British supermarket chain Waitrose are inviting to combine penny saving and healthy New Year’s resolutions with a new green shopping initiative. The supermarket is encouraging its customers to cycle to stores as an alternative to using cars by loaning cycle trailers. During January and February, 21 branches across the England are introducing cycle trailers, which will allow customers to transport their shopping home using pedal power. Equipped with large canvas shopping bags, the trailers are... ...Read more »

Two Belgian chocolate producers are the first in the world to release tooth-friendly chocolate products onto the market. Daskalidès and Chocolaterie Smet, released the much anticipated chocolate products yesterday, with the release an extension of the current push toward healthier chocolate products. Tooth-friendly chocolate is a innovation courtesy of Barry Callebaut, a world leading producer of high quality cocoa and chocolate. Barry Callebaut’s toothfriendly chocolate has been bestowed... ...Read more »

Burger King Corp., America’s second largest burger chain, has announced plans to introduce the world’s first Whopper Bar at Universal City Walk in Orlando, in the Spring of 2009. The new concept is a condensed and more contemporary version of the typical Burger King restaurant and was initially announced in March 2008. The ‘bars’ will be increasingly rolled out over the next 6-12 months as the company looks to find a way to get into areas where a normal Burger King outlet... ...Read more »

After almost a decade of research and 4 years of submissions, CQUniversity’s efforts have paid off with approval of the natural sweetener steviol glycosides (stevia), as an ingredient in foods and beverages in Australia and New Zealand.The Australian food authority FSANZ has approved the use of the natural sweetener and this will be gazetted tomorrow, October 9. The stevia plant, renowned for its extraordinary sweetness, is now being considered worldwide as a suitable substitute for sugar.... ...Read more »

ASDA has launched a new resealable and recyclable packaging for its cooked meat range, in what they believe to be a market first. Not only will it be both resealable and the main part of the pack recyclable, but the innovative change to the packaging has reduced its overall weight by 25% - resulting in less waste, according to Asda. The new packaging was devised by ASDA and Yorkshire-based supplier Parkam Foods and the majority of the pack, with the exception of the film sleeve covering the top,... ...Read more »

The Coca-Cola Company, the world’s biggest beverage business, has begun testing a new drink fountain which can dispense over 100 branded beverages from a single machine. The decision on a roll-out of the product in the foodservice industry will be made after the second round of testing - which is due to begin early next year. The drink fountain amazingly takes up a similar amount of space to a standard eight drink dispenser and Coca-Cola is excited about the prospect of bringing it... ...Read more »

Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., owner of the Jim Beam brand and the fourth largest premium spirits company in the world , and Hornitos Tequila (a Sauza brand, which is owned by Beam Global) have proclaimed new technology partnerships will enable the company to evolve with consumers ever changing needs. Hornitos believes they have found new ways to connect with consumers on-premise and in their daily lives through mobile and product technologies. Buy Your Amigo Hornitos As of August 1, 2008,... ...Read more »

The use of the stevia plant to create natural sugar substitutes threatens to become the new battleground for the traditional Coke and Pepsi rivalry to play out. Coca-Cola has teamed with Cargill to create their own natural sweetener from the plant, while PepsiCo has joined with Whole Earth Sweetener to create PureVia. Pepsi’s version, derived from stevia, has no calories and provides a natural sweetener for food and drink products. PepsiCo reports that PureVia will debut in a new nutritionally... ...Read more »

Cargill, a leading agribusiness company, believe that their new taste tissue imaging system will help food and beverage companies deliver better-tasting products to consumers. Cargill has received a patent for the breakthrough technology in taste tissue imaging and taste modification, and claim the system is superior to the cell screening technology currently available in the flavor, food and beverage industries. The patented technology will allow Cargill to effectively discover taste modifiers -... ...Read more »

Honey Amber Rose, a craft beer trademarked as the ‘world’s first beer for women’, is up for sale on August 15th via eBay. Despite success in the Florida beer market, Beautiful Brews Inc. co-creators Abby Waters and Kent Chamberlain have decided to auction off the business “in order to ensure its future”. The company will be auctioning off the Honey Amber Rose brand including: the 200-year-old-secret recipe, trademarks, portfolio of existing accounts, access to hundreds... ...Read more »