The Silver Spring Mineral Water Company in England, is supporting the Subaru World Rally Team (SWRT) at the forefront of the 2008 World Rally Championship as an official partner of SWRT. SWRT drivers Chris Atkinson and Petter Solberg together with mechanics and team officials have Silver Spring leading brands – Perfectly Clear, Virgin Cola, Torque and Pulsar – on hand providing the very best in hydration technology. "Rallying is a physical sport and very tough, especially on events like Mexico and Argentina where the temperature inside the car gets towards 30 degrees Celsius" said Chris Atkinson. "It's essential to keep yourself hydrated to be able to perform at your peak for the whole rally, so it's very important to have drinks on hand throughout." The World Rally Championship began in Monte Carlo in January and will finish November with Wales Rally GB. Silver Spring has signed a two year agreement as an official partner to the team. Silver Spring Sales Director Andrew McAdam said: "We are thrilled to be working with one of the best rally teams in the world helping to refresh the drivers and technical team during the gruelling rally season. "The team will be travelling all over the world and racing in real extremes of temperature, terrain and weather conditions. I'm sure the final rally of the season in the UK will provide an exciting finish to a hotly contested manufacturers and drivers championship. Silver Spring will be with the SWRT every step of the way." The Subaru World Rally Team is currently second in the Manufacturers Championship with 25 points. In the Drivers Championship Chris Atkinson is currently in third place and Petter Solberg in sixth. The fourth round – Rally Argentina – finished on 30 March, with Atkinson achieving a personal best taking second place. McAdam adds: "The SWRT will soon depart for the Rally Jordan, which takes place between 24 and 27 April. We wish them the very best of luck."

Badoit marketing campaign focuses on fizz and fun Danone Waters France has recently launched a publicity campaign for the popular French water Badoit which tells a tale of friendship, free expression and good spirits. In fact, the premium sparkling water is being marketed as something so light and bubbly that a group of friends sharing the beverage in a TV advertisement are lifted from the ground into a horizontal dance against the walls of a house. The storyline for the advertisement focuses on key elements relating to the success of Badoit water such as the water’s traditional place at the table for fine dining, its sought after properties as a light digestive aid and refreshing effervescent taste These elements are combined in the ad showing friends sitting around a large table, enjoying good food, laughter and friendship. Badoit has created a youthful, fun and vibrant feel to the campaign in tune with its target consumer group of young, affluent adults. The brand owners chose talented young people like New York filmmaker Michele Civetta to direct the ad and popular French singer and comedienne Adrienne Pauly to provide the soundtrack. The screen marketing campaign has been created with support from the Paris branch of BETC Euro RSCG, the world’s fifth largest advertising agency. The TV ad is running in conjunction with an on pack ‘Have fun with Badoit’ promotion which offers customers the chance to win one of 20 weekend breaks at villas in tourist locations in France so that they can organise their own Badoit style get-togethers. The scheme runs until 30 April 2008. Badoit recently introduced its water in a 75cl PET bottle format in a green tint and green coloured labelling which is being sold mostly as a multipack of four bottles in retail outlets. For horeca channels, a glass 50cl bottle with a red label was added last year to the existing 1 litre glass format.

SABMiller – the world's biggest brewer, and one of the biggest Coca-Cola bottlers outside the US – said yesterday (16 April) that group sales grew about 16% in the year to 31 March. In a trading update issued ahead of its formal results on 15 May, the company said that growth was driven by price increases and mix improvements, which had offset higher input costs. “The underlying performance of the group has been good, and was at the upper end of management’s expectations,” SABMiller’s statement continued. “The results have benefited from successful revenue management and enhanced productivity, as well as favourable exchange rates in some of our major countries.” Lager volumes in Latin America were up 5% over the year, although growth was “subdued” in the fourth quarter, following mid-teen growth in the comparative period of 2007. Europe recorded full-year organic growth of 8%, with “satisfactory” gains in the last quarter despite a particularly strong performance in Q4 the previous year, which benefited from good weather. Pricing and mix improvements boosted revenue. * Harsh weather in China* In North America, Miller’s domestic sales to retailers (STRs) were 3.1% up after adjustment for one extra trading day in the current year, and were up 0.7% on an organic adjusted basis. Africa and Asia delivered organic growth of 15% in lager volumes for the year. Organic growth in China was depressed by harsh weather conditions in the fourth quarter, and significant price increases, as well as comparison with more than 30% growth in the same period of 2007. Organic growth in India was almost 20% for the year. Lager volumes across Africa (excluding Zimbabwe) were up 6% – although South Africa Beverages’ volumes were flat after the loss of a licensed premium brand. Sales by ABI, South Africa’s biggest producer of soft drinks, were hit by CO2 shortages in the last quarter. However, ABI’s volume of Coca-Cola and other fizzy and still drinks was still 4% up over the full year.

