The soft sell: Market growth has spurred non-alcoholic beverage firms into a flurry of new product development says John Dunn

摘要

Back from holiday, jet lagged, gippy tummy? Pick up a bottle of Mile High Original. Its blend of fruit juice and anti-oxidants will sort out jet lag, dehydration, nausea, digestive upsets and infections, so its producer, the Mile High Drinks Club, claims. Launched in selected Waitrose stores in the UK on September 22, Mile High Original has been conceived by a neuropathic nutritionist and a former long-haul cabin crew member. But you don't have to be a BMI Baby to drink Mile High Original, they say.Everyone can benefit from its combination of red grape juice, aloe vera and ginger without ever having to leave the ground or lose their luggage at Heathrow's Terminal 5. Continued growth and increasing market fragmentation are spurring Europe's non-alcoholic beverage producers and ingredients suppliers into a flurry of new product development (NPD). According to UNESDA, the union of European beverage associations, total consumption of nonalcoholic beverages in Europe in 2006 was around 126bn litres compared with 105bn litres in 2000 - a 16% growth. In 2006, the biggest selling category was water, followed by carbonates, 'other' (ie. still, dilutables, iced tea, iced coffee, sports and energy drinks) and fruit juices and nectars.