As the first Northern Ireland dairy company to produce milk enriched with omega-3, Dale Farm continues to lead the way in product innovation with the launch of Mega Milk, the first local product to offer the additional benefits of omega-3. Representing a substantial investment, the new product is the result of extensive research and development, and responds to a growth in demand for functional dairy products along with a requirement for foods that offer added value and greater convenience. Ocean Nutrition Canada (ONC) has supplied the MEG-3 brand omega-3 EPA/DHA. Speaking about the new product, Dale Farm Head of Marketing, Brian Beattie, said: “As today’s pace of life continues to quicken, consumers increasingly want that quick health fix, and Mega Milk is the ideal solution as it offers a convenient and nutritious route to get even more out of milk. “Dale Farm has established a reputation within the dairy sector for being at the forefront of innovation and new product development. Mega Milk follows in the footsteps of two extremely successful products: The One milk and Dromona Probiotic Cheese. Both were firsts within the Northern Ireland consumer market, with the Probiotic Cheese a first throughout the UK and Ireland. We are extremely proud of these achievements and, as such, we are very excited about how Mega Milk will be received by consumers.” ONC Executive Vice President of Marketing, Ian Lucas, said: “We're very excited to be working with Dale Farm to launch the first product containing the MEG-3 ingredient in Ireland. Milk is such an important part of the diet and we believe it's a perfect fit with the MEG-3 omega-3 ingredient. As Dale Farm says, 'you get more out of milk with Mega Milk!'” Mega Milk not only contains added vitamins and nutrients but all the natural goodness and taste of fresh milk. Mega Milk is sold in one-litre cartons and is now available from all leading supermarkets. A major TV advertising campaign and supermarket sampling across Northern Ireland will support the product launch.

It's now easier for women on-the-go to grab a healthy powdered drink supplement with Protein.2Go packs – just add the protein powder to a water bottle, shake and enjoy. Protein.2Go flavours include Orange Mango, Pomegranate Fruit, French Vanilla and Double Chocolate. “Protein.2Go packs offer a nutritious snack and are perfect for women with hectic and busy lifestyles,” said David Jenkins, CEO for Designer Whey. "Protein.2Go packs come in innovative and colourful packaging designs. Each pack contains a great-tasting supplement that's easy to use and provides better hunger control while boosting your energy levels.” Whey protein builds and rebuilds the body’s muscles and bone. It also offers many unique health benefits for today’s on-the-go woman, including anti-ageing and weight-loss help. The revolutionary benefit of Designer Whey products is the utilization of Whey, a protein-rich liquid component of milk produced as a by-product of the cheese-making process. Whey protein has been called the ultimate functional food.

*Fonterra says the worsening drought situation could cost its dairy farmers as much as NZ$500 million by the time the season ends in May. * Chairman Henry van der Heyden says that the dry spell has already cost farmers about NZ$60 million in milk payout, and on-farm losses would continue to mount unless there is significant rainfall. “The weather is key. And every day without rain is hurting farmers, and will have a flow-on impact for local communities and the broader economy. This has really taken the shine off what should have been a fantastic season for our farmers, with a record payout. Farmers are facing up to some very real challenges, both in terms of lost cash flows and also in managing their farms with very little feed available.” Van der Heyden says Fonterra had forecast a 3% increase in milk supply for the 2007/08 season. However, the record dry summer over much of the country means season-to-date milk production is now falling below last year. “The dry spell is widespread and is hitting farmers hard in most parts of the country. On a daily basis compared to the last year, Waikato is down 27%, Bay of Plenty is down 21%, Taranaki is down 9% and Southland is down 1.5%. “Clearly, we’ll be right there with farmers hoping for rain. We've been looking into supplementary feed options and how we can support farmers and rural communities in other ways. But the stark reality is that there's a real feed shortage both in New Zealand and overseas. “While Fonterra is now facing something of a double whammy, of a drop in milk production and a Kiwi dollar close to US80 cents, we're holding to our forecast of a payout of $6.90 per kilogram of Milk Solids,” he says. Fonterra CEO Andrew Ferrier adds: “At this stage, we're also confident we can meet all our customers’ contracted orders, but supply is tight. Given our expectations of significantly reduced supply in New Zealand, we now find ourselves effectively booked up for the season. This is forcing us to advise customers that we may not be in a position to take all new orders for New Zealand supply."

