*Xymbiot Interactive Packaging, a division of ThinkAtomic, has introduced to the beverage packaging world a patent pending plastic bottle designed to fly up to 100 feet when empty. * Xymbiot is launching several versions of the flying bottle concept in addition to incubating several other amazing packaging concepts. Xymbiot is currently looking for a beverage partner to launch the first beverage in a flying bottle. Because of the bottle's high visibility, dual functionality and intrinsic value, projections for success in the market place with this new interactive packaging concept are promising, according to the company. "It will redefine the youth beverage market as we know it," said Ralph Yarro, CEO Xymbiot. The new bottles were on display at this year's InterBev show in Las Vegas.

The overall consumer purchase volume of dairy products in China plummeted by 54% during the worst week of the recent melamine in milk scandal when compared to the same week in 2007, according to recent findings by TNS Worldpanel, which specialises in global consumer purchasing information. However, despite the initial dramatic response to the news of the melamine contamination, when measured over a period of four weeks up to 3 October, dairy purchases were down only 18% compared to 2007. Consumers have actively been seeking safer milk and have shifted their purchases from standard to premium products; and from local to international brands, particularly when buying infant milk products. For international brands, this has led to market share gains, according to TNS Worldpanel, even though prices were increased by an average of 26% and 33% for infant milk. The largest impact was felt in smaller cities, as many of the local brands that previously had a strong presence had to withdraw their products from the shelves, giving way to international brands. Dumex, a widely distributed international infant milk brand with factories in China, saw its market share in lower tier cities increase from 9.8% to 20.1%. Another winner was the local manufacturer, Ausnutria (Aoyou), whose market share shot up from 2.6% in 2007 to 6.8% in the same four-week period in 2008, indicating consumer appreciation for Aoyou sourcing its raw materials from Australia, which it emphasises in its marketing.

**Energizer Brands entrepreneurs Alberto Ingber and Roberto Shahriar have launched all natural energy drink Attitude – a lightly carbonated malt beverage made with organic ingredients. **Attitude natural energy drink is being launched through UK nightclubs and bars and is to be distributed in Benelux, Japan and Russia during 2009. Aiming to tick every box, Energizer Brands opted for Rexam's lightweight Fusion alubottle as being climate-friendly. The company is also ethically linked with the Make A Wish Foundation in the US. Boasting 20 times more antioxidants than black or green tea, it has a base of Swiss spring water and contains lemongrass, guarana and ginger root as well as a hefty 1.5mg of yerba maté and 500mg of natural L-carnitine as Lonza's L-Carnipure. Sweetened with Wild's natural Fruit Up, it's said to provide a lasting energy lift, with the yerba maté known in Brazil as a slimming agent.

*Red Bull Cliptomaniacs is a TV series launched by Red Bull on Sky channel Nuts TV this month. The show will feature tricks and stunts from the company's portfolio of sports and athletics across the world. * Presented by Tim Warwood and Adam Gendle, the show will air at 9pm several days a week for the next three months and will reach 1.2 million viewers in the UK. Red Bull Cliptomaniacs, co-produced by UMTV, is a selection of the best of Red Bull’s vast moving image archive, clips including the Red Bull Air Race, Motorsports, Adventure Sports, Red Bull X Fighters, street-style football and many more. A TV show like this is the first of its kind, as the programme content comes entirely from the brand (as opposed to Red Bull being a sponsor). Tom Smith, Red Bull Trade Communications Manager, said: “The increased consumer awareness of the brand means increased awareness in energy drinks, which means additional profit opportunities for retailers across the UK. Sports & Energy is already the best performing category within soft drinks at +15%, so we recommend retailers stock up on the top-selling lines, ensuring Red Bull is readily available in chillers to capitalise on impulse purchases.”

