London-based food and beverage company Food Brands Group is extending the Percol Fairtrade beverage portfolio with the launch of a new Fairtrade cola – Percola. The 500ml bottle will retail at £1.19 and is the first Fairtrade cola with no preservatives or artificial colours. It's made with Fairtrade sugar sourced from selected farms in Africa, where Percola pays smallholder farmers a fair price to improve their working conditions and build a better quality of life. Brian Chapman, Founder of Food Brands Group, said: "Consumer demand for Fairtrade products is growing year on year, and we've seen sales of Percol coffee up more than 20% since 2007. To build on this success, we have been working hard to expand our Fairtrade offering with new and pioneering products to excite the customer. Percola is a unique example of the brand’s versatility."

*Guylian, renowned for its marbled Chocolate Sea Shells, has created extra dark chocolate Sea Shells with 74% cocoa. * The new recipe includes Acticoa cocoa, which preserves the antioxidants that naturally occur in the cocoa bean but are normally lost through chocolate production. Guylian Extra Sea Shells, however, are rich in antioxidants and retain the flavour of luxury premium chocolate. Extra dark Dark chocolate is gaining popularity throughout the world due to it’s health benefits. Acticoa antioxidants have proven positive effects on the body and mind, helping to protect against the ageing process, enhance concentration, maintain a strong memory, strengthen the immune system, and to maintain a healthy cholesterol level and blood pressure. According to studies, two Guylian Extra Sea Shells a day provide your body with more than 60% of the daily amount of antioxidants needed to maintain a healthy balance in body and mind, especially when under stress or ageing.

*Red Bull has purchased a fleet of energy-saving trucks in the US that will achieve 30-40% better fuel efficiency and emit up to 33% less hydrocarbon emissions and 35% less nitrogen oxide emissions vs standard diesel trucks. * The four International DuraStar Hybrid trucks were delivered this week to Red Bull's Southern Nevada Distribution Center in Las Vegas and will be used in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. "We're proud that Red Bull recognises the importance of green transportation for the environment," said Jim Williams, Director, sales and distribution, new products, Navistar. "We need more companies like this to take a stance and add hybrid vehicles to their fleets." Each truck is estimated to save nearly $4,000 in fuel costs per year. Over the course of a truck's seven- to ten-year life cycle, the four International DuraStar Hybrid units could save up to $160,000 in fuel costs. A key to the International DuraStar Hybrid's efficiency is the Hybrid Drive Unit, which helps power the diesel engine and leads to less diesel fuel use and fewer emissions. Through the regenerative braking system, the battery in the Hybrid Drive Unit is recharged when the truck's brakes are applied. This energy-saving system makes delivery applications and in-city driving the ideal conditions for these hybrid vehicles.

DPS president and CEO Larry Young said: "It's no secret that the beverage industry continues to face significant headwinds. Higher prices at the gas pump and at retailers across the country have impacted our consumers and their shopping habits. At DPS, we will continue to look for ways to leverage our strong flavor portfolio, customer partnerships and vertically integrated business model to expand our distribution footprint and provide preferred and affordable brands to more consumers in more outlets. "During the quarter, we marked the official separation of our business from Cadbury on 7 May, 2008. So in addition to winning on the streets, our corporate teams worked tirelessly to separate the business and establish our stand-alone financial statements. There's still a lot left to do, but I am immensely proud of the progress we have made." The company's results reflect the impact of certain related party transactions with Cadbury that continued until separation on 7 May 2008. CSD and NCB In CSDs, Dr Pepper volume declined 1%, however the company's four core brands (7UP, Sunkist, A&W and Canada Dry) declined 5% In NCBs, Hawaiian Punch volume increased low double-digits and Mott's was up 4%. Snapple declined mid single-digits as it cycled significant promotional activity in the prior year period, which for profitability reasons, was not repeated in 2008. In Mexico, Aguafiel declined 21% reflecting high single-digit price increases and a more competitive environment. The loss of the distribution agreement for glaceau products (November 2007) reduced NCB growth by 8% in the quarter and impacted sales net sales growth negatively by 4%. In North America, volume declined 3% and in Mexico and the Caribbean, volume declined 9%. Sales volume was also down 3%, but net sales increased 1%. Income from operations decreased 4% reflecting segment operating profit declines, separation costs totaling $20m and restructuring costs amounted to $14m for the quarter. The DPS continues to expect 3% to 5% net sales growth throughout 2008. While the company said it is realising benefits from its 2007 restructuring actions, it claims these are being offset by higher fuel costs, the consolidation impact of the SeaBev acquisition and new stand-alone costs arising from the spin-off.

