The latest food and beverage industry news and trend analysis

Living Things is strengthening its position in the high-growth functional soft drinks category with the launch of Cherry & Lime, a prebiotic soda engineered to meet the summer demand for flavour-led, low-calorie beverages featuring 2 billion live cultures and high fibre content.

The Coca-Cola Company has appointed Tapaswee Chandele as its next Global Chief People Officer, effective May 1. A 25-year veteran of the company, Chandele succeeds Lisa Chang, signalling a focus on internal continuity and global talent development as the beverage giant optimises its international workforce strategy.

NOS Energy Drink is strengthening its position in the high-performance energy segment with the launch of "Grand Prix Guava," a tropical flavour innovation designed to capitalise on the brand's deep roots in motorsports and the rising demand for exotic fruit profiles.

PepsiCo Beverages U.S. is capitalising on the high-growth "dirty soda" trend by launching Dirty Mountain Dew in a ready-to-drink format, addressing consumer demand for indulgent and convenient beverage options.

Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I is relaunching the fan-favourite Lucozade Energy Grafruitti in a zero-sugar format to capitalise on nostalgic flavour trends and the significant growth of the health-conscious energy drink segment.

Cornelius has launched the Automatic Crew-Serve Dispenser (ACSD), a fully integrated beverage automation system that reduces serve times by up to 34 seconds, targeting QSR labour shortages and drive-thru throughput.

Fanta has partnered with Xbox to celebrate the gaming brand's 25th anniversary, launching a limited-edition "Crimson Sour Cherry" flavor and a gamified "Wanta Fanta? Come Get It" challenge featuring iconic characters from Halo, Call of Duty, and Diablo IV.

Carlsberg Britvic has extended its J2O portfolio with a new "Sparkling" range and a 330ml can format for its core still variants, targeting the high-growth alcohol-free social category and "on-the-go" consumption among younger demographics.