NZJBA Newsletter

Issue No 2, 20 September 2007

Conference coming up

Call for nominations

2007 NZJBA Beverage Awards

Food Industry Group (FIG)

Soft Drinks International - an opportunity

Cranberry juice extract boosts cancer drugs

New products

16 October - Food and Beverage Law Forum 07, Langham Hotel, Auckland

FLUID is the quarterly newsletter of the New Zealand Juice & Beverage Association

For further information, Contact: Kerry Tyack, Executive Director
09 837 4243

Do you have a new product to shout about? Or maybe you have given an existing product a new look!

Send all the details to kerryt@wave.co.nz by 1 August in time for the next edition of Fluid

Conference Coming Up
The venue is booked, the speakers arranged, the social activities planned and the accommodation allocated. All that remains is for as many members as possible to show their support to John Robertson, Bob Ainsworth and their team for all their hard work in organising Conference 2007.
The lineup of presenters is formidable and the formal dinner promises, once again, to be a highlight. It is not too late to be part of this important annual occasion in the life of the Juice and Beverage Association.
If you haven’t already registered please do so now! We would be delighted to have your company in Paihia, Thursday 27 – Saturday 28 September.

www.nzjba.org.nz/conference.asp

Call for nominations!
The New Zealand Juice and Beverage Association Annual General Meeting is to be held during Conference 2007 in Paihia.
The AGM will take place at 10.45am on Friday 28th.
During the AGM elections for membership of the Executive and NZJBA Committees will be held.
All positions are open for election. Please consider if you can assist with the important work of your organisation by giving time to a committee. It is not a huge commitment of time but it is important.

Nominate a colleague or send in your nomination today to John Robertson on jrobertson@chamber.co.nz

2007 NZJBA Beverage Awards
The entries have been judged, the results collated and the trophies engraved!
So who are the inners n the 2007 NZJBA Beverage Awards? All will be revealed in Paihia at the Gala Dinner and Awards presentation.
Entry numbers were up but the number of participating companies was down. The question remains - Why?

Food Industry Group (FIG)
The Food Industry Group (FIG) has released its quarterly report and it makes interesting reading. Contact Kerry Tyack at kerryt@wave.co.nz if you would like a copy.
The Food Industry Group represents the interests of the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council, the Association of New Zealand Advertisers, The Communication Agencies Association and media organisations. The Group was formed as a result of the development of the New Zealand Food Industry Accord which was signed in September 2004. The Food Industry Accord is the Food Industry Group’s mission, vision, values, objectives and commitment to help prevent obesity and create a healthier nation. The Food Industry Group became an incorporated society in 2006 and is led by its Executive Director. The terminology ‘Food Industry’ envelops and represents a broad spectrum of companies and organisations involved in manufacturing, marketing distributing and selling of food. There are a number of food organisations and retailers who are not members of the Food Industry Group such as small take away outlets, dairies, cafes and small manufacturing companies. However, through an association with organisations such as the PIE group and the CHIP group, FIG aims to also positively influence a wide variety of food organisations and companies. In this document the Food Industry refers in most cases to the members and the associated organisations of the Food Industry Group.

Message from Soft Drinks International - an opportunity
We are always in the market for news of new products, flavour changes, packaging developments, major promos, big export sales, etc. We'll almost certainly publish any product news, usually in the next available issue but definitely within two issues. We work six weeks ahead of publishing month. We can also cover slightly older product if we have a reasonably topical peg to hang the report on. And we're keen on corporate news, too. Images are especially sought because it's quite difficult pinning down good soft drinks pics. Our only requirement is that they are high resolution and have definition - soft drinks bottles tend to melt into the background. Some of the material, including pics, is also likely to be useful for the 'mixers and more' pages of DrinksBiz. We use only high res images on DrinksBiz.

So if you are looking for publicity for your products contact Kelvin King on wordnz@xtra.co.nz