Nestlé has launched its first chilled on the go latte brand – Nesfrappé – to drive the increasingly popular ready to drink market. Nesfrappé is a refreshing chilled latte drink made with fresh semi skimmed milk and 100% Arabica coffee. Sold in 250ml bottles and in two tasty varieties – Classic Chilled Latte and Mocha Chilled Latte – the product is targeted at the younger adult consumer (18-35) grabbing drinks on the go. To appeal to this market on the go merchandising is key, so the product will be found in the front of store sandwich fridges, travel outlets and convenience stores. The company says it is very excited about the launch. “Consumer feedback for has been impressively positive, so we believe we have developed a strong brand and a fantastic, quality product that people will develop a taste for.” By launching the new product, Nestlé aims to drive interest in the existing RTD beverage segment and an alternative to the chilled on the go offerings of high street coffee chains. The company claims the product offers great taste and the guarantee of quality derived from Nestlé’s heritage and position as the world’s leading coffee producer. The launch is being supported with an extensive integrated marketing campaign.

*Long recognised as being some of the world’s most passionate and vocal music fans, Scotland’s loyal gig-going public is set to shout even louder with the launch of The Tennent’s Mutual – a brave new music venture developed by Tennent’s Lager. * In a bold move, Tennent’s will empower and enable music fans to shape the live music landscape with a start-up fund of £150,000. Fans will be allowed the unique power to decide democratically and collectively exactly how this money is invested, ultimately creating The Tennent’s Mutual live programme, which will begin in October / November 2008. Founding members will select artists, debate locations for gigs and call the shots on ticket prices by interacting as a community and voting for their preferences online – ultimately creating new and affordable access to live music in Scotland. Those who sign up before 30 June on to www.tennentsmutual.com will be given founder member status and the right to vote on the ‘who, what, why, where?’ of all decisions. The Tennent’s Mutual is a not-for-profit enterprise – no booking fees will be charged for The Tennent’s Mutual shows and ticket income will be ploughed back into its central fund, creating a self-generating amount that will grow and continue to create yet more live events. Figures from across the music spectrum have come on board with The Tennent’s Mutual to offer music fans their counsel on a voluntary basis on all aspects of programming, including Rolling Stones svengali Andrew Loog Oldham, Babyshambles axe-master Drew McConnell, journalist and broadcaster Keith Cameron, former Scots chart-topper and Stow college music guru Ken McCluskey (The Bluebells), plus local label champions Stewart Henderson (Chemikal Underground) and Johnny Lynch (The Fence Collective). Tennent’s ambition for this wholly original initiative is to establish an alternative model for sustainable live music provision, which gives gig-goers genuine control. The ethos behind the The Tennent’s Mutual initiative represents a radical departure that is reflective of the current zeitgeist. Aware of crucial shifts taking place in both the industry and in music consumption, Tennent’s commissioned a nationwide census of fans – the largest ever held – to listen to their desires and opinions on where change should be considered and why. 13,000 people were interviewed and the results were clear: it was time for something new, something that fans could interact with and directly influence: • 99% felt that the Scottish music scene needs ‘something different’ • 94% of fans find out about new music through the internet • 98% would be interested in having more bearing on the development of live music in Scotland. In parallel to this groundswell, The Tennent’s Mutual was created to work to uniquely empower the music fan more than they ever have been before, acting in their interest. “There’s absolutely nothing else out there like The Tennent’s Mutual,” said George Kyle, Head of Sponsorship at Tennent’s Lager, “but the ethos behind it definitely reflects what music fans want right now. Who knows what gigs will happen and where – the point is that it’s up to the fans to decide, which is a tremendously exciting step. Ultimately, we want people the length and breadth of Scotland to get involved in a great music debate and for their collective viewpoint to be heard as loudly as possible. “From our perspective, The Tennent’s Mutual is fresh, creative and most importantly, very different to anything that we have done in the past,” continued Kyle. “We’ve been committed to music in Scotland for many years and we knew that the time was right not just to continue our level of investment but to challenge ourselves to really innovate and push past traditional boundaries. “It has been increasingly important to us to work with the people that really matter – the fans – meaning that it was simply not enough to present something that was a finished product, set-in stone to them. We can’t wait to see how things will evolve in the coming months.” The launch of The Tennent’s Mutual has sparked interest from fans and industry alike. Stewart Henderson of Glasgow-based record label, Chemikal Underground, said: “Generally speaking music has gone digital and you can't put the genie back in the bottle. This is a total watershed time that we're living in at the moment. It will change things completely – irreversibly.” He continued, “What Tennent’s has done is it has effectively set itself up as a patron. It’s a positive thing as it allows things to happen that may not have otherwise.” Music fan Evan Crichton (27) from Glasgow attends gigs more than twice a week. He feels that The Tennent’s Mutual is a concept he can get involved with: “I love going to gigs as often as I can and I’d like to have more influence over who actually comes to play in my city. It would be brilliant to be able to chat to people who are also as passionate about music as me and to feel like you were working together to direct the Scottish music scene in some way.” To be a part of The Tennent’s Mutual, please log on to www.tennentsmutual.com. The opportunity to become one of the first founding members, which allows the right to vote, is available until 30 June.

