International
• Great Britain
UK Functional boom a bust?
Functional beverage marketers may want to cast a wary eye at the United Kingdom, where Mintel research said the functional boom may be over.
Mintel said UK consumers have grown disillusioned with functional ingredients they don’t understand, and are instead trending toward natural foods. The functional foods market grew by only three percent in 2007, Mintel noted, after growing by 171 percent between 2002 and 2007.
Despite the gloomy numbers, Mintel predicted the market would grow by another 72 percent between 2007 and 2012, with immune and cognitive functions leading the pack.
“Greater health awareness amongst consumers will continue to drive growth,” Mintel’s report said. “With consumers leading increasingly busy lifestyles, convenience is also key.” So-called ‘ethical brands’, which pledge a portion of their sales or profits to improving sustainability or quality within the water supplies of developing countries, have doubled their sales volume on the UK market, according to segment analyst Zenith International.
Ethical Water Rallies the Category Just as Craft Beer kept suds afloat in the U.S. for the past couple of years, it appears that so-called “ethical water brands” might be the hope for the U.K. bottled water industry, according to Zenith International. Just as Give water is making a splash in the U.S., brands like Global Ethics, Belu, and Frank have begun appearing in Great Britain. That goes in the face of a decline in the bottled water growth rate that has been similar to the ongoing one in the U.S.
Bottled water manufacturers that attempt to show a more caring side of the business are defying an overall slump for the product in the UK market, according to new research. “Despite such a disappointing summer, the role of bottled water in emergency situations and the surge in ethical waters highlighted new areas of consumer resonance,” noted Zenith’s Gary Roethenbaugh.
Packaging
• Package Club
If you’re looking for the right packaging idea for your next beverage, Mintel has a club for you. Mintel Research consultancy is launching a packaging innovation club that will send members a collection of cleverly-packaged products from around world on a quarterly basis. The products will come with a presentation explaining why they were chosen and how their packaging could be adapted to work for different products or in different markets.
A Mintel spokesperson said the club wouldn’t be cheap – with a more than $11,000 annual fee – but Mintel adds 650 new products to its database every day.
• Clear Choices
The Glass Packaging Institute named in June the winners of its 2008 Clear Choice Awards. This year’s winners include XanGo, Q Tonic, Tizane Beverages, Miller Chill, Tin Roof Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, UV Vodka and Sake2me.
“Through designing and using glass packaging for your brand, you are leading the way in providing your customers with what they really want — a ‘pure,’ ‘premium’ and ‘sustainable’ product,” said GPI President Joseph Cattaneo. “Choosing glass for a food, beverage, or cosmetic product is an environmentally friendly decision that allows for a package design that creates superior shelf impact and brand loyalty.”
• Hot New Packaging Idea of the Month 1: Hybridization
Packaging manufacturer Aisapack has developed a new re-sealable beverage package for the Belgian sports drink company WCUP. The product is a mix between a bottle, can, and pouch – offering improved recyclability and extra convenience for consumers.
The botanouch (what ELSE should we call it?) has a rigid base, shoulder and cap, but uses an aluminum-reinforced soft laminate for the walls. The transportation advantages are obvious, but according to the manufacturer, the materials usage will also be lower, further decreasing the carbon footprint.
Aisapack claims that the packaging can reduce the carbon footprint required by a rival polyethylene terephthalate (PET) container using a shrink sleeve by about 50 percent.
• Hot New Packaging Idea of the Month 2: Tear-Off Labeling
South Australia wine label Oxford Landing has come up with a nifty way for consumers to remember their brand, even if they’ve consumed the entire bottle: a label with a tear-off back, which makes hanging onto the brand and grape a snap. (Personally, we use our camera phone).