Headlines

In what is being described as the first “greenwashing” lawsuit in the state’s history, California Attorney General Kamala Harris filed a complaint last week against Balance Water, AquaMantra, and ENSO Plastics for deceptively marketing and labeling their packaging as biodegradable and recyclable. The lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for how beverage companies choose bottle manufacturers and label their products.

Mike Repole, who helped revolutionize the beverage industry as the co-founder of Vitaminwater, has sets his sights on the changing the way consumers look at fast food. Repole is now the chairman of Energy Kitchen, a so-called “healthy, fast-casual eatery” that offers low-calorie menu items like turkey burgers and baked fries. Repole has stated that he wants to “transform the entire fast food industry” and hopes to open 1,000 new Energy Kitchen restaurants throughout the United States over the next ten years.

For an entrepreneurial beverage company, getting to a million bottles might not be as glamorous as it sounds… just ask the founders of Hotlips Soda. The Portland, Ore.-based company, which has produced a line of premium fruit-based soft drinks since 2003, recently brewed its one millionth bottle of soda. Despite the milestone, David Yudkin and Jeana Edelman, the owners of Hotlips, aren’t celebrating.

Once an outspoken critic of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), Michael Pollan has clarified his views. In an article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the food writer now says that research on HFCS shows that the ingredient is no worse than sugar when it comes to the consumer diet. “I’ve done a lot to demonize [HFCS],” Pollan told the newspaper. “And people took away the message that there was something intrinsically wrong with it. A lot of research says that isn’t the case.”

With space rapidly filling up, BevNET Live Winter 11 is on track to be another sellout.  If you haven’t already registered for the event, which takes place on December 5…

Coca-Cola has agreed to acquire Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Co., the fifth-largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the United States, for $360 million. The agreement follows Coke’s $12.3 billion acquisition of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., its largest bottler in North America, last year. The deal is expected to help Coke streamline operations and reduce its overall costs.

Could a symbol, such as a check mark, on the front of a can or bottle help consumers make healthier beverage decisions? The Institute of Medicine (IOM) thinks so. The organization recently released a government-sponsored report recommending that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adopt a single, standardized front-of-package symbol system for all food and beverage packaging.

Recent news that big soda companies like PepsiCo and the Coca-Cola Co., Inc. are planning to take price increases to compensate for supplier costs has left smaller companies wondering how they should keep up. BevNET.com spoke with several entrepreneurial beverage firms who face a tough choice: increase pricing or shrink margins. And while many seem to believe that there’s strength in their higher-end retail markets, there’s always the possibility that either they will want to expand – or the bigger fish will decide to spawn in the smaller specialty ponds, as well.

The 74th biennial tradeshow for the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) took place from October 16-18 in Las Vegas. There were more than 30 non-alcoholic beverage companies present, all of whom were very excited to get their products in front of the 4,000+ attendees -- particularly as wholesalers and independent beer distributors look to continue to diversify their NA portfolios.

Did you launch your beverage company in the past two years? If so, here’s a reminder to check out the upcoming the New Beverage Showdown 2, which is presented by Venturing & Emerging Brands. The New Beverage Showdown 2 , which will take place at BevNET Live Winter 11 on December 5 & 6 in Santa Monica, CA (register for BevNET Live here), is an amazing opportunity to put your brand on the industry’s radar — as well as take home the $5,000 prize that’s being offered.

MarketsandMarkets has projected the global sports and energy drinks market to reach $52 billion by 2016 in a new report. The report states that sales of sport and energy drinks…