Cranberry juice extract boosts cancer drugs
A simple cranberry juice extract makes platinum-based cancer drugs six times more potent against ovarian cancer. The test-tube findings are a long way from cancer patients' bedsides. But Rutgers University natural products researchers Ajay P. Singh, PhD, and Nicholi Vorsa, PhD, are optimistic. "This has opened up exciting possibilities for therapeutic intervention associated with platinum therapy," Singh and Vorsa say in a news release. Platinum-based chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for ovarian cancer. But over time, the cancers tend to become resistant to the drugs. This means increased chemotherapy dosage—and increased toxicity to patients. The researchers note that compounds isolated from cranberries kill human ovary, brain, and prostate cells in laboratory studies. This anticancer activity seems to come from a family of chemicals called proanthocyanidin(PACs). These "amazing chemical entities," Singh and Vorsa suggest, are unique to cranberries and are not found in other fruits. Exactly how the cranberry compounds work isn't known. But in their lab studies, Singh and Vorsa tested them against platinum-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Singh and Vorsa found that in the presence of cranberry extract—which came from a commercially available, 27 percent juice cranberry drink— platinum-based chemotherapy was six times more effective against platinum resistant ovarian cancer cells. They will soon begin animal studies to see whether this happens outside the laboratory. For the time being, however, they warn patients not to start drinking significant quantities of cranberry juice without their doctors' permission. Cranberry juice itself, they note, is not a cure for cancer. Singh and Vorsa reported the findings in a presentation to the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society. - From WebMD.

NEW PRODUCTS

Looking to bring a bit of sparkle into your life?
The days are long and every day seems the same when winter is upon us, so it’s not surprising that we are all looking for that extra bit of sparkle we can inject into our life. Phoenix Organics is about to help us out, with a delicate new range of Light Sparkling Drinks, based on the best botanical tonics nature has to offer. The range includes Elderflower, a winter cure-all with a soothingly subtle flavour that will refresh, revive and enlighten; Lime Blossom which has been used for centuries to relax and relieve stress with its delicate lime and flora flavour, providing the perfect antidote to life; and Lemongrass with an invigorating, tangy taste providing a natural pick me up. Phoenix Light Sparkling Drinks are light on the sugar and perfectly finished to deliver nothing but an impeccable taste.

Old fashioned flavours a new trend for Charlie’s
Charlie's is introducing a unique new category in Chilled beverages with the launch of its Old Fashioned Quenchers Range.
The new Quenchers Range comprises three flavours; Lemonade Quencher, Blackcurrant & Raspberry Quencher and Mango & Orange Quencher, each currently available in a 1.5L format. The Quenchers range combines simple ingredients to deliver an old fashioned and authentic taste, using not-from-concentrate fruit juice, clean pure water, natural cane sugar and genuinely added Vitamin C.
"When you are re-creating a classic, like we have done with the Old Fashioned Quenchers range, there is no need to get too fancy with it. It's important to stay true to the original and use simple ingredients. We want to deliver a genuine taste to offer consumers the convenience of an old fashioned favourite without the hard work.
"The new Quenchers range will allow retailers to capitalise on the clear consumer trend for convenience within food and beverages. Charlie's juices is presently driving the market, growing at 57%, versus 31% for total chilled juices (AC Nielsen, Total Chilled Juices, current MAT, 25 March 2007) so we look forward to seeing the impact on the market of the innovative Quenchers range," says Stefan Lepionka, CEO of Charlie’s Trading company.

Spice things up this winter with Phoenix’s new hot beverages
Following the success of the Phoenix Chai product in the marketplace, Phoenix is set to launch an entire new range of winter-style hot beverages, in order to deliver an increase in consumer choice within the hot beverage category. The new additions being launched this month - Coco Love, Berry Well and Lemon Toddy - will join Phoenix Chai to offer consumers a unique range of enticing hot drink alternatives from Phoenix. Ron Curteis, Marketing Manager for Charlie’s Trading Company which owns the Phoenix brand, says: "With winter on the way, the launch of the new range is timely, as consumers are undoubtedly looking for something a little different to warm them up from inside-out. With the range containing a number of surprising and exotic ingredients, our new hot beverages are sure to do the trick!" We sampled the new hot beverages at the Wellington Food show, and they were so popular that we handed out more than 5,000 samples during the event. Since then we’ve had feedback from Wellington cafes that consumers are already demanding the new drinks - and with more sampling activity planned, we anticipate that demand for Phoenix hot beverages will greatly increase. So, with the range only available to trade, people will be heading straight to their favourite cafe to indulge!"

Coco Love is a delicious South American inspired hot chocolate, made with hot milk or soy, its spicy finish will leave you feeling warm all over. An exquisite blend of Echinacea, honey, lemons and blackcurrants, mixed with hot water, Berry Well will help ward off winter colds. Just like mum used to make, Lemon Toddy is another good pick-me-up, with a combination of lemon, honey and a hint of ginger to be mixed with hot water. And the existing Chai is an exotic blend of natural spices, teas and essences from around the world, made with hot milk or soy. To make the delicious new hot drink alternatives, mix 30mls of Phoenix hot beverage concentrate with either a cup of hot milk, soy or water as specified above – it’s as easy as that.