News

Watching a small but well-distributed rival create share in a market white space without responding isn't on the menu at Coca-Cola, apparently. The CSD giant has filed a trademark for Dasani Drops, defined under Goods and Services as "Concentrates and syrups used in the preparation of soft drinks; syrups for beverages."

Citing a lack of scientific data to support a change in policy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has rejected a request to ban bisphenol A (BPA) from cans, bottles and other packaging. The FDA decision was made in response to a petition filed by the Natural Re­sources Defense Council (NRDC) in 2008 which called for an end to the use of BPA – a chemical commonly used in the lining of cans and plastic bottles - in food and beverage-related products.

Hoping to revitalize a brand tormented by sluggish sales and angry investors, PepsiCo enlisted hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj to lead a new global marketing campaign for its flagship cola, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. The endorsement deal with Minaj is one piece of PepsiCo’s estimated $600 million marketing budget in 2012, an increase of 15 to 20 percent from last year.

Already known for its portfolio of all-natural and organic products, Brooklyn-based High 5 Distributors has made the move to a strictly vegan product mix. Citing personal and ethical reasons, Steve Torres, the founder of High 5, stated that the company has stopped carrying all non-vegan beverages and snacks, and noted that all new and current High 5-distributed products also undergo an examination to determine that the ingredients are never tested on animals.

Early registration for BevNET Live Summer 12, which is being held on June 4 & 5 in NYC, ends tomorrow, March 30. If you haven't already signed up, now is the time to do it. In addition to the recently announced New Beverage Showdown 3, we will have a variety of additional speaker and session announcements over the coming weeks. And, as with prior events that have sold out, we expect this event to be a packed house full of industry executives, investors, distributors, and suppliers. Click the link below to register or call 617-231-8888.

Lots of supplier and marketing organizations are on tenterhooks today as the FDA is expected to offer a ruling on a long-simmering request to remove the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) from food and beverage packaging. BPA is used to help provide plastic and epoxy resins to coat inside of cans and bottles, and there have been concerns that BPA could cause negative health effects.