PepsiCo Foodservice and Panda Restaurant Group announced that they will continue with a multi-year contract that makes Pepsi the exclusive beverage supplier in all 1,100 Panda Express locations across the US. As part of the agreement, Panda Express will continue to carry carbonated and non-carbonated products in both fountain and 20oz bottles, including Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew, Aquafina, Lipton, Dole, Tropicana and SoBe. The companies have worked together for more than 20 years.

*Premiering 13 August in Beijing, the personal stories and achievements of seven "environmental champion" torchbearers selected by Coca-Cola for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay are the subject of a new documentary film created by student filmmakers. * The movie makes its debut at 8:30pm inside the Coca-Cola "Shuang Experience Center," within the Olympic Green complex of sports and media venues. To help underscore the message of environmental stewardship – and recognise those who are dedicated to pursuing positive change – Coca-Cola selected local environmental champions to join the ranks of all the torchbearers the Company chose around the world to carry the Olympic Flame. Individual vignettes profiling seven of the Coca-Cola environmental champions were shot and edited by student filmmakers from the torchbearers’ respective parts of the world. *Environmental initiatives * The "Environmental Champions" documentary film project is among several environmental programs by Coca-Cola for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. In one key area, 100% of the coolers and vending machines provided by Coca-Cola for Olympic Games venues – more than 5,600 climate-friendly, "eKOfresh" units – feature a natural refrigerant that is free of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), as well as proprietary technology that improves energy efficiency by up to 35%. This commitment alone will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 4,000 metric tonnes – the equivalent of taking more than 19,000 cars off the road for two weeks. Other environmental initiatives by Coca-Cola for the Olympic Games include the presentation to all 2008 Olympians of exclusive Coca-Cola T-shirts made from a blend of cotton and recycled PET plastic bottles, to demonstrate the high value of PET bottles and how they can be turned into desirable products. Also, all 2008 Paralympians are being provided unique Coca-Cola visors also produced using recycled PET. Furthermore, all PET bottles collected from the Olympic venues will be recycled. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola is supporting Beijing’s efforts to improve the city’s air quality by operating a "clean fleet" of electric- or human-powered delivery vehicles for Olympic venues. Featured champions From among all the environmental champion torchbearers selected by Coca-Cola for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay, the following achievers are featured in the new film documentary: Filiz Demirayak (from Turkey), the director general of WWF-Turkey and a renowned professional in coastal management. Nikolay Drozdov (from Russia), a biological scientist and the host of Russia’s popular television program, "In the World of Animals." Liu Hong-Liang (from China), a noted environmental scientist specializing in lake research. Yasmin Rashid (from Pakistan), a founding member and chairperson of one of Pakistan’s most-notable non-governmental organizations, the Pani Pakistan Foundation. Douglas Stoup (from the United States), a global explorer and environmentalist who was the first American male to ski to the South Pole. Anna Tibaijuka (from Tanzania), the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Programme on Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT).i> Alby Wooler (from Australia), known locally as "Mr. Landcare" for his exceptional volunteer environmental work. "The Olympic Games provide a great platform to demonstrate the Coca-Cola system’s commitment to sustainability and help raise global awareness about the importance of environmental stewardship," said Muhtar Kent, The Coca-Cola Company President and CEO. "These seven ambassadors of sustainability are distinguished representatives of all the environmental champions selected by Coca-Cola to be part of the Olympic Torch Relay. Their environmental accomplishments weave together to tell a powerful, inspiring story of how individuals can make a difference." The Coca-Cola Company tapped into its worldwide system to identify local student filmmakers who could creatively capture the personal stories and environmental work of the seven torchbearers. Their vignettes were edited into the final documentary by film students from Georgia State University (GSU), in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. "This was anything but a normal school assignment, but everyone on this project, in all the countries, has been thrilled by the opportunity to produce a moving tribute to these environmental champions with Coca-Cola," said project faculty advisor Dr. Niklas Vollmer, Associate Professor, Film/Video, Department of Communication, Georgia State University.

