Restaurant and foodservice operators are caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place in 2008, with higher prices on everything from ingredients to energy, and a sluggish economy that is causing customers to make fewer visits and spend less per visit.

There is no question the draft beer keg is the most environmentally responsible beverage package in the brewing industry today. Think about it, the draft beer keg is returnable, refillable and recyclable. The keg fits the green profile.

The tradition of drinking tea began thousands of years ago. While other ingredients of ancient times have waned or fallen to the brink of extinction, today, the United States alone sees more than $1 billion in sales from the ready-to-drink tea category. The Pepsi-Lipton Partnership (PLP), a joint venture between Pepsi-Cola North America and Unilever, aims to take that ancient ingredient and create new and relevant RTD teas for consumers.

Hot or iced, tea is appeasing peoples’ palates at an expanding rate. Health-conscious consumers are turning to better-for-you drinks, especially tea, and with plenty of flavors to choose from, tea companies are tailoring their drinks accordingly.

“Help fight hangovers and rid your lungs and sinuses of certain airborne pollutants using the ‘smog-scrubbing’ antioxidant NAC and natural anti-inflammatory prickly pear extract,” reads MD Drinks Inc.’s Function: Urban Detox. NAC, or N-acetyle-cysteine, might be a complicated ingredient to formulate into a drink and for consumers to understand its benefits, but Urban Detox delivers it with unique flavor combinations while educating consumers about it on its label.

A sweetener’s role always has been important in achieving a beverage’s desired taste profile, but now sweeteners’ responsibilities have expanded from just flavor enhancers to calorie control to being a part of a system to deliver functionality. Sweeteners also are a key contributor to beverages in the health and wellness category, including all-natural and organic formulations, and in addition providing a way for beverage companies to differentiate their brands.

Within the past year, sports drinks have taken a health-conscious turn in order to survive in the ever-changing, competitive beverage industry. These electrolyte-filled drinks are no longer a simple rehydration source for athletes; they are now health-enhancement drinks of choice. As consumers want more good-for-you sports drinks, beverage companies have reacted accordingly.

More than 22,000 of the top food science and industry professionals from around the world will convene at the 2008 Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting & Food Expo, June 28 to July 1. Held at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, attendees will learn about the very latest consumer trends, developments in scientific research, technologies and new products in the beverage and food industry.

Campbell Soup Co.’s products are so much a part of the American culture that its soup cans have been portrayed in everything from pop art to children’s arts and crafts projects — much of which is displayed throughout the company’s Camden, N.J., offices. But in addition to soup, Campbell has quietly nurtured another iconic brand, and in doing so, has turned beverages into one of the company’s core product categories. With V8 100 percent vegetable juice, Campbell has met the health and wellness trend head on. As the brand celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2008, it is enjoying booming sales and a new distribution agreement that will make it even more accessible to consumers.

This year’s Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) was the largest thus far, in terms of both size and attendance. Renovations to the Kentucky Exposition Center, the site for the annual event, bolstered the facility to more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space. The show featured 1,174 exhibitors representing 47 states and 12 countries, and nearly 76,600 attendees, making it the largest heavy duty trucking event in history. Here are some highlights of the news and developments from MATS.