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?
Federal funding for energy and resource efficiency in the economy means that breweries can receive support as they transition toward climate-neutral beer. What’s needed for this?
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?
Sustainability remains at the forefront of the development of glass and PET bottles, drink cartons and cans. The demands placed on packaging by consumers and legislators vary depending on material, but all fall under this overarching, dominant topic. Caps that are firmly attached to the bottle or carton (for single-use plastics), reduced use of material (lightweight glass bottles) and increased use of recycled material (rPET) are important goals, and will continue to be in future. Let’s take a look at current projects.
Like so many other trends, hard seltzer also originated in the USA, where it has been breaking one sales record after another. No wonder that the beverage industry in Germany sensed a big chance here after being greatly shaken up by the coronavirus. Hard seltzer, a new boom that can be brought across the Atlantic to Europe with ease, or just a brief tremor in the market like Fassbrause?
Do good and tell people about it. There is still a lot of good to be done in the areas of environmental protection and sustainable production. When it comes to sustainable beer production, the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in Munich is one of the trailblazers. And yet we hardly ever hear about the many measures being taken there. Why? Because sustainable business is simply common sense according to Dr Michael Möller, technical director, and Sebastian Utz, environmental officer at Hofbräuhaus München.
The global pandemic has spotlighted the food and beverage sector. In particular because fluctuating customer requirements and closed borders strained supply chains to their limits. Reda Mostafa, Business Development Director at PTC, explains here how the digital transformation of the food and beverage industry can help it operate successfully, even in such unpredictable times.
The grain harvest in 2021 was marked by disappointing results on the whole in terms of yields and quality, with variations from one region to the next. The high yield expectations in June and July were suddenly let down. Since then the grain prices have skyrocketed. Stephan Bergler, IREKS, provides us with a cause and effect analysis.