IBWA, the International Bottled Water Association, recently released a statement on the current bisphenol A (BPA) situation. Recent media stories and a statement issued by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) have raised questions about the safety of polycarbonate plastic bottles due to the presence of a substance known as bisphenol A. Polycarbonate plastic is used in a wide variety of consumer products, including food and drink containers. Many three- and five-gallon bottled water containers are made of polycarbonate plastic and consumers can remain confident about the safety of these products. Bottled water is comprehensively regulated as a food product by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Plastic food and beverage containers, including polycarbonate plastic made with BPA, must meet or exceed all FDA requirements. FDA clears all food-contact plastics for their intended use based on migration and safety data. The clearance process includes stringent requirements for estimating the levels at which such materials may transfer to the diet. FDA's safety criteria require extensive toxicity testing for any substance that may be ingested at more than negligible levels. This means FDA has affirmatively determined that, when cleared, plastics are used as intended in food-contact applications, the nature and amount of substances that may migrate, if any, are safe. Polycarbonate plastic has been the material of choice for food and beverage product containers for nearly 50 years because it's lightweight, highly shatter-resistant and transparent. During that time, many studies have been conducted to assess the potential for trace levels of BPA to migrate from polycarbonate bottles into foods or beverages. The conclusions from those studies and comprehensive safety evaluations by government bodies worldwide are that polycarbonate bottles are safe for consumer use. The 14 April 2008 http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/chemicals/bisphenol/BPADraftBriefVF\_04\_14\_08.pdf " href="http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/chemicals/bisphenol/BPADraftBriefVF\_04\_14_08.pdf%20">NTP Draft Brief on BPA confirms that there are no serious or high-level concerns for adverse effects of BPA on human reproduction and development. Steven G Hentges, PhD, of the <1>, states that the “findings in NTP’s draft report provide reassurance that consumers can continue to use products made from bisphenol A. Importantly, this conclusion has been affirmed by scientific and government bodies worldwide.” The NTP Draft Brief confirms that human exposure to BPA is extremely low and noted no direct evidence in humans that exposure to BPA adversely affects reproduction or development. The limited evidence for effects in laboratory animals at low doses primarily highlights opportunities for additional research to better understand whether these findings are of any significance to human health. On 18 April 2008, the Canadian Minister of Health confirmed the safety of most consumer products made from polycarbonate plastic, including reusable water bottles. The Minister announced that Health Canada (similar to the FDA in the US) completed an extensive safety review of BPA and concluded that most products made from polycarbonate plastic are safe. However, Health Canada issued concerns about the potential risk of baby bottles made from polycarbonate plastic. As a result, they have proposed a ban on baby bottles made form this substance. IBWA welcomes the scientific rigor of Health Canada’s safety review, which confirms the safety of reusable polycarbonate water bottles. For more information on this issue, visit the American Chemistry Council’s website at <<2>">www.factsonplastic.com]<2> or <<3>">www.bisphenol-a.org]<3> <1>: http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/doc.asp?CID=1106&DID=7941 <2>: http://www.factsonplastic.com <3>: http://www.bisphenol-a.org

*Could Addressable TV advertising lure food and drink advertisers back to TV? Packet Vision's Barry Llewellyn thinks it could ... * *With so many advertising restrictions facing food and drink brands, it’s no surprise that the latest report commissioned by the Department of Health into the advertising spend of food and drink brands shows a sharp drop in TV advertising spend: a 46% decline from 2003 through 2007. * At the same time, spend on other media has increased as food and drink advertisers look for other opportunities to position their brands and impact sales. But while print, email and web marketing all lend themselves to a more tailored approach than TV could traditionally offer, the nature of TV advertising is changing in a way that will solve the problems of waste, relevancy and measurability. A new TV delivery technology called IPTV is behind the change. Available in the UK, IPTV is reaching critical mass across Europe, and it’s not just some concept dreamed up in a lab. Big brand advertisers, including at least one fast food brand, have already used targeted advertising (also known as ‘addressable advertising’) to reach specific consumer groups more effectively. IPTV’s addressable advertising capabilities mean that food and drink advertisers can, for the first time, segment TV viewing audiences in a highly granular way: by demographic groups, geographic locations down to street or town level or communities of interest for example. This also means that specific audiences can be excluded, such as children, which will help advertisers meet Ofcom’s regulations and maintain high reach and impact advertising. Relevance and measurability Since we're watching more TV than ever before, IPTV is good news for food and drink brands that really want to benefit from the reach and impact that TV advertising provides but with improved relevance and measurability. Delivered via domestic broadband connections, usually to standard TV sets (it can also be delivered to PCs), IPTV provides a two-way communications stream enabling advertisers to measure viewership of their commercial on an actual home by home basis. In the UK, there are several IPTV projects and networks. In other parts of Europe, particularly France, Spain and Sweden, IPTV is booming. Multimedia Research Group (MRG) estimates there will be more than 63 million IPTV subscribers by 2011, while Informa claims that there were already over 12 million by the end of 2007. With IPTV, each destination has its own IP address, which is totally anonymous and in no way reveals the private data of the individual, but it does enable the broadcaster to target the information it delivers. This applies not just to programme content, but to advertising too. For example, ads about alcohol could target households without children, and cereal brands could target households with adults over 45 with a high cholesterol cereal product. Some food brands – Weetabix and Cadbury, among others – are already taking part in the world’s first large-scale addressable TV advertising project. Their targeted ads will run over Inuk’s Freewire IPTV service that delivers TV, broadband and phone services (a triple-play offer) to students in university halls of residence all over the UK. The first stage of the project involves inserting student-targeted ads on Channel 4 when carried over Freewire. As the project rolls out, it will involve advertising to selected student audience groups based on gender, age, coursework, location or commercial behaviour. The engagement factor The opportunity IPTV affords broadcasters means that, for the first time, the cost to reach a specified TV audience could be reduced as new demand for television airtime is created. This means it could be feasible for a small farm with organic sheep and goat produce to target families living within their distribution network of Hampshire. Delivering targeted adverts in this way enables food and drink marketers to make ads that are more relevant. And while relevance may not be an end in itself, it's a major step towards increasing the engagement factor and reducing audience churn within a TV ad break. The flexibility of addressable advertising over IPTV doesn't stop there. It can be used to connect to further information, such as a website, or linked to response mechanisms such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Furthermore, since IP allows for return path data, it becomes possible to collect real-time information about which programmes or advertisements the individual TV or PC is tuned into at any one time, giving advertisers a rapid and accurate measuring tool. Television delivered over IP may be in its infancy in the UK, but big food and drink brands and ad agencies are already beginning to explore its potential. With IPTV set to become more mainstream, together with its benefits of more targeted, cost-effective and measurable advertising, food and drink marketers have a useful new tool that will encourage them to continue to prioritise TV advertising. Barry Llewellyn is VP Sales and Marketing of Packet Vision Ltd. He has 25 years' experience in TV, advertising airtime sales on a regional, national and pan-continental basis for ITV (UK) and MTV Europe (among others). Barry has also run international television channels with specific focus on marketing, press and PR, advertising sales, sponsorship and network development.

