Coca-Cola Femsa, SAB de CV and The Coca-Cola Company entered into an agreement to jointly acquire the Colombian Brisa bottled water business (including the Brisa brand and production assets) from Bavaria, a subsidiary of SABMiller. The closing of the transaction is subject to approval from the Colombian anti-trust authorities and compliance by both parties with customary closing conditions. Coca-Cola Femsa said that the transaction will increase its presence in the water business and complements its portfolio. Brisa sold 47 million unit cases in 2007 in Colombia. "Through this acquisition, we will take another important step together with The Coca-Cola Company. “This transaction will expand our product portfolio to satisfy our consumers' preferences, reinforce our water strategy and continue to deliver value for our shareholders," said Jose Antonio Fernandez Carbajal, chairman of the board of Coca-Cola Femsa and Femsa. The purchase price, which will be shared equally by Coca-Cola Femsa and The Coca-Cola Company, is US$92 million. The parties have also agreed to customary arrangements regarding the performance of the business between signing and closing. In the past financial year, the business sold more than 2.6 million hectolitres of Brisa in Colombia. Agua Brisa presentations of still, sparkling and flavoured waters are produced in 13 plants across Colombia and are currently sold in over 230,000 outlets throughout the country. The Brisa operations in Panama are excluded from the transaction. Karl Lippert, President of Bavaria, commented: “The disposal of the water business will enable Bavaria to focus on its core strength, the brewing and distribution of beer and malted beverages. After closing, the transfer of assets and the commercial operation will be subject to a transition arrangement of several months, during which Bavaria will still be producing, selling and distributing Brisa.” Bavaria is the largest beverage company in Colombia. Its brands include: Águila, Águila Light, Póker, Costeña, Pilsen, Club Colombia, Brava, Barena, Costeñita, Cola & Pola and Pony Malta. Femsa has 31 bottling facilities in Latin America and serves over 1,500,000 retailers in the region. The Coca-Cola Company owns a 31.6% equity interest in Coca-Cola FEMSA.

*According to a recent survey undertaken by workplace facility company PHS, 71% of facilities managers believe the manual contact between staff and shared equipment is the biggest source of germ and virus transferral. * PHS Waterlogic’s mains-fed water dispensers each have an anti-microbial surface that inhibits the spread of bacteria through surface contact. A study carried out at the University of Arizona revealed that the average office desktop has 400 times more bacteria than an office toilet seat, a concern as 57% of staff now regularly eat at their desks due to longer hours and larger workloads. This increase in office-based meals and refreshments also means more staff are choosing to use workplace-provided vending and refreshment services, such as water dispensers, further increasing the risk of bacteria spreading between users. Alarmingly, only 9% of facilities managers reported having anti-bacterial surface treatments in the kitchen and food preparation areas, with only a further 1% reporting that their workplace uses equipment with anti-bacterial treatment incorporated into its surfaces. Biocote is an active anti-microbial protective coating that is incorporated into PHS Waterlogic’s drinking water cooler units during the manufacturing process. Biocote prevents the risk of cross-contamination by inhibiting the growth and build up of bacteria. Biocote, only available across PHS Waterlogic’s range of mains fed water coolers, complements cleaning procedures in place and helps to minimise the levels of present harmful bacteria by 99.9% over a 24-hour period. Biocote technology is effective against a series of microbes such as MRSA, E.coli, Salmonella and Listeria and is guaranteed for the lifetime of the unit. This is particularly useful for the 61% of facilities managers that consider the maintenance of good hygiene levels in the workplace to be of high priority under their duty of care to staff and visitors. Illness costs UK businesses £13bn a year, and a loss of an estimated 175 million working days, heightening the need to create greater awareness amongst facilities managers to technology such as Biocote.