*UK based contract bottler Fonthill Water has launched a new 13.5 litre one-way Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) cooler bottle. The new size is the latest in a line of one-way PET products from the bottler, the first company in the UK to break into this one trip market for the water cooler industry. The new size bottle stands alongside 7, 10 and 15 litre versions already in production. * Working with partner Drinks Brokers, Fonthill is offering the one-way bottles to the retail industry, and has already signed up supermarket giant Asda and office suppliers Viking to take the bottles. Speaking about the one-way bottles, Director Jonathan Brown commented: “We have taken a considered punt on the potential growth of the one trip bottle in the UK, looking at the example already set in Europe and the United States. “The bottles really appeal to retailers who can now offer customers a water cooler machine, sanitisation kits and bulk water all in one place,” he added. The new bottles have led to Fonthill making a large-scale investment in a new blow moulding machine direct from Italy, which is where the preforms are sourced from too. The new 13.5 litre size also benefits from being more environmentally friendly than the smaller 7 litre size as it uses the same amount of plastic but contains more water. Fonthill is currently producing around 3,000 of its 15 litre size one-way bottles per week and is expecting demand to grow, especially with the new size bottle. “Along with the retail channel, this system could be well suited to distributors with clients in remote locations, such as oil rigs, ships and so on as this nil-deposit system would be a great solution,” Jonathan continued. * Opening up the market* Although the one-way bottles are available at a higher cost to distributors in the short term, they could offer a different route to market for the residential sector and small business set-ups. But it could be a challenge to change the somewhat conservative nature of the water cooler industry. “We are attempting to open up the market,” he stated. “The residential sector is still the holy grail for distributors in this industry. But we have been trying to squeeze these home-based customers into our traditional methods of rentals and deposits, when perhaps we need a new and more varied approach.” Simon Hardy, who founded Justeau around two years ago, took inspiration from the US market where the cooler market has seen a shift from a traditional rental model to a purchase model across large home stores, such as Costco and Home Depot. “A lot of commercial and residential customers in the US and Canada are opting for this model of purchasing one-way bottles and coolers in one go. There is even growing availability of returning bottles for rinsing and refilling at the stores,” he commented. Justeau offers a range of quality water coolers sourced from China, all available to purchase for under £80 alongside the one-way bottles of spring water from Fonthill. “We initially worked with Ebac and now with Fonthill and launched 18 months ago, firstly with wholesale retailers Makro and Booker, plus trials with Costco. “We then became involved with office suppliers Viking, who have a huge small to medium enterprise client base, as well as supplying to wholesale distributors Spicers and Kingfield Heath.” Justeau has also developed a special handle for the bottle for ease of carrying and a cleaning kit tested and endorsed by a leading micro-biologist. The coolers, bottles and kits are now also available in the Asda Wal-Mart supermarket chain. “From reviewing who registers their cooler for warranty purposes, we have seen that around 40% of our business is now in the residential market.” Simon continued: “Our business is growing significantly and we know it’s a dynamic market. We sold close to 20,000 coolers last year and around 150,000 of the 15 litre one-way bottles. We hope to sell a further 100,000 bottles in 2008. We are now working very closely with Fonthill to boost sales potential.” * Southern roots* Fonthill is a pure English spring water from a historic protected source, found deep in the hills surrounding the 7,000 acre Fonthill-Bishop Estate in Wiltshire, South West England. The water is naturally filtered through limestone rock before emerging from modern boreholes close to the Penning and Berwick Wells. The company has been trading for seven years, with a range of customers from some of the big players to smaller, local distributors. Fonthill completed development of its new 16,000 sq ft filling hall, office and warehouse in spring 2007, fulfilling its goal to keep at the forefront of the contract bottling industry. It now has an annual capacity of around 40 million litres and filling speed of 500 bottles per hour. “It’s important to make long-term investments in this industry,” Jonathan concluded. “With our enlarged team and premises we are now looking forward to providing the highest levels of customer service to our clients over the busy summer period and beyond.” *History in a bottle - the fool of Fonthill * Notable amongst Victorian eccentrics was William Beckford, sometimes know as the ‘Fool of Fonthill’ after his Wiltshire folly home which he tried to make into a rival to Salisbury Cathedral. William Beckford was the son of a wealthy English plantation owner who, in 1771, inherited £1,000,000 at the age of just ten (almost £320,000,000 in today’s amounts). The newspapers of the time described him as “the richest commoner in England”. The flamboyant Beckford lived alone in his abbey and used only one of its bedrooms. His kitchens prepared food for 12 every day although he always dined alone and sent other meals away afterwards. He entertained guests only once, in 1800, when Admiral Horatio Nelson and Lady Hamilton visited the Abbey. He lived in the abbey until 1822 when he began to lose his fortune. The main tower collapsed for the last time in 1825 and the rest of the abbey was later demolished. Only a gatehouse and a small remnant of the north wing remain to this day. \_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\\_\_\_|\_ Does your bottling plant have a story to tell? Let us know at

