Headlines

In a decision that may have far reaching implications for how beverage companies advertise and market their products, a federal judge has ordered the makers of POM Wonderful to cease making all claims about the health benefits and performance of its pomegranate drinks and products. The ruling will likely resolve a 2010 complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that accused POM and its parent company Roll International Corp of deceptive advertising.

Concerned about potential legislative proposals that limit what kinds of foods and beverages consumers can purchase with food stamps, the American Beverage Association (ABA) has hired a lobbying firm to advise Congress on “matters affecting the preservation of choice in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP],” according to a recent article on TheHill.com.

Only eight months after launching the product, Pure Growth Partners has quietly rebranded its Street King energy shot as SK Energy. While the brand’s website has yet to reflect the name change, the product has been advertised as SK Energy on its social media pages since the beginning of the month.

New Age Beverage's XingTea Blueberry took the top spot in the Ready-to-Drink Flavored Green category at the North American Tea Championship. The beverage was judged along with 250 other iced teas, each of which was placed within 20 separate sub-categories. According to World Tea Media, which hosts the annual championship, the judging panel was comprised of professional "cuppers" who assessed the quality of each submission in a blind analysis.

With news of the upcoming Facebook IPO dominating headlines this week, Socialbakers, a social media and digital analytics firm, has released an infographic depicting the top brands on Facebook as measured by the total number of global "fans." It turns out that beverage companies are doing a pretty good job at engaging their consumers online as three of the top five brands on the list are owned by drink manufacturers.

Relational Investors, an investment firm known for taking an activist role in underperforming companies, announced that it has acquired a $600 million stake in PepsiCo – amounting to about 0.6 percent of the company - according to The Wall Street Journal. Relational began accumulating shares of PepsiCo in the fall of 2011, and has been one of several voices calling for the company to split its snack and beverage businesses into two separate and independent units.

Lifeway Foods has announced an agreement with Target that dramatically increases the number of stores that carry its Kefir line. The new distribution deal is Lifeway's first major expansion in Target in eight years and increases the availability of Lifeway Kefir drinks from 170 to 453 Target locations. The expansion covers a range of flavors and sizes of Lifeway Kefir, a probiotic drink similar to drinkable yogurt, and adds three new flavors of its 8 oz. Lifeway Kefir 4-packs to Target dairy cases.

Story jumped into the paper likely on the rumors of Coke's potential for a play for Monster Energy, but despite some analysts squawking that the company needs to take leadership in all categories, there's an equal number of claims that the company, with 500 brands, has trouble focusing as well.

Hot on the heels of Pepsi NEXT, the Coca-Cola Co. is rolling out a pair of mid-calorie CSDs of its own, taking Sprite and Fanta into 70-calorie cans sweetened with a mix of sugar, stevia and erythritol.

More news from the burgeoning world of beverage-related class-action lawsuits as Lifeway becomes the latest company to be hit with allegations that its drinks do not provide their advertised health benefits.

Yesterday, PepsiCo announced a number of leadership changes in its recently formed global groups organization, according to an internal memo obtained by Ad Age. The shake-up in executive positions is part of Pepsi’s strategy to promote greater innovation and forward thinking as a global company and will be followed by a "100-day rollout plan" designed to align employees around the new approach.

Brewbound, BevNET's site dedicated to craft beer, has released the preliminary agenda for its upcoming business conference for craft brewers. The Brewbound Craft Beer Session will be co-located with BevNET Live, and held on Tuesday, June 5th at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. The outstanding speaker lineup will include a keynote address from Greg Koch, the CEO and co-founder of Stone Brewing Co.

Red Bull has unveiled a new TV ad that will be the company's first broadcast spot during the NBA playoffs. The TV ad is part of the company's "World of Red Bull" campaign and features L.A. Clippers star Blake Griffin and celebrity skateboarder Travis Pastrana, as well footage from DJ and break dancing competitions and 1-on-1 basketball games played on Alcatraz Island. The ad will air during playoff games on ESPN, ABC, and TNT.

Last week's reports of a possible acquisition of Monster Beverage by Coca-Cola sent shares of the energy drink giant on a colossal roller coaster ride, initially soaring into the stratosphere, only to come tumbling back to earth after Coke addressed the news as speculation. However, shares of Monster Beverage are once again surging after the energy drink giant announced record first quarter sales and profits and easily bested Wall Street estimates for the three-months ending March 31, 2012.