*Timed to coincide with the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games, a new sports drink called Sixgram has been launched in Holland. * The functional drink is packaged in a 33cl Sleek Can supplied by Ball Packaging Europe, one of the leading beverage can makers in Europe. Netherlands based DIS Sittard developed the sports drink using the ingredient PeptoPro from life science company DSM. This groundbreaking all-natural ingredient promotes endurance, muscle and body regeneration and performance – and makes Sixgram the ideal drink for those who actively pursue sports. The secret of PeptoPro lies in a patent protected enzyme that generates tiny protein fragments, so-called peptides. Peptides are absorbed into the bloodstream much more quickly than conventional proteins and are therefore an excellent energy supplement for those who are conscious of the value of sport. DSM Food Specialities developed PeptoPro – which is already used by many top athletes - especially for the Dutch Olympic team. DSM, a Dutch producer of health supplements, is one of the team's main sponsors. Sixgram with its active ingredient PeptoPro enhances performance. Definitely a positive factor for athletes because the refreshing drink noticeably reduces the time the body requires to regenerate itself. This active ingredient is available in sport drinks developed by DIS Sittard with three fresh fruit flavours: red orange, grapefruit and mandarin. *Refreshing container: Sleek Can sets the scene * The Ball Packaging Europe 330 ml Sleek Can underlines the attributes of Sixgram: The modern, sporty slim shape of the steel can matches the refreshing sports drink. Consumers primarily associate the Sleek Can with diet, wellness and fitness drinks. "The trendy, premium container turns sports drinks into the eye-catcher on the shelf. Apart from that, the can protects the sensitive ingredient PeptoPro excellently and keeps the drink fresh for a long time, because the beverage can is the only packaging which is absolutely light-proof and oxygen-tight", explained Sigrid Küchmeister, Director Marketing at Ball Packaging Europe. "Sixgram in the Sleek Can – the optimal combination of content and design." What’s more, this can format is – like all beverage cans – completely recyclable.

Jolt, the 1980s cult energy drink, has been re-packaged in a re-sealable 16 oz Rexam Cap Can with closure technology from Dayton Systems Group (DSG). Jolt's parent company, Wet Planet, has partnered with Rexam to deliver this innovative, sustainable new package that is 100% recyclable. Jolt claims to be the first energy drink to be packaged in the Rexam Cap Can, which, in addition to being good for the environment, keeps the beverage colder longer and protects it from light. It is available now at convenience stores across the country. Jolt is available in seven flavours and provides a boost from ingredients such as taurine, ginseng, guarana, vitamin B complex and caffeine. Jolt first partnered with Rexam in 2005 to re-launch its brand with the 23.5 oz Rexam Cap Can. The new 16 oz size will deliver even broader consumer appeal. "The popular 16 oz size represents nearly 60% of all energy drink sales," said CJ Rapp, Wet Planet Beverages President. "This new 16 oz re-sealable package will allow us to reach even more consumers and provide them with portability options they never had before. We are confident this will help us build our brand by further differentiating our product on store shelves." "We worked closely with the team at Wet Planet to understand how we could help them achieve their goals of building their brand and bottom line," said Harry Barto, President and CEO, Rexam Beverage Can North America. "Our 16 oz Cap Can proved to be the answer, providing portability, the best in brand graphics, recycling superiority and exceptional retail value."

Soft drinks company Britvic has made a new lighter PET bottle for its 1 litre squash bottle. The new PET bottle is 2 grams lighter which will save an estimated 330 tonnes of plastic a year, equivalent to over 9 million empty bottles, and reduce the energy needed to make the bottles at the Robinsons factory in Norwich by 5%. Over the past two years Britvic has invested more than £5 million in making changes to its Robinsons brand to reduce the weight of packaging used, saving 1600 tonnes of plastic overall. Britvic CEO Paul Moody said: “Robinsons has come a long way in reducing its impact on the environment in the last two years but as always we are focused on further packaging reductions as well as energy and water usage reductions across all Britvic brands and at all our manufacturing sites.”

Costa Coffee, the UK's largest and fastest-growing coffee shop brand, announces today the opening of its first store in Beijing, days ahead of start of the 2008 Olympic games. The Costa store, located in the Shang Di Shopping Mall will be the first opened under a joint venture between Whitbread PLC and the Beijing Hualian Group. The joint venture intends to open 300 Costa coffee shops in Beijing and surrounding provinces in North East China, over the next few years. Shang Di Mall is based in the Haidian District of Beijing. It is the first major shopping mall opening in this area and is in the middle of Beijing's IT business district. Costa is located in the centre of the 60,000 sq Mall which serves upwards of 20,000 people a day from both residential and business areas. The Beijing Hualian Group is a leading retailer in China, with annual revenues in excess of £1.3 billion. The Group operates 70 hypermarkets and department stores along with 10 shopping centres. The Costa Coffee has been trading in Shanghai for 18 months, where it has opened 25 stores with the Yueda Group, this will be its second joint venture in China. Costa Managing Director John Derkach, commented: "This is another major milestone for Costa. Our strategy has always been to develop several different markets in China, to fully capitalise on the vast opportunity presented by China's continued economic growth and aspiring young consumers. Today's opening in China's capital city further enhances Costa's status as a major international brand."