*Appletiser, the 100% fruit juice drink with a touch of sparkle, is celebrating after becoming the fastest growing Adult Special Soft Drinks brand of 2007, with a +12.2% value growth increase across all channels. ** This unprecedented figure has been further cemented by figures which reveal Appletiser’s closest competitors are in decline by as much as -28.5%*. A combination of increased listings across retail, on premise and cold channels; the launch of well-targeted NPD and the roll-out of a strategic marketing plan has led to the brand now being worth over 25.8m retail sales value (RSV). Thanks to the brands’ governmental 5-a-Day accreditation, the Appletiser, Grapetiser and Peartiser 330ml cans are now listed in over 750 educational sites across the UK. The brand also continues to secure new listings within all retail channels, clocking up a staggering 14,000 new distribution outlets in 2007, including Tiger Tiger, Pizza Express and Superdrug. “The Appletiser brand is going from strength to strength,” said Andy Thompson, Appletiser Brand Manager. “We're thrilled to reign as the fastest growing Adult Special Soft Drink brand of 2007. This is testament to the brands’ focused marketing strategy centred on our 5-a-Day accreditation, and of course the launch of Peartiser, which further strengthened the brands’ growth. The summer ‘win a dream lunch’ on pack promotion also proved successful, increasing sales of the Appletiser brand by over 38% compared to the previous year in Grocery. “During 2008, the brand will continue to be heavily supported, up to the value of £6.8 million. We will continue to implement a single-minded marketing strategy to communicate Appletiser’s key product credentials, in particular 5-a-Day. This will consist of a year-long online and viral campaign, women’s print advertising, UK-wide sampling, implementation of a Buzz marketing programme and targeted PR activity. We expect that 2008 will continue the successes achieved in 2007, driving the brand towards being the drink of choice for 25-35 year old women looking for a great tasting, healthy and premium soft drink.” Source: AC Nielson 1 Dec 2007

The brand owner and trade distributor of Aqua Dosa has signed a professional distribution agreement for the high strength version of the sanitisation solution. According to Aqua Cure, the hydrogen peroxide based product is ideal for the water cooler industry, especially given its approval for use in public water supplies and Green Apple environmental award. The company is now planning to offer selected trade clients the solution at a 10% concentration in a 10 litre drum, instead of the standard concentration which is supplied in a 5 litre drum. The main differences between this and many other similar products are its stabiliser and activator capabilities. A very small concentration of colloidal silver is blended, but only activates the hydrogen peroxide when it is exposed to anything that shouldn’t be there, such as bugs or organic material. After all of the organic material has been oxidised, the substance returns to its role as a stabiliser for any remaining and non-reacted hydrogen peroxide in the lines, tank or systems being treated. In order to qualify for the product, Aqua Cure will request that any applying trader initially opts for the user pack, which explains how to handle the high strength solution. By measuring and introducing the correct amount, not only can the solution be administered quickly, it is also a much more cost effective means of purchasing, in both concentrated and bulk format. Once standard documentation from Aqua Cure’s technical department has been received and signed for, product supply can be discussed, along with the best means for measurement according to each individual cooler company. Within the Aqua Dosa range, Aqua Cure offers measuring bottles or dispenser and delivery bottle options, as well as two variants of quantitative peroxide test strips. The firm recommends the use of quantitative test strips, as opposed to basic colour change strips as these cannot prove that full peroxide concentration levels have been established in the cooler.

