Combined heat and power (CHP) plants will deliver significant cuts in CO2 emissions in 15 bottling facilities across 12 countries of operation, including eight European Union Member States. Coca-Cola Hellenic has announced plans to reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 20% across all of its production facilities through the development of 15 energy-efficient power plants to be in operation by the end of 2009. The decision to build the energy efficient power plants follows the start-up of a similar CHP plant at the company’s bottling facility in Hungary (pictured) which achieved a reduction of CO2 emissions by 43% during its first year of operation. At the same time, energy costs were reduced by €400,000. “The benefits realised through the construction of the Hungarian CHP plant led to our decision to roll out further facilities as part of a large-scale energy efficiency initiative,” said Coca-Cola Hellenic Managing Director Doros Constantinou. “As the 15 new plants come into service, we will continuously review the benefits achieved with a view to adding more plants across the Group.” The European Commission Vice President, Mr. Günter Verheugen, attending the announcement, commended Coca-Cola Hellenic and its partner company ContourGlobal on its commitment to contribute to the European Union’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions across Member States well ahead of the 2020 deadline. "Coca-Cola Hellenic is an active member of the CSR Alliance. This initiative shows that the Alliance is not about words but about bringing change. It demonstrates that environmental and economic goals can be pursued in unison. It also demonstrates how innovation is not just a driver of economic competitiveness, but also a contributor towards achieving wider social goals, such as addressing climate change” he said. The 15 CHP plants will be constructed by US energy company, ContourGlobal, a privately held power development company that operates eight businesses on four continents, with offices in London, New York, Durham, Paris, Kiev and Sao Paolo. The plants will supply highly efficient, clean electricity as well as hot and chilled water to 15 of Coca-Cola Hellenic’s bottling facilities in Austria, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Northern Ireland, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia in the European Union as well as in Nigeria, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine. Two installations will be built in each of Italy, Russia and Romania. The energy-efficient power plants will reduce CO2 emissions by at least 40% per plant compared with current energy use and will provide electricity, heat and cooling for production facilities. Excess electricity will be delivered to the national grid of each country, thereby supplying them with greener power. By 2020 the EU plans to reduce annual emissions of greenhouse gases by 20% from the Kyoto baseline of 1990. In order to achieve this goal, it is preparing to adopt an Energy Package demonstrating ways that the reduction can be achieved, with targets set for individual countries.

Leading Brands of Vancouver, Canada, reported substantial losses over the first three quarters of its 2007/08 fiscal year. Gross sales in the nine months to 30 November 2007 fell 32% to US$27.45 million, and the company lost $3.28 million (or $0.18 per share) after breaking even in the same period of 2006/07. Leading Brands’ sales in the third quarter of the current year were 25% down at $8.56 million, and the company finished with a loss of $1.64 million (or $0.08 per share) against a loss of $584,000 in 2006/07 Leading Brands, which claims to be “North America’s only fully integrated premium beverage company", is refocusing its operations on producing and distributing its own drinks, rather than working for other brand owners. But the changeover is proving a costly business. The company’s drop in revenue was due to the discontinuance of three lines previously produced under contract. Meanwhile, however, sales of Leading Brands’ proprietary beverages such as TrueBlue blueberry juice drink have been increasing – growing 55% in the second quarter of 2007/08, and 63% in the third quarter. Chairman and CEO Ralph McRae highlighted this point, telling shareholders: “This was the first time in my memory that our core business grew from the second quarter to the third. Seasonality normally works against that trend. Both gross and net sales in Q3 were up slightly over Q2. “Last year, gross sales dropped almost 27% from the warmer summer quarter to the cooler fall quarter, which is the norm in the beverage business. Continued strong branded beverage growth fuelled that condition this year.” The company also announced that Donna Louis has resumed the post of Chief Financial Officer, replacing Don Haliburton who has left the company.