Selenium and chromium occur naturally in the environment. Chromium is an important factor in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins. Selenium, an antioxidant, is a micronutrient is necessary for cellular funtion, yet it's toxic in large amounts. Animals may be supplemented in feed with these two elements. While selenium is already authorised in the EU as inorganic (sodium selenate and sodium selenite) or organic (selenium-enriched yeast) forms, chromium is not yet authorised within the Community. In 2006, the EFSA adopted an opinion on the safety and efficacy of the product 'Sel-Plex 2000' as a feed additive. This opinion concluded that the selenium exposure for young children consuming products of animals supplemented with this additive would be slightly above the threshold identified. Therefore, gathering of additional recent consumption data will be of value when refining the exposure assessment. Regarding chromium, the EFSA is currently evaluating a dossier aiming to investigate the authorisation of chromium-methionine as a feed additive. Recent data on exposure to chromium in food and beverages would be needed for the assessment of chromium as a feed additive. The data should include the analytical method used and, if possible, information on the validation of the method. Additionally, if available, the number of samples analysed, and the number of replicated measures of the same sample for each value. Where possible the data for selenium should indicate if the origin of the selenium was inorganic or organic and any available data on selenium content in multivitamin and mineral food supplements should also be reported. For chromium, the data should distinguish between the two most important occurring oxidation forms of chromium: Cr (III) and Cr (VI), and its origin (ie inorganic/organic). Again, if possible, EFSA asks that the chromium content of multivitamin and mineral food supplement is also reported.

UK-based Bottlegreen Drinks has redesigned the packaging for its lightly sparkling pressé drinks as part of the company's ongoing rebranding strategy. The new-look sparkling pressés will be available in two sizes: a 275ml and 750ml bottle format, and will feature the new brand logo, along with stylised illustrations of ingredients created for bottlegreen by Ziggurat Brands. In addition to the redesign, bottlegreen will launch a new variant, which will be available only in the 275ml impulse size. "Our key marketing objective this year has been to raise our brand profile among consumers and to drive our products within new distribution channels," said Simon Speers, MD of Bottlegreen Drinks. "Although we're a significant player within the premium drinks aisle in the multiples, we're keen to further develop our presence within the on-trade and foodservice sector. "Pubs, bar chains and restaurants are increasingly looking to appeal to those consumers who demand a more sophisticated soft drink as a wine alternative. We're confident that the new 275ml bottle size will cater to these markets as they can be sold in individual servings and will be available in our stylish and iconic conical bottle shape, which will appeal to discerning consumers." The new sparkling pressés will be priced between £1.40 to £2.80 RRP (275ml).