*The European Commission is opening up negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) between the EU and key economic partners. This is good news for the food and drinks industry, but bad news for counterfeiters who has so far managed to get away with operating their illegal business relatively carefree. * Counterfeiting and tampering is a major issue for the food industry, as it can undermine consumer trust, lead to market share loss and cost a company a fortune in marketing; more importantly, though, it can put consumers' lives and health at risk. One only has to mention the 2004 infant formula tragedy in China to understand the serious consequences of the global counterfeit food threat can have. This is why the International Trademark Association (INTA) and The International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) have welcomed news by the Council of Ministers of the mandate authorizing the European Commission to open negotiations on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) between the EU and key economic partners, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and New Zealand. In October 2007, the United States, European Union, Japan, South Korea, Mexico and New Zealand announced that they had reached a tentative agreement on a framework for a new multi-lateral agreement intended to establish a stronger set of common standards for intellectual property enforcement among their countries. Following several months of internal discussions among European Union Member States, it was announced on April 14 that an agreement has finally been reached which will allow negotiations to start in earnest. The agreement will help government and authorities to tackle this important economical problem, that has for so long been considered as a 'soft crime' and difficult to penalise. INTA and ICC's BASCAP had recently called for the negotiations on the new anti-counterfeiting agreement to begin as soon as possible and thus warmly welcome this announcement. "We are very pleased to see the speed with which ACTA is moving forward and is being embraced by those seated at the European Union's negotiating table. The actions outlined in this agreement have the potential to significantly raise the profile and the protection of trademarks and we are optimistic to see it become a reality," said INTA Executive Director Alan C Drewsen. ICC Secretary General Guy Sebban welcomed the progress announced by the negotiating parties but added some words of caution: "In order to be relevant, ACTA must deliver significant improvements over existing multilateral guidelines by establishing stronger international standards for government performance on intellectual property enforcement." A trans-national crime that has been described as "more profitable than heroin...easier than photo-copying...and with penalties like jay-walking", counterfeiting is widespread with a CIPR survey (2002) of Moscow's counterfeit market revealing 48% of the 3000 inspected retail premises to carry fake goods. According to a report by Gieschen Consultancy, $8.5 million (€5.3 million) worth of counterfeited food and alcohol products were seized worldwide during the first half of 2005. However, due to logistical issues, many products remain local rather than exported which means that the number of items seized by customs may not reflect the true size of the problem. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) survey lists Turkey as the main source of fake food and beverages (accounting for 18%), followed by China (16%), Singapore (12%), Hungary (7%) and Tunisia (6%). The report found kiwis, conserved vegetables, milk powder, butter, ghee, baby food, instant coffee, alcohol, drinks, confectionary and hi-breed corn seeds topped the list of counterfeited articles. Once fully ratified, ACTA would provide for stronger international coordination, agreement on the best enforcement practices and alignment on provisions of legal frameworks to ensure that adequate criminal, civil and border protection measures are in place.

