Kerry Taste & Nutrition has released its latest Art of Taste & Nutrition report providing a complete view of 2021 trends in the summer beverage market across foodservice in Europe & Russia. Looking at over 300 Limited Time Offerings (LTOs) across 12 European markets, the research reveals that for Summer 2021, strawberry has come out on top as the European coffee shop market bounces back with NPD levels close to those last seen pre-COVID-19.  The Report highlights:

Citrus Revival – Tapping into the health and wellness trend, citrus flavours not only offer the ultimate in refreshment during hotter months, but also benefit from their association with healthy, immune-boosting properties. Food and beverage products linked to immunity have been increasingly popular with consumers in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Authentic Fruit Flavours – Strawberry and mango had strong performance as preferred flavours for summer LTOs in popular iced teas and lemonade platforms, as well as in the addition of real fruit pieces and flavours in coffees. Additionally, using seasonal fruits at their freshest adds a premium touch to LTO offerings.

Comfort Factor – Following the months of uncertainty brought on by Covid-19, consumers are looking for comfort and indulgence and LTOs, particularly decadent blended ice style beverages, tap into this by providing a treat to inject fun and excitement into consumers’ days.

Elaine Druhan, Senior Marketing Manager – Foodservice, Kerry Taste & Nutrition comments on the Art of Taste findings: “As the foodservice industry continues to go through a period of momentous change, this market analysis highlights the optimism surrounding the reopening of the out-of-home sector. We’re seeing an abundance of innovation across Europe and Russia and expect to see even more in Summer 2022.

Beverage trend predictions for Summer 2022:  

Next Level Citrus – Leveraging the power of Kerry’s proprietary AI intelligence tool, ‘Kerry Trendspotter’, to uncover emerging summer beverage flavour trends, blood orange and grapefruit are poised to become more mainstream in the future both tapping into the health and wellness trend.

The Power of Social Media – The social media effect is still in full force and getting word out about LTOs on social media not only helps to drive sales from existing consumers, but also can attract new consumers through positive word of mouth including comments, likes and shares.

Platform Innovation – Emerging trends in the UK and Ireland for Summer include fresh kombucha and fruit refreshers and iced beverages which account for 94% of LTOs.

For a full copy of the pan-European report ‘Art of Taste: A complete analysis of in-market summer beverages 2021’, please visit: Link

The non-alcoholic beverage industry, represented by the European Fruit Juice Association (AIJN), Natural Mineral Waters Europe (NMWE) and UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe, calls on the European Commission for ‘priority access’ to its recycled plastic (PET) material, or a similar mechanism that guarantees ‘right of first refusal’, to be incorporated in the upcoming revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.

As the beverage industry continues to invest in circularity and to put highly recyclable PET on the market, it needs to have priority access to its own recycled packaging material. This will help the beverage industry produce new packaging with food-grade recycled PET compliant with EU food safety standards, achieve its recycling targets and prevent its recycled PET being downcycled.  Closing the bottle loop is required to ensure that the beverage industry meets the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) targets and contributes to building a more circular economy for beverage packaging.

Wouter Lox, Secretary General of the European Fruit Juice Association (AIJN), commented: ‘’ The access to the packaging material is essential to continue providing high quality and safe foods. This requirement needs to be merged with the sector commitments to respond to the EU Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan. Therefore the access to the recycled material responding to the highest food quality standards needs to be reassured at every stage of the circularity circle.’’ Patricia Fosselard, Secretary General of Natural Mineral Waters Europe, stated: “Thanks to significant investments in collection schemes and in eco-design, PET bottles have become the most collected and recycled items around Europe. Through well-designed Deposit Return Schemes, several countries already achieve collection rates above 90%. Our members are determined to give every bottle a second life, but they can only do this if they get back the material that they place on the market so we can successfully close the loop.”

Nicholas Hodac, Director General of UNESDA, added: ‘’The entire beverage industry in Europe is fully supportive of the EU Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan and is committed to delivering full circularity for PET bottles. To get there, we need the European Commission to  allow us to have priority access to our own recycled plastic material to meet our EU recycling obligations and avoid downcycling, which will break the bottle loop. It is just fair that we regain the equivalent quantity of collected and recycled material that we place on the market to move circularity forward.’’ The beverage industry is subject to several mandatory requirements under SUPD, one of which is that PET in bottles has to be food-grade to comply with EU food safety standards.

