Drinks Sector News

The judging has concluded and we are delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2020 Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards, revealing the sustainability initiatives of the on-trade drinks sector's leading responsible businesses.     SHORTLIST 2020: ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY AWARD Barn Farm Drinks Collectiv Food FAIR.Drinks SUSTAINABLE USE OF RAW MATERIALS AWARD Foxhole Spirits Good Living Brew…

Sales of alcohol-free and low-alcohol spirits are up 19% year-on-year, according to new data from Nielsen. Supermarket shoppers have spent more than £5.4m on 170,500 litres of low- and no-alcohol spirits so far this year. Some £3.5m of that has come since the beginning of lockdown. In the past year there had been “a shift…

Drinks manufactured locally are set to benefit from the covid-19 pandemic, gaining popularity as consumers “rally behind symbolic and job-sustaining producers”, according to IWSR. The latest analysis of how the crisis is shaping the alcohol industry also suggested that new drinking habits were forming. Regular drinking occasions are changing due to bar closures and restrictions,…

The government has launched a new fund to help UK distilleries “go green and cut emissions” by switching to low carbon fuels such as hydrogen, biomass and re-purposed waste. The support will help cut emissions by half a million tonnes a year, said the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. In 2019, the UK…

Heineken UK said it was on track to eliminate plastic rings on supermarket packs of beer by the end of 2021 after announcing plans to roll out its 100% plastic-free cardboard topper across thousands of UK retailers this summer. The topper, dubbed Green Grip, will feature on Heineken, Foster’s and Kronenbourg 1664 multi-pack cans before…

A government proposal to end the current exemption for alcohol products from calorie labelling requirements has received a mixed response from health campaigners and industry bodies. The Alcohol Health Alliance said the decision was “very welcome”, adding that the fact a large glass of white wine contains the same calories as a slice of pizza…

Pub operators must seek permission from their water company before disposing of stale beer this week. Those that don’t could risk missing Saturday’s reopening of England’s hospitality sector. Water UK, the water industry trade body, warned that wildlife could be harmed if large quantities of beer are washed away and end up rivers and waterways.…

A leading trade body has warned of the “catastrophic” cost to the wine industry of new trading rules that would apply if a deal with the EU is not agreed by the end of the transition period. Mike Beale, chief executive of the Wine & Spirit Association, expressed anger at a government minister’s assertion that…

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 make sourcing alternatives to single-use plastics challenging”. The delay was therefore a temporary measure, with…