UK confectionery company Pecan Deluxe has reformulated its range to include low-fat alternatives and more natural flavours. Pecan Deluxe has also increased the flexibility of its confectionery products so that they can be used in a wider range of applications, such as baked goods. Among the new line of products are bake-stable fudge and caramel pieces. The range also includes caramel fudge, brownie fudge, clotted cream fudge and vanilla fudge pieces. An added advantage of the range for food producers is that the vast majority of the inclusions can be stored at ambient temperature levels, so there's no need for chilling and costs can be kept to a minimum. Pecan Deluxe's UK managing director Allan Dew said: "Pecan Deluxe is continuously expanding and developing all its ranges. The confectionery range has recently been extended to be able to offer our customers an extremely versatile range of confectionery ingredients, which gives great scope for product diversification, and are all designed to allow confectionery manufacturers to develop products that are personalised and delicious." Pecan Deluxe Candy (Europe) Ltd was established in the UK in 1999 and supplies all of Europe and Australia from its plant based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, Yorkshire. *

Walkers, Britain's top crisps and snacks manufacturer, is launching a heavyweight TV advertising campaign this month to support its category leading 'Do Us a Flavour! Win a Packet!' promotion. The TV campaign will feature brand ambassador Gary Lineker, and forms part of a £10million advertising and marketing campaign behind the promotion. This is the biggest investment Walkers has made in a single campaign in its 60-year history. The new campaign, developed by AMV BBDO, airs 11 August 2008 and runs for nine weeks across key terrestrial and satellite TV channels. The 'Do Us a Flavour! Win a Packet!' promotion launched in July and runs until May 2009. It invites consumers to submit their new flavour ideas for Walkers Crisps – and in the process win a 'packet'. A panel of judges, led by Heston Blumenthal will pick six finalists from all the entries received, which will then go on sale and the public will get to vote for their favourite. The winner will receive £50,000 plus 1% of all future sales. Five runners-up will walk away with £10,000 each. Miranda Sambles, Walkers Marketing Manager, said: The 'Do Us a Flavour! Win a Packet!' promotion is the biggest Walkers activity we have ever run, and this heavyweight TV advertising campaign, along with the other significant marketing and advertising activity, will help ensure huge awareness and drive consumers into stores right across the nation. "We anticipate a huge response and urge retailers to take advantage of the massive £10m investment we're putting behind the promotion by stocking up on Walkers and using prominent promotional point of sale to drive sales. Doing us a flavour really could make them a packet!”

Green Giant Soup will come in a pouch and will be available in three delicious flavours: Vine Ripened Tomato, Country Garden Vegetable and Farm Harvested Mushroom. “Consumers are at the heart of everything we do,” said Linda Hipkiss, the company's Marketing Director. “Our ongoing research revealed that there's a real gap in the soup category for a product that provides shoppers with a fresh, natural, high-quality offering from a brand they love and trust." Andy Foweather, Sales Director, General Mills UK, said: “Green Giant Soup is set to be a major retail success and its potential is huge. The brand's key attributes deliver a differentiated offering to the soup category, which provides it with strong consumer appeal. On top of that, Green Giant Soup will be backed by a heavyweight marketing support package which will tell shoppers all about the brand and drive demand.”