In addition to introducing mandatory collection targets for PET bottles, SUPD also mandates the beverage industry to use a minimum of 25% (by 2025) and 30% (by 2030) of recycled content. The beverage industry’s commitment is not only to achieve these EU targets, but also to go much further by creating a closed loop for its PET bottles. Granting the beverage industry fair access to the amount of PET plastic material that it puts on the market and of which it finances the collection is key to promote effective bottle-to-bottle recycling. AIJN

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Global – Tetra Pak’s annual sustainability report spotlights 70% greenhouse gas reductions in last decade

Tetra Pak’s 22nd annual sustainability report is highlighting the company’s 70% greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction in its own operations from 2010 to 2020, Scope 1 and 2. The company also reduced total emissions by 19% within the same time frame. The company is now working toward achieving net-zero GHG emissions in its own operations by 2030, with an ambition to go net-zero across the value chain by 2050.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic threw up unprecedented challenges, it also served as an important catalyst for change in many ways,” Lisa Ryden, sustainable development director at Tetra Pak, commented. “For Tetra Pak, the pandemic made our sustainability strategy even more important, because it demonstrated clearly how the planet, society and the economy cannot each survive in isolation.”

In 2020, Tetra Pak sold 13.5 billion plant-based packages and 7.5 billion plant-based caps, made from segregated plant-based polymers, fully traceable to their sugarcane origins.

Another means of keeping packaged contents safe is through eBeam technology, which sterilizes packaging material using electron beams and replaces the traditional hydrogen peroxide sterilization. Meanwhile, it can reduce energy consumption by as much as one-third.

Low carbon tweaks
Certain adjustments to Tetra Pak’s packaging have also brought down the company’s carbon emissions. Last year, it carried out a limited commercial launch of its first non-foil aseptic packaging solution, which replaces the aluminium layer with a polymer film applied with a Tetra Pak proprietary coating.

The EU SUPD demands caps and lids remain attached to containers from July 2024.This coating offers a robust solution that is effective and equally safe as our current foil barrier, but has a significant climate impact reduction. PackagingInsights

Refresco has entered into an agreement to acquire Hansa-Heemann, a German mineral water and carbonated soft drinks (CSD) company.The deal forms part of Refresco’s buy-and-build strategy and further enhances its position in terms of product and brand portfolio and geographical coverage. The independent bottler has five production sites across Germany and serves three different market segments: private label, own brands and contract manufacturing for A-brands. Hansa-Heeman reportedly has annual revenues of approximately EUR300 million and employs over 800 people.

With the acquisition, Refresco will expand its offering in water and CSDs with brands such as Fūrst Bismarck, Hella and St. Michaelis. Upon completion, Refresco will enhance its presence in Germany, thus improving its transport efficiencies and reducing CO2 emissions.

Hans Roelofs, CEO of Refresco Group commented: “This acquisition will further diversify our business and product offering, which will benefit our customers. Refresco Germany and Hansa-Heeman are highly complementary and through this acquisition, we will be able to offer nationwide coverage to German retailers.” The transaction was made for an undisclosed sum and is subject to regulatory approval. foodbev

A new research review, published in Frontiers in Immunology, has found that a simple glass of citrus juice contains key nutrients and bioactive substances that help our immune system to work efficiently. Scientists examined evidence from nearly 200 different studies and reports, and concluded that vitamin C, folate and polyphenol compounds in citrus juices have the capacity to impact on immune health, fight inflammation and improve our defence against bacteria and viruses.

Co-author, Philip Calder, Professor of Nutritional Immunology at Southampton University, said: “A weak immune system increases susceptibility to infections and allows these to become more severe. One component of the immune response is inflammation. Where inflammation is excessive or uncontrolled it can damage body tissues, sometimes irreparably, and affect our ability to fight infections. Having a diet rich in antioxidant foods and drinks is one way to control inflammation and ensure the body can mount an effective immune response. Trials in humans confirm that orange juice consumption reduces inflammation.

“Citrus fruit juices are particularly good sources of vitamin C and folate, which have roles in strengthening the gut and skin barriers which are our first line of defence against viruses and bacteria. In addition, these nutrients – which are absorbed well from fruit juices –support the function of many types of immune cells including phagocytes, natural killer cells, T-cells and B-cells.

“Another area of research is the bioactive polyphenols found in citrus fruit juices which include hesperidin, narirutin and naringin. These not only have anti-inflammatory effects but could also have direct anti-viral effects according to emerging data from modelling studies”.

Dr Carrie Ruxton, from the Fruit Juice Science Centre, comments: “The evidence about the positive role that fruit juices play in the diet continues to build. We know from several large studies that a daily glass of pure fruit juice provides vitamin C, folate and potassium, can help to lower blood pressure, and reduces the risk of stroke. Now it’s clear that citrus juices can also contribute to immune health which is crucial as we all get back to our normal lives”. PRNewswire