Reuters – Carlsberg and Heineken on Friday agreed a joint cash bid of 800 pence a share for Scottish and Newcastle (S&N) that will split up the British brewer of Foster's and Kronenbourg. Denmark's Carlsberg and Amsterdam-based Heineken said they had agreed a deal recommended by S&N which valued Britain's biggest brewer and the world's sixth-largest beermaker at 7.8 billion pounds ($15.3 billion). The bidders say the approval of the European Commission and other competition authorities will be required and it's expected the deal will be completed in the second quarter. S&N and Carlsberg have agreed to release projected information for their 50-50 Russia-based joint venture Baltic Beverages Holding (BBH) for 2008 through 2010, which had been a sticking point in the three-month long takeover saga. Under the proposed breakup plan, Carlsberg will acquire S&N's 50% stake in BBH to give the Danish brewer full control of this Baltika brewer in the former Soviet Union, and also S&N's interests in France, Greece, China and Vietnam. Heineken will take over S&N's British business, which includes Strongbow cider and John Smith's beer, along with its operations in other European markets such as Belgium, Portugal, Ireland – plus its US and Indian businesses. "In a single step, we have created the world's fastest-growing global brewer," said Carlsberg Chief Executive Jorgen Buhl Rasmussen in a statement. "We now have full control of our destiny in Russia and other BBH territories." No final S&N dividend for 2007 will be paid.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for the food and beverage industry to adopt a uniform system of nutrition labelling to avoid confusing shoppers. “Parents tell me of their frustrations with the different food labelling they find on shelves when trying to make decisions on what their family eats,” he said during a keynote speech on health at King’s College London in January. “We are reviewing the multiple labelling systems currently in use, and I want to see consensus on a single labelling system, easily understood by consumers, which will deliver real improvements in the health of the country.” At present, major food and beverage manufacturers including PepsiCo and Kellogg’s use the Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) system, while supermarkets including Asda and Sainsbury’s use the “traffic light” system recommended by the official UK Food Standards Agency (FSA).

NewTree, the company that invented a new approach to chocolate, combining great taste and health, has launched three exciting products. To develop these products, NewTree used a new Barry-Callebaut couverture chocolate responding to these needs: chocolates with an improved nutritional profile (less sugar and more fibre), without compromising taste. Hans Vriens, Chief Innovation Officer at Barry Callebaut, said: "Our goal is to make eating chocolate more permissible for the consumer. This is now possible thanks to a new technique, which allows us to maintain the fine taste of the chocolate, yet diminish the sugar percentage – and to add nutritional substances such as dietary fibre. This results in a delicious chocolate with an improved nutritional profile." Chocolate, already rich in valuable nutritional elements such as antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, can be part of a healthy and balanced diet. Barry Callebaut's chocolate with improved nutritional profile now gives the opportunity to add extra nutritional claims such as 'reduced in fat' or 'reduced in sugar and rich in fibers'. The chocolate manufacturer offers clients several services to work out the best recipe and best product placement on the market for the developed product – a concept already tested and approved by NewTree. Benoit de Bruyn, NewTree's Managing Director, said: "We're constantly pushing our limits to create innovative chocolates with an added value for the consumer. NewTree focuses on two aspects: great taste and health. Until now, no 'reduced in sugar' chocolate had met our organoleptical criteria. This new product of Barry Callebaut is the first we found! "Our chocolates also required extensive R&D work: we are indeed launching three great-tasting chocolates called Alpha, because they contain specific Omega-3 (good fatty acids) in addition to the new Barry Callebaut chocolate we use. We believe our latest innovation, with specific health benefits, has a bright future in the sector, as consumers are more aware of the relation between what they eat and their general wellbeing."

NSF International today announced that NSF Draft Standard 305: Organic Personal Care Products is available for public comment until March 3, 2008. This draft standard will be the first U.S. national standard to define organic labeling and marketing requirements for organic personal care products. Previously, personal care product companies have had to work within the limitations of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program standards, which were written specifically for food. The NSF proposed draft standard may soon be used by companies that would like to make organic label and marketing claims, while meeting the strict requirements of this standard, which includes organic ingredient specifications. Comments on the proposed draft standard may be submitted by visiting: http://standards.nsf.org/apps/group_public/add_comment.php?document_id=263. These comments will then be reviewed by the joint committee who developed the standard, and incorporated where appropriate. Questions regarding the proposed draft standard or questions on how to submit comments should be directed to Lorna Badman, at 800-NSF-MARK, ext. 6806, 734-827-6806 or e-mail badman@nsf.org. Background on the Draft Standard NSF Draft Standard 305: Organic Personal Care Products encourages participation in the production of organic personal care products within the supply chain. The standard specifies materials, processes, production criteria, and conditions that shall be met in order for personal care products to make organic label and marketing claims. The voluntary, consensus draft standard also contains requirements for agricultural ingredients, synthetic ingredients, and methods of extraction based on the final product’s label claim. Products covered by the standard include rinse-off and leave-on personal care and cosmetic products as well as oral care and personal hygiene products. Standards Development Process All NSF standards are developed through involvement of those who are directly and materially affected by the scope of the standard. Organic personal care manufacturers, trade associations, regulators, organic program administrators, organic product retailers, and other stakeholders from the organic products community participated in the development of the organic personal care standard. NSF's consensus standards development process is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment systems. ANSI's accreditation verifies that NSF develops standards in a manner to ensure openness and due process. This method also ensures balanced participation from industry representatives, public health/regulatory officials, and users/consumer representatives. If you have questions or would like additional information on the proposed draft standard, please contact Greta Houlahan at 734-913-5723 or houlahan@nsf.org. Company profile About NSF International: NSF International, an independent, not-for-profit organization, helps protect you by certifying products and writing standards for food, water and consumer goods (www.nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting public health and safety worldwide. NSF is a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Food and Water Safety and Indoor Environment. Additional services include safety audits for the food and water industries, management systems registrations delivered through NSF International Strategic Registrations, organic certification provided by Quality Assurance International and education through the NSF Center for Public Health Education.

