas in Portugal looked at 'Luso for weight management and intestinal health'; Colin Bloom, Director of South African-based Aqua Bimini discussed the success of anti-ageing water; and Anthony Newman, MD of UK-based Extreme Drinks presented 'Aqua Vitamins: No artificial anything'. After lunch, there were two global insight briefings. The first was from Zenith International Market Intelligence Director Gary Roethenbaugh on 'Flavoured and functional water market trends worldwide'; and the second was on 'Ethical and environmental initiatives' from Carbon Action Plan Partnership Chief Executive Ian Hall. For further information about this, or other Zenith International events, visit www.zenithinternational.com or call +44 1225 327900.