*Indonesia’s pop singer and budding entrepreneur Mawi has failed to derail court case proceedings by drinks manufacturer Yassa against his mineral water company, Mawi World. The lawsuit, filed in October 2006, claims that Mawi World had infringed on the copyright of its products. * The Kuala Lumpur High Court dismissed with costs the application by Mawi World to block the lawsuit that is now expected to begin before the summer although no hearing dates have been fixed yet. Yassa has demanded that Mawi World stops producing bottled mineral water using its licence number, factory address and product contents on its label. Subsequently, Yassa amended its legal action to claim that Mawi’s company had made use of its property instead of having infringed on its intellectual property. In his affidavit to strike out the suit, Mawi said Yassa’s action against his company was vexatious, frivolous and an abuse of the court process. “I have been advised that if the plaintiff wants to take action, it should be against the supplier of our bottled mineral water, Johtaw Corporation,” he said last year. The singer, whose real name is Asmawi Ani, is one of the best selling and influential Malaysian artists in recent years and winner of the country’s popular reality show Akademi Fantasia. He has also been testing his skills in acting and performing magic tricks.

Doh! For a start, I don't think anyone is suggesting that bottled water contributes more than 0.1% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions. The Times newspaper has highlighted imports from the US and Fiji. The government's own trade figures show these were in fact as little as 0.03% and 0.04% of the UK bottled water market in 2006. Fiji Water in The Grocer at the weekend said its water only comes by ship, and a full year's UK imports created less carbon than a return flight from London to New York. Yet somehow, BBC Panorama couldn't avoid its flight to Fiji to investigate. If Fiji water is wrong, what about the £2bn of wine imports from Australasia, South America and South Africa? And why not ban beer from Mexico or India, vodka from Russia, cut flowers from Kenya or computers from Japan? It's not wrong. It's not right. It's a choice. Certainly, we'll all have to wise up environmentally about some of the choices we make, and it's perfectly fair to have a debate about them. But let the debate be informed and proportionate, starting with once-respected institutions such as parliament and the BBC.

*AriZona Beverages, best known for its ready to drink teas, has added All City NRG to its line of green tea based energy drinks. A non-carbonated balanced blend of vitamins, minerals and herbs, it contains no preservatives, no artificial colours and no artificial flavours. * Combining green tea with pomegranate; All City NRG is the fourth addition to the Company’s Green Tea Energy line. The product is being test marketed in New York, Florida and Chicago, with plans to distribute nationally after January. Sold in a 16oz can, each case will include three separate can designs. “We call the cans our subway series,” explained AriZona Creative Director Wes Vultaggio. “The art is a form of expression that captures the creativity, imagination and energy of the urban lifestyle. Since AriZona originated in Brooklyn, we thought we would pay tribute to the passion and originality of these artists with our own street art design on the can and with a bold energy-infused beverage.” Vincent “Factone” Ficarra, an acclaimed urban artist, of Mpire Creative, New York, designed the cans. “Going All City means going all out,” continued Vultaggio. “And we’re going all out with this product!”

