Drinks Sector News

  • Plastic straws won’t be banned until October

    Plastic straws won’t be banned until October

    A ban on plastic straws and stirrers in England has been pushed back by six months. A memo sent by Defra to companies this week, and seen by the FT, said “supply chain disruption due to the Covid-19 outbreak may…

  • Pubs set to benefit as minimum pricing comes to Wales

    Pubs set to benefit as minimum pricing comes to Wales

    The way alcohol is sold in Wales was overhauled this week with the introduction of a 50p minimum price per unit. Price increases will be greatest for so-called ‘white ciders’, some of which are set to more than double in…

  • Beer and whisky sectors post impressive environmental performance

    Beer and whisky sectors post impressive environmental performance

    Scotland’s whisky producers and brewers have been praised for their “exceptionally high standards” of environmental compliance. In the latest set of figures, released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), compliance across the two sectors improved from 93.2% to 95.5%…

  • Higher alcohol taxes could benefit poor

    Higher alcohol taxes could benefit poor

    Alcohol taxes account for a similar share of the incomes and budgets of rich and poor households alike, and at worst are only “mildly regressive”, according to research by the Institute of Alcohol Studies. “There is little reason for the…

  • Climate crisis threatens wine production

    Climate crisis threatens wine production

    The regions of the world that are suitable for growing wine grapes could shrink by as much as 56% if temperatures rise by 2°C, according to a new study. With 4°C of warming, 85% of those lands would no longer…

  • ‘Alcopops’ should be subject to sugar levy

    ‘Alcopops’ should be subject to sugar levy

    Health campaigners have criticised the government for omitting alcoholic drinks from the sugar levy after a survey revealed that some pre-mixed spirits and cocktails contain up to 12 teaspoons of sugar. Popular ‘ready to drink’ (RTD) pre-mixed spirits and cocktails…

  • Pub-goers toast alcohol-free tipples

    Pub-goers toast alcohol-free tipples

    Low-or no-alcohol drinks are gaining popularity with British adults with two-thirds of midlife drinkers saying they have drunk, or would try, lower-strength alcoholic drinks – an increase of 15% in the past two years. The research, from alcohol education charity…

  • Coca-Cola European Partners invests £20m into its Edmonton operations

    Coca-Cola European Partners invests £20m into its Edmonton operations

    Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) has this week opened a new production line at its Edmonton factory in North London to increase production of its most sustainable products. This comes following a £20 million operational investment at the site, forming part…

  • Boom time for beer (without the alcohol)

    Boom time for beer (without the alcohol)

    Thirty-two per cent of adults have now tried a no- or low-alcohol beer, wine or spirit in the last six months. New CGA data also showed that sales in the no- and low-alcohol category have increased by 48% in the…

  • The Absolut Company joins forces with The Coca-Cola Company, Carlsberg and L’Oréal to advance sustainable progress in the bottling industry

    The Absolut Company joins forces with The Coca-Cola Company, Carlsberg and L’Oréal to advance sustainable progress in the bottling industry

    The project is an initiative to build a global community of industry leaders united in the goal of creating a fully bio-based and recyclable paper bottle. To further sustainable innovation within the bottling industry, The Absolut Company is thrilled to be joining Paboco, the Paper…