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Tea blend soda selling well
 White
T, a range of carbonated soft drinks made with organic white tea buds, has
sold out its first production run. The maker, International White Tea
Company, claims the various health trends have reinforced purchased drivers.
“White T contains up to five times
more antioxidants than a cup of green tea. It is sweetened with chicory
syrup, and has 20 to 30% fewer calories than leading sodas. The diet range
uses Sucralose sweeteners, and has zero calories,” the firm says.
White T, said to be the first premium
soft drink blended with organic white teas, was introduced in late February
and sold through selected 7-Elevens, Exxon Mobils, and Walgreens in Las
Vegas and the northeast.
Sustainability
BASF sets up China sustainability
forum
German chemicals company BASF has set
up a symposium on sustainable development in the Chinese chemical industry.
The inaugural forum today in Shanghai aims to promote sustainable practices
to government, industry and academia.
The BASF-initiated forum has drawn
support from Chinese chemical such as Sinopec, Shanghai Hua Yi Group and
Shanghai Chemical Industry Park.
China consumed chemical products
worth $83 billion in 2002 (including imports) and will reach $101 billion by
2007, says BASF.
EU
Life sciences R&D is key -
Aherne
Research and development of
Europe’s life sciences sector tops the list of priorities agreed at the
EU's Heads of State and Government meeting last week. And it is putting up
2.2 billion to help small and medium companies get in on the act.
The meeting reported four priorities
to enhance European competitiveness. These are to complete the internal
market, better regulation, higher rates of research and development
(R&D) and effective institutional arrangements.
European Council President and Irish
prime minister Bertie Ahern said “If you asked me to single out one thing,
I think it would be research development, based around the life sciences.
This is where we can really change across Europe.”
The Council said it had to simplify
the EC’s Framework Programmes for research to make them more user
friendly, particularly for small and medium sized enterprises and start-ups.
The Competitiveness Council, created
in 2002 by merging the Research, Internal Market and Industry Councils, was
told to “move forward rapidly to champion and drive a clear and integrated
response to the competitiveness challenges.”
Research Commissioner Philippe
Busquin said the DETECT-IT project aims to help SMEs to overcome the
challenge of setting up and financing EU research activities. Some 2.2
billion euro has been set aside for SME participation. This is around 15% of
the total budget.
“Our programmes should strongly
encourage the participation of high tech SMEs, which carry large potential
for leading edge research and innovation in very specific areas,” he said.
Within the DETECT-IT project, the
Commission's Business Innovation Centre incubators (BICs) will cluster more
than 1,000 SMEs into three target industry sectors: information society
technologies (IST), food quality and safety, and environment and energy.
M&A
Kraft Foods acquires Veryfine
Products
US-based food maker Kraft Foods has
bought beverage maker Veryfine Products for an undisclosed sum.
Veryfine, based in Littleton, MA, was
established in 1865 and has been owned by the Rowse family since 1900. In
2003, it posted net sales of more than $150 million, led by Fruit2O, the
number-one-selling flavoured water in the US.
Ready-to-drink beverages are an
important growth driver for Kraft. Veryfine will add to the existing Capri
Sun and Kool-Aid Jammers sales.
Policy
Spain to change science policy,
raise budget
Spain is expected to merge existing
government departments into a new science and education ministry and to
increase funding by 25% a year, said Jaime Diez Lissavetzky, spokesman for
the Socialists' Parliamentary Science Commission, reports The Scientist.
The aim is to improve the mobility
and job security of researchers in universities and research centres. The
research budget, excluding military R&D, will rise by 25% every year
until 2008 in order to double investment in research and development
(R&D).
The new government will also create a
new body, called the Research Funding Agency, to provide funds based on peer
review and transparency and to be run by scientists and some governmental
officials, Lissavetzky said. He added that the new Spanish agency would be
linked to any future European Research Council.
Nutrition
Soft drinks don’t affect calcium
intake
Soft drink consumption by US
teenagers does not affect their calcium intake, which has been too low since
the 1970s, says a new study by researchers at the Centre for Food and
Nutrition Policy (CFNP) at Virginia Tech.
Dr Maureen Storey, director of CFNP,
said the data continue to show that teens drink fewer soft drinks than
people believe. The study found that adolescent girls on average drink about
one 12-ounce (355ml) can of soda a day, and pre-adolescent girls drink about
three-fourths of a 12-ounce can each day. Consumption of diet carbonated
soft drinks is low even among teen girls, who consume an average of only 59
grams per day.
Caucasian teenage boys get about 95%
of their recommended calcium, but also drink nearly two 12-ounce cans of
soda a day. Toddlers generally exceed their intake, but African- Americans
have significantly lower percent AIs for calcium than do Caucasians.
"Milk and soft drinks are not
close dietary substitutes. When trade-offs occur, it is more likely to be
between carbonated soft drinks, fruit drinks and -ades," Storey said.
The study suggests more education to
get adolescent girls to drink more milk and calcium-fortified beverages. The
study was funded by an unrestricted grant from the National Soft Drink
Association.
M&A
Monsanto quits European wheat and
barley business
US genetic engineering and seed
company Monsanto has sold its European wheat and barley business to Rodez,
France-based RAGT Genetique, SA.
The deal is part of a global
restructuring plan announced in October 2003. Monsanto expects to make a
profit of about $25 million as a result.
RAGT will assume operation of
Monsanto's European wheat and barley business, headquartered in Cambridge,
UK, as well as the wheat and barley seed breeding facilities in France,
Germany, and the Czech Republic.
Diet
Low-carb dieters seek variety, less
fat
People on low-carb diets such as
Atkins and South Beach are also looking for lower fat food and more variety,
according to a study funded by US cereal firm Kellogg’s.
More than six in 10 dieters ranked
having more "low-carb" food options important and 54% suggested
that convenient, ready-made foods are key to their success.
Nearly two out of three primary
grocery shoppers on low-carb diets said a variety of food options was key to
helping them stick with the diet. More than one-third of low-carb dieters
wanted less hassle preparing the food.
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