The Pepsi Bottling Group (PBG) has announced an agreement with CytoSport, producer of protein-enhanced functional beverages in the US, to distribute Muscle Milk. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. PBG will begin distribution of the ready-to-drink line of Muscle Milk and Muscle Milk Light in January. It will be available in convenience, food, drug, grocery and specialty retailers nationwide. "Strengthening and diversifying the PBG product portfolio is one of our top priorities. By teaming up with CytoSport, we're entering a new beverage segment with attractive long-term growth prospects," said PBG North America President Rob King. CytoSport President Greg Pickett added: "By working with PBG, we'll be able to greatly extend the reach of the Muscle Milk brand and put our products in the hands of more consumers than ever before. This is a beverage category with tremendous growth potential, and this agreement further enhances CytoSport's leading position in the category." The protein beverage, Muscle Milk, claims to promote lean muscle growth, fast recovery from exercise and sustained energy.

Britain's Food Standards Agency (FSA) is recommending that pregnant women reduce their maximum daily caffeine intake from 300mg to 200mg. The move to change the recommendation comes in light of a new study by the British Medical Journal that relates high caffeine consumption with low birth weights. The study explains that women who take between 100 and 199mg of caffeine a day face a 20% greater risk of having a baby with a relatively low birth weight compared to those whose intake is less than 100mg a day. An average cup of coffee contains about 100mg of caffeine, and caffeine is also present in tea, cola, chocolate and some drugs. "This new advice doesn't mean that pregnant women have to cut out caffeine completely," said Andrew Wadge, FSA's chief scientist. " simply that they should be careful and make sure they don't have too much. We would emphasise that the risks are likely to be very small."

Four entrepreneurs will be looking for their big break later this month when they try their luck in the so-called 'Lion’s Den', pitching to a panel of retail experts as part of the first UK Food and Drink Entrepreneur Forum, to be held on 27 November in London. The companies presenting their new product developments will be Grumpy Mule, Munchy Seeds, The Cake Bake Company (famous for the sponge used in the Skoda advert!), and Three Counties Gourmet. The retail panellists include Neil Nugent from Waitrose, Nils Clement from Starbucks Coffee, and Kay Wheelton from The Co-operative Group. Each company will be given five minutes to pitch its new product ideas to the panel, after which it will receive detailed feedback along with general advice on how to convince buyers and secure listings. As Ian Balmforth, MD of Grumpy Mule, said: “It’s always difficult to get in front of the retailers, so this is a fantastic opportunity to test our product and to gain first-hand advice on how to approach pitches in the future.” The UK Food and Drink Entrepreneur Forum is designed for owners and management teams looking to grow and develop their businesses by providing an overview of the routes available. Other speakers include leading brand owners and industry experts such as Andrew Cawthray from Cawingredients Ltd, Mark Palmer from Green & Black’s, Ben Cull from Yeo Valley Organic, Oliver Wyncoll from Langholm Capital (the fund behind Dorset Cereals and Tyrells Potato Chips), Richard Reed from Innocent Drinks, Peter Farquhar from Dorset Cereals and John Mathers from Blue Marlin Brand Design. There will also be briefings from Zenith International experts on how to grow business and ways to secure finance. As well as entrepreneurs, the audience will include other retailers and distributors, investors and suppliers all looking for the next big thing. For more information, and to book online, visit the <1>. <1>: http://www.zenithinternational.com/events/event_details.asp?id=62

As part of the campaign, Hydro is giving away 600,000 specially designed beverage cans during promotional events at university campuses and communities across Germany and Norway. Manufactured by Crown, the cans will carry a series of creative messages relating to sustainability and recycling, and their positive impact on the environment. Campaign messages 'Forever Young', 'Built to Last' and 'I'll Be Back' demonstrate this fact by showing how consumers can come into contact with aluminium so many times during their lifetime. Recycling also reduces the need for virgin materials, which decreases energy use and CO2 emissions. This is highlighted by further messages such as 'Energy Bank' and 'Hydro Power'. "We're delighted to be part of Hydro's initiative to educate consumers on the merits of aluminium and the beverage can," said Caroline Archer-Reed, Marketing Director, Crown Bevcan Europe & Middle East. "The can is the most recycled drinks pack in the world, and with its inherently large printing area, it's the ideal promotional tool for communicating these important messages to the public. Once cans are collected for recycling, they can be recycled and back on the shelf within 60 days." To complete the cycle, Hydro has teamed up with a recycling partner in Norway to set up collection bins at all promotion locations. Hydro will donate NKr 1 to the Red Cross for each Crown can that is collected and recycled during events. The first Hydro promotion was held on 28 August 2008 at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. More events will take place well into 2009 in select cities across Norway and Germany.