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The Ripple Effect and Impact of Florida's Encounter with Milton
Energy drinks grow again in the US and ongoing research shows benefits of tree-trunk injection.
Jan van Iperen
November 12, 2024
For Professionals in the Juice and Citrus industry
🇪🇸 My heart goes out to the people in the Valencia region in Spain. The impact of these floods is terrible. Be strong, stand together.
🇺🇸 I reside in the US, yet I am not a citizen. I cannot vote and for the past 8.5 years, I have this “no matter what the outcome, I will have to deal with it” mindset. I can understand that for many, inside and outside the US, there are opinions, everything within a spectrum spanning from fear to joy, from hurdles to opportunity.
What I know is that this country is resilient and people power through. Let’s make it work.
🔟 Last week was a bit of a blur and in all commotion I could not even pay proper attention to a special day: November 7th. It marked 10 years of Juice News.
I will dedicate some extra time and words on that in the coming weeks, along with some other announcements.
In Today's newsletter:
🧃 Juice News
Celsius said the transaction includes a 170,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehouse facility that is “expected to provide greater supply chain control, quicker innovation cycles and greater production flexibility. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Big Beverages is a longtime Celsius co-packer, and the facility will continue to be principally dedicated to the manufacture of Celsius products. The Big Beverages management team and workforce are expected to remain with the operation.”
ReZorce, a new range of recyclable beverage cartons, is set to debut on supermarket shelves at the end of this year. Developed by Zotefoams plc, the cartons aim to address the environmental challenges posed by traditional composite beverage cartons, which are not easily recyclable.
These composite cartons are made from a combination of liquid packaging board (LPB), polymers, and sometimes aluminium, making them difficult to process in recycling systems.
In contrast, ReZorce cartons are designed as a mono-material packaging solution, which simplifies the recycling process.
Monster had previously pointed to a deceleration in US energy drinks growth in its second-quarter results as sales were negatively hit in convenience store channels.
In its third-quarter call last week, co-CEO Rodney Sacks said "some improvement" had been seen in US convenience sales in October.
When asked whether improved consumer sales had been driven by the launch of "new innovative products", Sacks said: "I think innovation does drive some consumption... but I think overall, I don't think that has had much impact."
Beverage giants including Coca-Cola and Heineken unite under the REfresh Alliance to push renewable energy use and cut carbon in the global supply chain
Ten of the world's leading beverage companies are now unified under the REfresh Alliance, an ambitious initiative aimed at accelerating the adoption of renewable energy within their global supply chains.
This consortium features prominent players such as Coca-Cola and Heineken, who are taking proactive steps to address the urgent need for decarbonisation in the beverage industry.
On Thursday, Molson Coors announced it had bought a majority stake in ZOA, a better-for-you energy drink co-founded by American actor and professional wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Although the specific financial terms have yet to be disclosed by any member of either participating party, with this majority ownership deal, Molson Coors has the right to lead ZOA's marketing, retail, and direct-to-consumer sales and development.
The co-founder of Trip, a U.K.-based brand of lightly sparkling functional beverages intended to help people relax, Olivia says that a passion for the particulars is a key reason why Trip is the fastest-growing soft drink brand in the U.K. and currently preparing for a major expansion of its retail presence in the American market.
Trip debuted in 2019 and markets two product lines: one infused with CBD and adaptogens and the other, called Mindful Blend, is made with Lion’s Mane, ashwagandha, L-theanine and magnesium.
The UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) was introduced in 2018 and has generally been considered successful in its goals to reduce sugar intake from sugary drinks and encourage reformulation across the beverage industry. But it hasn’t changed since it was introduced six years ago.
Championing the success of the policy so far, the UK government is now outlining two key changes: a new structure that will see the levy tied to inflation with rates adjusted each year, and a review into the tax to consider whether its scope can be increased.
Alice Lee, technical marketing manager at GNT USA LLC, Dallas, N.C., notes that color choice for beverage is important as it signals the flavor, but also can send subconscious signals as to what type of product something is.
“With functional beverages, the colors are often used to help showcase the benefits,” she says. “Pastel hues can signal calm-inducing or focus-enhancing claims. For example, while intense dark purple or red can indicate the antioxidant properties of berries like blueberries, acai, or pomegranate. It’s about making choices that will resonate with the target consumer and help to build a coherent product identity.”
