News for the Beverage and Liquid Food Industry
Alcohol: No, thanks! No Low drinks are conquering the market and challenging alcoholic beverage choices. Even the drinks industry is carefully following latest developments. Alcohol-free alternatives are definitely here, but are they here to stay?
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, sales figures for malt beers – which are technically called malt drinks or malt beverages – have risen steadily. Prof. Jean Titze, Luisa Schubotz, Jannis Böhlke and Johannes Jeske from the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences in Köthen say this is a good reason to explore the characteristics of this drink and its special ingredient, caramel sugar.
Sugar-free, low-carb, fructose-intolerance, gluten-free, self-optimization – these are the buzzwords of the latest diet trends among millennials and GenZs. This certainly doesn’t bode well for a juice comeback! Simultaneously, a product’s region of origin, whether it contains vitamins, whether it is homemade, “craft,” organic and vegetarian or vegan are all becoming increasingly important. The coronavirus pandemic and lockdown have also seemingly led to an interim juice beverage recovery. Will it last, or is it temporary?
There was a conflict of interests between the priorities of the public health system and the objective of profit-oriented companies to sell more alcohol. A paradigm shift was needed – toward a culture of responsible drinking, or smart drinking, for those who choose to drink.
Soft drinks are so deeply embedded in the Mexican culture and diet that they have become part of the dining tradition, from the taco stand to the white-linen restaurant. Soft drinks, and especially cola beverages, have become an integral part of Mexican life, even intersecting with politics and religion in certain regions.
In 2020, the sparkling juice drinks market registered a negative sales growth of -12.1% across the whole of Germany as compared to 2019, according to figures from the market research institute (IRI) for the food retail industry. They predominantly blame rising prices for the declining sales and revenue across the entire sparkling juice drink sector.
With the largest global population and rising purchasing power of a vast section of the middle-class in the last three decades, China has become the largest soft drink market on both a volume and value basis.
Even traditionally hot drinks can be transformed into refreshments for any occasion. Cold tea drinks can be pure or augmented by fruity notes, sweetening or and even organic variations – offerings that consumers increasingly desire.
As the fourth largest global market for energy drinks, Thailand’s energy drinks market has witnessed steady growth rates for a number of years in the past decade. Growth rates in this sub-segment of beverages have come down by a few percentage points, but the country remains one of the most important energy drinks markets in Asia.