FDA Rules In Favor Of Aspartame Use
Two citizen petitions aiming to ban the use of the non-caloric sweetener have been denied by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Headlines
Report: Online Grocery Business To Hit $100 Billion In Sales by 2019
Packaged Facts estimates that online grocery shopping accounts for 3.5 percent of the overall grocery market and will grow to nearly 12 percent within five years.
NYT: After Lobbyist Influence, Missouri AG Dropped 5-hour Investigation
The New York Times earlier this week released a story detailing the efforts a lawyer representing 5-hour Energy who was said to have successfully swayed Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster into dropping an inquiry looking into whether the company had engaged in deceptive and misleading advertising.
Greenshoots, Struggling with Suppliers, Curtails Expansion
The wholesaler, which had just a few months earlier completed a multi-million-dollar capital raise, is faced with swelling bills, irate suppliers and a full-scale retreat from several distribution territories.
Press Clips: Brooklyn’s Hottest Beverage Trend
For those completely unfamiliar with switchel, you’re not alone; it’s a beverage that, until recently, hasn’t been widely consumed since colonial times.
Can Kombucha Go Mainstream?
It may be hard to imagine how, just a few short years ago, even to an informed readership like BevNET’s, kombucha was just a curiosity. And while it would be premature to deem kombucha as a mainstream beverage, things are changing.
Channel Check: Ready-to-Drink Coffee
Among the new and intrepid, Coco Cafe is the tallest of the small, while Illy is showing positive growth and also indexing in the refrigerated section with another $3 million or so not included here. Still, it’s a long way to the top.
WSJ: PepsiCo Confirms SodaStream Test
The Wall Street Journal reported that PepsiCo and SodaStream have agreed to a “small-scale, limited-time test” that will begin in the coming weeks.
Distribution Roundup: Premium/Specialty CSD Brands Gain Momentum
Amid a downturn in consumption of legacy soda products, upstarts like Minta, Sipp, Something Natural and POP Water are gaining steam in variety of regions across the country and in retailers ranging from single-store grocers to regional giants.
When Using Novel Ingredients, Are All Co-Packers Created Equal?
In the following video on BevNET Food and Beverage University, Mamma Chia founder Janie Hoffman discusses the process by which she was able to identify and partner with co-packers that could mass produce a beverage that incorporated a novel and often challenging ingredient to work with, which in her case, is the chia seed.
What’s Trending? Ask Whole Foods.
A look at how the retailer is exploring new ways to execute behind its core competency.
After Profits Take a Hit, Coke Names New Marketing Chief
Coke today revealed that Joe Tripodi, its Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, will be succeeded be Marcos De Quinto, who has been President of Coke’s Iberia Business Unit since 2000.
Four Waters. Four Functions.
As various kinds of water innovation continue to surface in the beverage marketplace, broad modifiers are becoming harder to use. “Functional” or “Enhanced” water means a lot of things these days.
Body Armor’s “Upgrade” Slogan Faces FTC Hearing
Body Armor, the upstart sports drink brand that hopes to topple Gatorade from its long-held category leadership, may have to face an FTC hearing over its tagline, “Upgrade Your Sports Drink.”