Ty Nant Natural Mineral Water, famed for its iconic cobalt blue glass bottles and curvaceous PET bottles, will be quenching the thirst of today’s hottest pop stars at this year’s BRIT Awards 2008, as the prestigious awards show goes ‘poptastic’ on February 20th 2008. As the Official Water Partner to The Brit Awards for the fifth year running, Ty Nant will be on hand to refresh the great and the good of the music industry once again. Hosted by rock 'n' roll’s royal couple, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, and with performances this year from, among others, Kylie, The Kaiser Chiefs and Paul McCartney, the star-studded bash is the hot ticket of the year. Also on hand to ensure the celebs stay cool as the pressure mounts this year will be Ty Nant Replenish – TY NANT’s latest product innovation – a cool, refreshing facial spray. Ideal for keeping cool as temperatures soar, the new facial spray has the added advantage of a snap-on pump spray, the environmentally friendly way to get that convenient burst of refreshment. Already in demand among the ‘fashionista’ having been spotted at Stella McCartney’s Adidas London Fashion Week show, Ty Nant’s Replenish is undoubtedly an A-list gift – ideal for The Brits! Laura Dodds, Ty Nant’s Brand Manager said: "Our partnership with The Brits continues to go from strength to strength. Not only does the sponsorship provide valuable exposure to Ty Nant's target audience, it also confirms Ty Nant as the soft drink of choice for trendsetters and opinion formers alike."

US beverage giants escaped the first shock wave of what was inevitably dubbed 'Black Monday' by European commentators, 21 January, when the London Stock Exchange went into its steepest dive since 9/11. A few hours later, Asian markets experienced a similar slump. The contagious loss of confidence was caused by investors’ fears of an approaching recession in the US. However, there was no initial reaction on Wall Street, for the good reason that American markets were closed that Monday while the nation celebrated Martin Luther King Jr Day. When the New York Stock Exchange reopened on Tuesday, there was indeed a belated crash in share prices. But pre-emptive action by the Federal Reserve, which announced a massive interest rate cut to revive the US economy, appeared to slow the market decline. Even so, the Dow Jones industrial average was 1.06% down at the end of the day, Nasdaq was 2.04% down, and Standard & Poor’s 500 index was 1.11% down. The biggest losers were software, airline, telecoms and utility stocks. Retail and bank stocks, on the other hand, fared relatively well. The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo were on the losing side by varying margins. Coke’s shares fell 3.24% to $58.77, while the stock of major bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises was 3.28% down at $23.61. Pepsi shares meanwhile fell 2.9% to $69.39, but the Pepsi Bottling Group virtually held its ground, with the company’s stock slipping a mere 0.03% to $38.48. Cadbury Schweppes’ American depositary receipts, which are listed on the New York exchange, even made a modest gain of 0.31% to $45.44. The curious explanation for this is that Cadbury’s main listing is in London, where the company’s stock had already slumped 3.63% on Black Monday, and was thus rising again (though only by 3.23%) as investors’ nerves steadied on Tuesday. Sadly, few market analysts thought the Federal Reserve’s intervention would be sufficient to avert the threat of recession in the longer term. As this issue of beverage innovation went to press, the financial world was fastening its seatbelts in anticipation of a bumpy ride ahead.