🍊 Citrus News
There has been concerns that the antibiotic might linger in trees and fruit. This data would argue against that. It seems to be gone much quicker than we thought. But another thought is the one injection we are using maybe is not enough since it is gone so quickly. This is something to consider given these results were rather surprising.
The state of Bahia is preparing a fiscal incentive package to attract orange juice processing companies that have been sourcing fruit from Bahia’s farmers. The initiative aims to capitalize on challenges facing São Paulo’s citrus industry, particularly the spread of greening disease. Bahia’s secretary of agriculture, Wallison Tum, said the state plans to replicate the success of its cotton sector incentive model.
The Algarve remains Portugal’s primary citrus hub, accounting for 88% of the country’s citrus output, with oranges making up 84% of the region’s harvest, followed by mandarins and clementines at 8%, and lemons at 7%. However, despite the increase, the estimated production of 335,000 tons fell short of a 2022 forecast by the European Union, which anticipated 462,000 tons.
Dundee Citrus Growers Association was formed in 1924 by citrus growers “who decided they could do together what they couldn’t do individually,” the video reports. They pooled their resources to buy their first packinghouse for $30,000. In 1930, the association built a new packinghouse, which is still in use.
"The difficulty does not only lie in production," explains Xavier. "There is a domino effect. Almost all workers no longer have any means of transport, and many warehouses have also been damaged. Logistics have been severely disrupted because the roads have been cut off, and the Guardia Civil has asked that the roads be kept clear so that emergency services can get through. Flows from Portugal and Morocco have also been severely disrupted, as they can no longer cross to France."
Unsurprisingly, the drop in volumes on the market has pushed prices to increase. "The demand is turning to imported products, and prices are rising rapidly," "Oranges from South Africa already rose up 20 cents yesterday."
Trade Winds Citrus Limited (TWCL), Jamaica's leading citrus producer, is facing production challenges due to pests, diseases, and shrinking farmland, particularly affecting orange yields. The citrus greening disease, known as citrus huanglongbing (HLB), has been a major factor in reducing the economic viability of citrus farming in Jamaica and the Americas. Detected in Jamaica around 2009, HLB has significantly impacted young citrus trees, leading to a drastic reduction in fruit production and the loss of approximately 100 million trees globally over the past decade, as reported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Orange and grapefruit producers had just barely recovered from 2022's Hurricanes Ian and Nicole and were already facing an upcoming growing season in which orange production was expected to plunge by 16% when Milton arrived Oct. 9.
The storm blasted directly through Florida's Citrus Belt, including Polk, Highlands, Hardee, Polk, Desoto, and St. Lucie counties, damaging trees, blowing fruit off branches, producing downpours and spawning deadly tornadoes, including a twister in St. Lucie County that killed six people and significantly damaged an iconic family-owned citrus business.
🔬 Research Worth Reading
The developed model accurately predicted the inactivation of E. coli following the combination of these technologies (R2 = 0.82) and can be used to predict microbial load reduction or optimize it based on process parameters. Additionally, combining both techniques offers a promising approach for extending the shelf life of fresh juices using non-thermal stabilization technology.
Fruit juices are often distributed in the form of concentrate for the sake of quality conservation and cost-reduction during distribution. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of solid content on heating rate, dielectric properties, and foodborne pathogen inactivation in fruit juices when subjected to 915 MHz microwave heating.
Food and beverage researchers are working to recreate the enjoyable aromas and flavors of beer and wine in alcohol-free substitutes. However, because both beer and wine are fermented, they have similar fragrances, and little is known about which scents evoke the unique character of each drink.
Replacing juice with whole fruit in ECE would result in increased fiber intake and decreased sugar and calories. A policy to replace juice with whole fruit in ECE would likely cause an increased daily food cost and given the potential broad benefit of this dietary intervention, there may be reason to expand funding within nutrition assistance programs in ECE.
A regular intake of elderberry juice is associated with an enhanced blood glucose tolerance, fat oxidation and gut microbiota profile, new research has suggested.
Individuals who consume 355 grams of elderberry juice per day tend to see a 24% reduction in their blood glucose levels and nearly a 10% reduction in their insulin levels, as well as a 27% increase in fat oxidation, according to latest evidence.
The new study has found that regular consumption of elderberry juice also benefits an individual’s gut microbiota profile by improving microbial communities.
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