Pepsi Raw has been created using an innovative recipe that includes ingredients from natural sources, capitalising on the growing consumer demand for premium and more natural products. Aimed at a sophisticated, urban market, Pepsi Raw is a cola made from a unique blend of quality ingredients – including natural plant extracts – that give it a distinctive and delicious taste and more subtle carbonation, as well as a unique colouring. It doesn't contain artificial colours, preservatives, flavourings or sweeteners. Pepsi Raw has been created to provide consumers with a premium cola choice at the bar, complementing the existing Pepsi range with a more subtle tasting cola and sophisticated brand image. It can be enjoyed on its own as a premium soft drink or mixed with quality spirits. Its subtle flavour doesn't mask the taste of spirits and enables individual flavour characteristics to cut through cleanly. Cola is currently worth £1.5bn to the licensed trade, with a 42% share of total soft drinks sales. According to Paul Linthwaite, on-premise business unit director at Britvic: "Cola is a hugely important category to the on-premise market as it represents almost half of all soft drink sales. However, it's also a maturing category that needs rejuvenation to drive further growth. "As with many other drinks categories within on-premise, the growth of soft drinks is being driven by premium offerings, with our research indicating that 53% of people will pay more for a quality drink. The launch of Pepsi Raw will capitalise on this growing opportunity for premium drinks, providing a new tier of cola product to meet desire and give consumers a new reason to enjoy cola. "We're delighted that the UK on-premise industry will be the first in the world to benefit from this exciting new innovation. Pepsi Raw is set to reinvigorate the cola category and boost profits for licensees." To support the launch, PepsiCo and Britvic have worked closely with IP bartenders to create premium spirit pairings for Pepsi Raw, providing licensed retailers with the opportunity to generate excitement and intrigue across spirit categories and drive sales through signature drinks. In addition, the launch will be supported by a targeted press and outdoor advertising campaign, extensive national and regional PR, premium POS and bar staff training around the Pepsi Raw brand and perfect serve. The brand will also be supported digitally with a seeding campaign and new website, Pepsi Raw, that features a trade and consumer focused sections. Pepsi Raw will be available in style-led outlets in seven key urban areas (London, Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton, Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool) from February 2008, with a wider roll-out among the licensed trade throughout 2008. It will be available in a glass 300ml bottle with a sophisticated and stylish design. Both the pack and product performed strongly in extensive consumer testing. "Our research showed that consumers viewed the introduction of Pepsi Raw as genuine news for the cola category and, as a result, the rate of consumers who said they'd purchase it was high – well above the UK standard for food and drink innovation. Additionally, consumers said they loved the distinct taste of Pepsi Raw," said Paul Linthwaite. "With significant investment in a targeted launch campaign, backed up by strong long-term commitment to building the brand, we have real ambition to drive growth in the cola market through the introduction of Pepsi Raw."

Following months of market testing, UK company AA First has unveiled what it terms the “next generation water cooler” range. Comprising bottled and POU table top as well as floor standing models, the Evolution 35 line aims to offer reliability and simple maintenance, as well as an attractive, contemporary exterior thanks to its two tone silver livery. Features include push button solenoid dispensing, hygieneguard tap protection and a backlit front panel for customised logos. The table top unit boasts a smaller footprint and lower height than standard coolers, while the floor standing variant offers a high dispensing point for ease of use and an integral 100 piece cup dispenser. Various pricing schemes are being devised for the new range, which AA First claims offers very competitive starting price points.

UK vending machine manufacturer Westomatic has teamed up with 3M Water Filtration Products to offer the compact ScaleGard Pro 165BN, which claims to provide longer filter life at low cost. Westomatic Marketing Manager Mark Rhodes commented: “3M Water Filtration is a serious player in the filter market. It boasts the largest capacity, meaning fewer filter changes, even in hard water areas. There’s also the benefit of great tasting beverages that clients will love.” Turning out an average 13,000 cups for areas with a water hardness of 180ppm, the ScaleGard Pro 165BN aims to offer double the capacity of other filters its size. Claiming to reduce scale buildup and its associated service costs, the carbon block maintains pH neutrality, which removes any unpleasant chlorine tastes and odours for natural tasting water. It is also designed to simplify and speed up the cartridge changing process. The unique sanitary quick change head automatically turns the water supply off and on for complete route operator safety and simplicity without the need for tools. “The provision of bottled at source quality filtered water for hot and cold beverages has always been an important point of differentiation for Westomatic,” said Rhodes. “The benefits of water for health and wellbeing are universally recognised and are driving a global demand within the workplace.” Since 1 February and to coincide with the introduction of the 3M Water Filtration filter, Westomatic has been offering a free factory fitted ScaleGard Pro with any freestanding hot beverage machines ordered before 31 March.

First came the iPod, then the Lumio. French water cooler manufacturer Dieau Edafim has highlighted the benefits of its latest model, which is available in cool, crisp arctic white. Designed to fit into contemporary office areas and homes, the bottled and POU Lumio comes in Cook/Cold, Hot/Cold (with child safety hot water button) and Cook/Hot/Cold versions. It delivers 50 cups of cold water in a row at a flow rate of 45 litres an hour and has an option to fill 50cl bottles. The company also claims that its high performance ice bank system could bring about energy savings of up to 50%. The multifunctional POU Lumio from Dieau Edafim with energy saving benefits