A new energy drink called Neuro Fuel has been created by Waylon Howell and Joe Elmore. “It contains the lesser known ingredient piracetam which smoothes out the bugs and jitters associated with many energy drinks by disjoining your aromatic synapses, according to Waylon who is the chemistry whizz, making you feel smarter, braver, stronger and more self confident.” Fraternity brothers from the University of Tennesee, Waylon was in Florida when the idea surfaced. “I was in Miami and people were taking lots of illegal substances to make themselves happier. But Miami is very health conscious so I thought how they needed something to keep the toxins out of their brain and the cognitive speed up and to use the caffeine but without the inherent drop off.” Luckily aside from being a chemist and knowing how "your psychokinetic environs redact your quadricelli in response to anagenic stimuli," Waylon also has a marketing and finance degree. He explaines: “Energy drinks as a whole grew by 53% last year and contrary to popular belief, the brands are not really in conflict with each other. Right now the more an energy drink promotes, the more they create awareness for the category as a whole. Red Bull has been around 10 years now, but is nowhere near saturation.” So Joe and Waylon sank their own cash into hiring an energy drink consulting firm and using a private laboratory in Kentucky. The key active ingredients are sugar, caffeine and the amino acid taurine but as Waylon underlined, it is the piracetam which differentiates this energy drink from the others and helps consumers keep a cool mind when it comes to concentration.

*Danone’s Volvic Revive, its first functional water brand launched in the UK less than a year ago, is under threat of being delisted due to a poor response from consumers, according to news reports. * The brand is thought to have failed against established competitors such as GlaxoSmithKline’s Lucozade and Hydro Active brands, as well as a burgeoning number of vitamin enhanced water drinks with fruit flavours in the marketplace. Danone recently told UK trade magazine Marketing Week that it had decided to delist Volvic Revive Citrus Kick, but that it had no intention of delisting the Berry Blast variant, which it claims has performed well and will be the focus of its future efforts. Volvic Revive, is marketed as an alternative to mainstream energy drinks and is targeted at 18 to 35 year olds. The drinks contain guarana and ginseng extracts – which, it is claimed, have energising properties – and have no added sugar. The functional water range has been sold across supermarkets in sports cap bottles, along with multipacks of four, in an effort to appeal to a young demographic. The sub-brand recently won an award for Best Marketing Campaign in the 2007 water innovation (formerly bottledwaterworld) awards.

Following in the footsteps of the hugely profitable concentrated chai drinks market in North America, go-chai is a new choice in premium tea. Since its launch at the end of 2007, this innovative spiced tea drink is proving to be a popular choice in cafes and health food stores. UK interest is rising, as all-natural go-chai satisfies the big three food mega-trends buyers and consumers want: health, convenience and premiumisation. The complex layers of flavours, the ability to personalise the drink to suit individual taste preferences, and the relaxing aroma are the major points of difference between go-chai and other chai products. It's available in a 250ml Tetra Pak, which ensures a long shelf life, while keeping the natural flavours fresh without any additives or preservatives. Each pack makes two servings when diluted. After opening, go-chai will maintain its high quality taste in the fridge for several days. Managing director, Martha Benedek, said: “go-chai is going from strength to strength. It’s the convenient and healthy choice for those wanting an all-natural, perfectly brewed cup of chai that's full of flavour. “We have big plans for the brand, including the development of a support programme for Global Angels, an innovative international children’s charity championing the needs of children around the world. Having witnessed the booming growth of other chai drinks in North America, we believe there's huge potential to appeal to time-pressured, health-conscious consumers in the UK. “go-chai recognises that the hot drinks segment is crying out for an innovative, high quality product that stands out from the crowd and tastes great. We believe go-chai meets this challenge with finesse.”

By Claire Phoenix Liqui-Fruit, a market leader in the South African long-life fruit juice market since its introduction to South Africa in 1975, has expanded its Barney & Friends range with the addition of Riff, a dancing Hadrosaur (duck-billed dinosaur). Creative Licence was the design team tasked with helping Riff fit into Liqui-Fruit's Barney & Friends range. According to Martina Bogusch, Creative Director at Creative Licence, “At the end of 2007, the existing Liqui-Fruit Barney, BJ and Baby Bop packs will be joined by an exciting new face, Riff. Riff is a dinosaur with some amazing talents – he can make music out of anything, and when he's excited or creating his music, his crest blinks with a colourful light!” Bogusch continues: “Our brief was to build on the success of Liqui-Fruit's Barney range, which helps moms to get their toddlers to make a healthy juice choice. To this end, we've updated the four packs, which now feature a brightly coloured, eye-catching design on which Barney, BJ, Baby Bop and Riff are doing what they do best, having fun – creating an association between healthy juice and fun.”