Wonder why that can of Pepsi you are holding feels so familiar? Could be because it's been in your hand before. With at least 40% of the average aluminium can made from recycled material, PepsiCo is now using the cans themselves to spread the recycling message. The company’s 'Have we met before?' campaign is designed to communicate the benefits of aluminium can recycling, and encourage Pepsi consumers to make recycling part of their daily routine. Recycling facts and messages from the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) are being featured on about 500 million Pepsi cans and 250 million Diet Pepsi cans across the US every month. That's a total of seven billion cans by the end of the year. The ad value for the space on those cans is estimated to be worth between $35 million and $40 million. NRC Executive DirectorKate Krebs believes the initiative is well worth it. "Recycling is a small step everyone can take that will make a real difference for our planet," said Krebs. "Our research tells us that most people recycle, when they remember. That's why reminding people about the positive impact of simply recycling an aluminium can is so powerful.” "It's important for all of us – companies and individuals – to do our part, and recycling is one of the easiest ways to get involved," added Russell Weiner, Vice-President of Colas for Pepsi-Cola North America. "What better way to bring our Performance with Purpose mission to life, and remind people of the benefits of recycling, than by putting a message on the can itself, something that touches millions of people across the country every month?" "Have we met before?" recycling messages that will appear on Pepsi and Diet Pepsi cans over the coming months will include: * Recycling could save 95% of the energy used to make this can. * On average, aluminium cans produced in the US contain 40-50% recycled content. * The average person has the opportunity to recycle 25,000 cans in a lifetime. * Recycling a single aluminium can saves enough energy to power a TV for three hours. * Recycle this can and save enough energy to power a 100W light bulb for four hours.

"Several factors helped stimulate sales growth in 2007," said Tetra Pak president and CEO, Dennis Jönsson. "These include continued strong growth in emerging and fast growing markets, our focus on cost effective innovation and our strategy of working closely with our customers to enhance operational performance and develop total system solutions. Our goal is to grow in a socially responsible and sustainable way, in line with our corporate motto, 'Protects what’s good'." In 2007, Tetra Pak achieved double-digit sales growth in a number of fast-growing and emerging markets, such as India, Pakistan, Russia, Brazil, the Middle East and Latin America. China remains a significant, growing market for Tetra Pak. In 2007, Tetra Pak launched several new trademarked and registered products including: Tetra Gemina Aseptic package, Tetra Top Eifel 038 package, Recart, Tetra Rex TR/27 XH Extended Hygiene filling machine and Tetra Tebel OST 6 for cheese production.

*Innovia Films’ trademarked and biodegradable packaging material, NatureFlex, is helping a raw snack food company – Superfood Snacks – to fulfill its ideal for natural eco-friendly sustainable bags to package their first product, Chocolate Goji Treats. * The snack company sell nutritious superfoods and speciality ingredients, including Goji berries, Raw Cacao, Maca Root and sundried Vanilla Bean. Given that the company only uses pure, raw and organic fair trade ingredients in all their flavours of raw chocolate treats, Superfood Snacks Founder Adam Collins wanted the packaging to match what was on the inside. “Superfood Snacks felt that this special organic raw product needed packaging that was in alignment with the integrity of the company’s visions. One that was natural, sustainable and biodegradable was our goal. We invested extensive time and effort in developing this optimum pack and NatureFlex has fulfilled all our objectives. We are now considered the pioneers in sustainable printed packaging for food,” Collins explained. * NatureFlex NM* The bags have been created to ensure the product remains in perfect condition and are made from metallised NatureFlex laminated to high gloss transparent NatureFlex film. This creates the final structure to encase the snack. NatureFlex NM is a unique cellulose based film, manufactured from renewable wood pulp and metallised in-house. It is the only metallised biodegradable film suitable for home composting because the level of metal is so small – less than 0.02% – which slows the film’s degradation by a few days but does not interfere with its biodegradability otherwise. Modified coatings guarantees a high barrier that ensures the Chocolate Goji Treats remain in premium condition. In addition, NatureFlex also has good dimensional stability, inherent anti-static properties, is resistant to oils and greases while providing a good barrier to gases and aromas. The film has a high level of ink receptivity and can be printed using solvent based, water based or UV inks.