A canned drink made by Japan Tobacco Inc and called "Unagi Nobori," or "Surging Eel," hit Japanese stores at the end of July just ahead of the country's annual eel-eating season. Japan Tobacco spokesman Kazunori Hayashi said: “It's the hottest season of the year in Japan, and that means it's eel season. So, bottom's up! "It's mainly for men who are exhausted by the summer's heat," Hayashi said of the beverage, believed to be the first mass-produced eel drink in Japan. The fizzy, yellow-coloured drink contains extracts from the head andbones of eel and five vitamins — A, B1, B2, D and E — contained in thefish. The distinctive bottle-can packaging evokes a traditional unagivendor. Many Japanese believe eating eel boosts stamina in hot weather. Unagi is traditionally eaten during the summer to boost stamina against the appetite-destroying heat, particularly on the midsummer days of the Ox - which fall on July 24 and Aug. 5 this year. Demand for eel is so high that Japan has been hit by scores of eel fraud cases, including a recent high-profile incident in which a government ministry publicly scolded two companies for mislabelling eels imported from China as being domestically grown. * Eel flavoured beer* Meanwhile, beer has long been regarded as “the official drink of the oppressively hot Japanese summer,” and the Miyashita Sake Brewery has created a tie-in with the traditional food of summer, unagi (eel). It has launched a “Suitable for Unagi” black beer which matches the colour and richness of the grilled eel coated in sticky and slightly sweet sauce. Click link below for picture.

Nestlé Waters North America President Kim Jeffery recently announced to beverage industry leaders in the United States that the company plans to reduce the weight of its 50cl PET bottle by another 15% to 10.5g in 2009. The move should help the business cut greenhouse gas emissions by 8% and the energy to blow the bottle by a further 10%. At 12.5g, the current Eco-Shape bottle produced by the company for bottled water products is regarded as the lightest branded 50cl PET bottle in the US beverage industry. Packaging reportedly represents 55% of the company’s overall carbon footprint.

The accusations were made in The Telegraph recently, coinciding with Innocent’s annual music and comedy festival in London’s Regent’s Park, and just two days before the rollout of the smoothie maker’s first regular orange juice, launched to challenge PepsiCo’s market-leading Tropicana brand. The Telegraph noted that Innocent’s website told consumers its fruit 'always travels by boat or rail', using less fossil fuel than air or road transport. The website also said Innocent smoothies were produced 'in the countryside', implying they were made in the UK. The newspaper said: The Telegraph can reveal that the drinks are blended on the Continent before being driven in dozens of tanker lorries hundreds of miles across Europe for bottling in the UK. The report quoted Sam Chase of the environmental campaign group Rising Tide, who said, "We are drowning in a sea of corporate greenwash. Even companies which are supposed to have the highest ethical standards are at it now, and the major problem is that it encourages consumers to believe they do not have to make the changes that are necessary to combat global warming." Richard Reed, one of three Cambridge University graduates who founded Innocent in 1999, said there had been no deliberate attempt to mislead consumers. He admitted the company had not publicised the fact that its smoothies are now blended in the Netherlands. Commercial reasons "We are attempting to get the best quality drinks to our customers while generating the least amount of carbon," said Reed. “While it might sound strange, Rotterdam is the port that all the fruit comes into, so it makes sense to blend our drinks there. "It had been our policy not to talk about where our drinks are made for commercial reasons, but we now seek to tell our customers everything about the drinks and be completely open with them.” Reed agreed that Innocent’s website had included some out of date information, suggesting that fruit was transported only by sea and rail, but said this had now been corrected. Innocent dominates the £169m UK smoothie market with a share of more than 70%. But smoothies account for only 17% of the total UK juice market, which is worth almost £1bn. Innocent hopes to boost its turnover to new heights by breaking into the fresh orange juice market, currently dominated by PepsiCo’s Tropicana. The first cartons of Innocent Orange Juice go on sale 4 August in Tesco and Sainsbury’s, with a recommended price of £1.89 per litre. "We’re going in with a promise of taste, quality and ethics, while Pepsi is about cheaper prices," said Reed. "It gives us an opportunity to dramatically widen the demographics of the brand. A litre of smoothie is £2.99, a litre of orange juice will be £1.89. People can buy into the Innocent ideals at a lower price point."

