High Oil Prices To Hit British Soft Drink Industry - Packaging Costs Higher Along With Transport

[hatrack]

04/01/2008 - As petrol prices temporarily rose above the dreaded $100 per barrel mark for the first time this week, beverage manufacturers have revealed their concerns over the possible cost implications for their operations. The British Soft Drinks Association (BDSA) said that while rising commodity costs were never welcome, higher oil prices would not only significantly impacted transportation and energy spending, but packaging as well.

Plastics - often derived from oil - are currently the most important material for soft drink packaging, with the increased per barrel cost likely to be felt throughout the industry.

During 2006, an estimated 68 per cent of carbonated beverages, 93 per cent of bottled water, and about 90 per cent of dilatable products using the product, according to BDSA figures compiled by analyst Zenith International.

Liz Bastone, media manager for the BDSA, told BeverageDaily.com that the continued rise in costs oil was undoubtedly therefore leading to further pressures on the margins of beverage manufacturers. "As an innovative industry, soft drinks manufacturers naturally want their production process to be as cost effective as possible," she said. However, she claimed that there was no simple solution for ensuring cost efficiency in beverage packaging, with a possible switch to non-plasitc materials also likely to be problematic.

EDIT

http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/news/ng.asp?id=82334-plastic-packaging-glass-costs

[msongs]

1. soft drinks are completely unnecessary - tho many people think they are food group nt

[TooBigaTent]

2. As if soda was not expensive enough in Britain. It's cheaper to drink beer. nt

[patch1234]

5. perhaps you could post some prices ...

I am always interested in how much
various items cost in other countries

[diane in sf]

3. Why would anyone want to drink this crap anyway?

[lectrobyte]

4. Nothing seems crazier than trucking pints of water around in plastic bottles.

[tinrobot]

6. Go back to glass bottles and a deposit.

It worked when I was a kid. It's much better for the environment, and it's much safer to store drinks in glass containers.