Co-founders Justin Guilbert and Douglas Riboud -- currently abroad to look at tea operations for their new product line -- confirmed to BevNET that they have begun checking a few new channels for their coconut water, which has grown a huge presence in Whole Foods over the past two years.

In its annual meeting held on Tuesday, the policy-making arm of the American Medical Association (AMA) voted to endorse a ban on the marketing of energy drinks and shots to people under the age of 18.

She was eating curds and whey back in the day, but Little Miss Muffet might look past milk the next time she’s searching for her protein boost. Advances in protein technology, rising raw materials costs, and lifestyle changes have combined with an overall upsurge in demand to create a broader set of proteins used in beverage than those derived solely from whey, the popular milk-based protein.

Over-the-counter liquid therapy is ready to explode. At least, that’s what Mary Page Platerink believes. A former executive at the Coca-Cola Co., Inc., Platerink is the founder and CEO of First Aid Shot Therapy (F.A.S.T.). Debuting in Seattle soon, F.A.S.T. has two SKUs — one targeted at pain, like headaches, and another that is supposed to relieve an upset stomach.

Fueled by rising interest on issues regarding health and wellness, and a perfect storm in the legal and political landscape, the U.S. has seen a five-fold increase in the number of class action consumer fraud lawsuits brought against food and beverage companies from 2008 to 2012.

There’s no excuse – it’s time for my annual office cleaning column, where I look around my beverage collection and mine it for insight. This year it will be especially poignant (for me, at least) as in July I’m moving to a new office a few blocks from my present digs. I have to clear out as much as I can before the move, and that makes for sober reflection of the huge collection of beverages I’ve amassed over the course of 21 years in the industry.