A trucking company and a bottled water maker, DS Waters, recently agreed to pay thousands of dollars for violating air quality standards in California. DS Waters, an Atlanta-based bottled water company, did not inspect its diesel truck fleet for emissions or document those inspections, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) fleet audit discovered. California requires heavy-duty vehicles to be inspected. According to the Board, the violations occurred in 21 California cities. The trucking company, Don E. Keith Transportation, was fined $9,750 for diesel truck emission violations that occurred in 2005. The majority of the settlement funds – $55,687.50 – will go to the California Air Pollution Control Fund. The remainder will go to the Peralta Community College District, which funds the statewide diesel technology education training program. In addition to the fine, DS Waters will require all staff responsible for compliance to attend diesel emissions education courses and provide compliance reports for the next four years. “Shrewd business owners carry out regular inspections and ensure employees are up-to-speed on clean air requirements,” CARB Chairman Mary Nichols said in a written statement. “The penalties for not doing so can cost a business money and their reputation.”

Fonterra’s New Zealand manufacturing sites and offices have recycled more than 5,000 tons of plastic, cardboard and paper, and cut total waste by 20% over the past year. Eco-efficiency Programme Manager Spring Humphreys said the savings bring Fonterra’s total reduction in waste sent to landfill over the past five years to 84%. He said the savings, achieved through the company’s nationwide Eco-efficiency Programme in 2007/08, equate to more than 85,000 trees or about 2,700 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Humphreys said recycling was an important part of Fonterra’s Eco-efficiency Programme, but the focus was also on reducing the amount of waste across all the company’s operations and offices. “On top of the 5,274 tonnes of recycling this year, a good chunk of our 20% reduction in waste came from reprocessing dairy products into stockfood and reusing many of our wooden pallets.” Fonterra’s Eco-efficiency Programme was established in 2003 and set a nationwide target of reducing 90% of waste sent to landfill by 2009. To date, around 84% of waste sent to landfill has been eliminated. Humphreys added he was confident of hitting next year’s target with the strong support of staff who have played a key role in the success of the Eco-efficiency Programme. “It is driven throughout the company, but at a site level our staff are responsible for finding new ways to recycle waste, reuse non-recyclable materials and change the way we do things to reduce our waste altogether.” All sites are linked by an ‘eco-efficiency champion’ who run the programme on each site. Through this ‘champion’, staff help identify in their everyday roles how waste streams can be eliminated, reduced or recycled in ways that benefit the business. Some examples of the waste initiatives adopted include: * Introducing a new milk sample container which uses a reusable electronic chip rather than a plastic label for tagging milk samples. This has reduced more than 100 tonnes of plastic every year. * Cheese cartons have been replaced by a vacuum sealed bag, which enables 7,500 bags to be packed on a pallet rather than the 5,000 cartons. This has resulted in huge transport and logistical efficiencies, quality control and cost savings. * New systems have reduced Fonterra’s milk docket printing requirements by 22 reams of paper a day.

A unique partnership between four of Ireland's leading dairy companies to research how the natural properties of milk can be extracted and used to deliver health benefits for consumers has received €20m in funding from Enterprise Ireland. Infant formula, dairy spreads, yogurts and cheese are some of the products that will be enhanced to help maintain health and alleviate conditions associated with serious diseases. Irish Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan said: "This is a significant development in the Irish food sector. The State's investment of €20m in the new National Functional Foods Research Centre will lead to the delivery of new high-value, innovative food products for the health conscious consumer. The dairy sector has a tremendous opportunity to capitalise on this research, entering new markets and increasing exports and employment in the sector. "Enterprise Ireland worked extensively with the four dairy companies involved- Dairygold Food Ingredients, Glanbia Nutritionals, Carbery and Kerry Ingredients Ireland, to develop a medium to long term strategy for their sector based around maximising the commercial value of their common raw material – milk,” Coughlan added. A consortium of research institutions will tackle the research agenda agreed between the dairy companies. Dr Paul Roben from Enterprise Ireland said: "It is encouraging to see the progress already made by the dairy companies collaborating in this research centre. By agreeing to work together to develop a strategy for their sector, these companies have identified a range of high value products that when brought to the international marketplace will lead to increased exports and create employment in the food sector.” The four companies involved have committed to making a financial contribution to the centre each year for five years, bringing the total funding for the NFFRC to over €22 million. It is expected that 50 people will be trained and employed by the companies over the five years of the research programme.