Global sales by The Coca-Cola Company rose 21% to $7.38 billion in the first quarter of 2008, driven by strong growth in international markets, Coke reported today (16 April). The company’s earnings were 19% up at $1.5 billion or $0.64 per share, including a $0.03 per share charge related to restructuring costs and asset write-downs. "We have begun 2008 successfully, with another solid quarter consistent with our overriding objective of creating long-term sustainable growth," said Chairman and Chief Executive Neville Isdell, who is due to hand over his CEO role to President and Chief Operating Officer Muhtar Kent in July. "Our system’s success in executing our strategies – from marketing and beverage innovation to effective execution at the point of sale – continues to drive our growth. Importantly, our growth was again balanced, proving our ability to manage our portfolio of brands and geographies over time to deliver results. “As Muhtar assumes executive leadership of our company, I am confident that the strategies and programmes that we together have put in place will continue to deliver long-term sustainable growth and value to our shareowners." Muhtar Kent added: “Our international business once again led the way, with both sparkling and still beverages contributing to our results. We do recognise there is still much more work to be done, especially in our flagship North America market with its challenging economic environment. "I remain optimistic about the progress we are making and committed to continued improvement in the execution of our strategies. Even in the face of a difficult macroeconomic climate, I believe that by continuing to collaborate with our bottling partners and maintaining an unrelenting focus on integrated consumer marketing and commercial and franchise leadership, we will achieve another successful year for The Coca-Cola Company." Coke’s total case volume increased 6% in the quarter, with acquisitions contributing 2 points of growth. International volume was up 7%, with double-digit growth in key emerging markets including China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, Eastern Europe and the Philippines. European Union volume increased only 3%, after double-digit growth in the first quarter of 2007. North American volume was flat, “reflecting the challenges in the US economy.”

Gate Gourmet UK & Ireland, an airline services provider, has successfully undertaken the highly complex task of commencing operations for three new customers in just two days. This new business will see Gate Gourmet servicing 63 more flights and providing approximately 15,000 extra meals every week. On 29 and 30 March, services for Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines and Air France were launched as a new service for Gate Gourmet's operations at Heathrow Airport. Conducting the start-ups in such close succession is virtually unprecedented in airline service provision. Between 25,000 and 42,000 components are required for each flight, so meticulous planning was required by almost 1,000 Gate Gourmet team members that worked in partnership with each airline to cater each new flight. Gate Gourmet UK & Ireland's strong start to 2008 follows two years of record growth, transforming the company into an increasingly efficient and innovative operation. In addition to signing multi-year contracts with the three carriers, Gate Gourmet has recently added Qatar Airways to its roster. This contract brings 28 long-haul flights per week to Heathrow, as well as seven long-haul flights per week to Gatwick. Gate Gourmet has also extended its contract with Cathay Pacific, covering 31 flights per week from Heathrow. The new contracts will equate to an annual increase of nearly two million onboard meals, taking the total number to over 42 million at Heathrow. Eric Born, Group SVP & President Europe West/South, said: "Delivering on these start-ups highlights the dedication and hard work of the Gate Gourmet team. The contract wins are also a testament to our competitive advantage based on efficiency, superior quality and innovation. Gate Gourmet is committed to delivering the highest standards of service to our customers, and we look forward to working with these airlines in the years ahead." Raymond Mulder, Regional Manager Catering Operations-Europe, Northwest Airlines, said: "Gate Gourmet is a highly innovative company with a full range of services that match our requirements. Northwest Airlines is delighted to be partnering with Gate Gourmet as we strive to offer our passengers the very best travelling experience."