*Australian based Austcorp Water Technologies will launch Rainpure, its patented water purification system, on the European market at Aquatech Amsterdam this September. * The company hopes its Rainpure water purification system will create a significant buzz at the show, and is off to a good start with a nomination for the Aquatech Innovation Award in the point of use category. Austcorp Water Technologies General Manager Alfred Lo commented: “Aquatech is where the most innovative products on the global market come under the spotlight, and this award nomination provides an unparalleled opportunity to propel Rainpure’s water purifiers into the international market, which we are justifiably excited about.” Rainpure’s water purification solution features technology developed by Australian inventor and professor, Davoud Tajer. The system is based on Cold Vaporisation technology which replicates nature’s purification process, but does so in a closed and sterile environment which guarantees 100% pure water. Davoud explained: “Untreated source water enters a purification chamber where it vaporises at near ambient temperatures under high vacuum. The resulting ultra-pure water is then condensed and aerated to produce soft water free of pollutants and contaminants. It’s even purer than rainwater because it is created in a sterile environment without atmospheric pollutants.” Green credentials In Australia, Rainpure has appointed a number of specialist distributors in a bid to fully target their range of purification systems to various markets, including the small office, home office (SOHO) sector, wider corporate and industrial sectors, the traditional home/domestic market, and even the military. Rainpure stated its green credentials would no doubt have strong market appeal. “Our technology purifies water on-site: there are no trucks required for bottled water delivery or use of PET plastic bottles,” Alfred added. On an international level, Rainpure will use its attendance at Aquatech to launch its search for major distributors to bring the product to Europe. “Europeans have treated their drinking water at home and in their offices for some time, and this is reflected in a diverse and open market, with a myriad of products ranging from home and office delivered bottled water through to POU filtration systems,” Alfred continued. In readiness for this international expansion, the company has embarked on securing certification in each new international market it is targeting. This process began with the company’s manufacturing plant in China completing ISO 9001:2000 quality certification in early 2007, and later passing safety standards in Europe, Japan and the USA. “It’s an intensive process, not unlike crash testing new vehicles before they are released onto the market,” Davoud explained. “Just like the automotive industry, nearly every country has its own standards which differ in subtle ways from the others. But if you’re serious about global expansion, it’s an essential part of the process – and we’ve made very big plans!”

Hansen’s volume grew 6.5% to the equivalent of 28.7 million 192oz (5.68-litre) cases in the three months to 30 June, while net sales were 15.3% up at $282.2m. Sales of Monster and Java Monster drinks increased 22.3%, although Lost Energy and other Hansen energy drinks were down. The California-based company’s sales outside the US jumped 45.5% to $19.5m, including about $1.9m in the UK, where Monster Energy was launched earlier this year. Since then, the drink has also been launched in Spain and Sweden. Hansen’s operating income for Q2 increased 27.3% to $78.2m, while net earnings jumped 31.1% to $50.2m or $0.51 per diluted share. Over the first half of 2008, Hansen’s volume grew 10% to 51 million equivalent 192oz cases, with net sales up 20.4% to $494.4m. H1 operating income grew 29.7% to $121m, while net earnings grew 35.1% to $79m or $0.80 per diluted share. Strong performance "We're proud of the continued strong performance of the Monster brand at a time when almost all categories of ready-to-drink beverages in the US are experiencing weakness,” said Rodney Sacks, Hansen’s chairman and CEO. “This weakness is most pronounced in convenience store cold drink channels, where the vast majority of energy drinks are sold. “We continue to believe that the moderating growth we have seen in energy drinks appears, in part, to be due to the challenging macro-economic environment, and the resulting decline in store traffic primarily in the convenience and gas sector, especially in Southern California.” In a subsequent conference call to discuss the results, Sacks told analysts he was encouraged by the successful introduction of Monster in Europe. “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” he said. “We believe we’ll get there.” Sacks also said Hansen would be launching a new “shooter” energy drink called Hitman in a 3oz (89ml) can later in the present quarter.

Müller has launched a new TV campaign to promote Britain's biggest selling yogurt brand, Müller Corner. The new ads, which focus on the company's 'Mix it your way' message, will air for the first time on Monday 11 August on UK television, and an accompanying radio campaign will also run. The opening scenes of one of the adverts shows two entertainers tap dancing to music. After a few moments, a voiceover says "Nice! Now let’s mix it up differently like a Müller Corner". A Müller Corner stand, complete with big screen and touch screens encased in juke box pods, will be taking to the road and stopping off at city centres and shopping malls around the country. Consumers will be invited to create their very own Corner ads by mixing and matching a selection of clips featuring different dance styles. A selection of the mixes produced by consumers will be transmitted onto the main screen where they will be broadcast to those visiting the stand as well as passers-by. “Since it was launched in the UK two decades ago, Müller Corner has always been associated with bringing fun and involvement to a healthy category," said Chris McDonough, Müller UK’s Marketing and R&D Director. "The brand celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and we wanted a campaign that encapsulates the heritage and characteristics of the brand. ‘Mix it your way’ does exactly that. The TV ads are guaranteed to raise a laugh, and the radio, sampling and online activity will really get consumers involved with the brand and the campaign in a truly interactive way." Müller Corner has become the first yogurt brand in the UK to hit the £200million annual retail sales benchmark.