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No Energy Shortage in RTD Beverage Category: Datamonitor Productscan

NAPLES, N.Y. -- Energy drinks have become a global craze, according to Datamonitor's Productscan Online database of new products. Datamonitor here reported yesterday that 623 new energy drinks hit worldwide markets in 2005, a 46 percent increase from 2004's count and a near tripling of new launches since 2000.

"Everyone wants more energy, regardless of it is physical energy or mental energy," said Tom Vierhile, executive editor of Datamonitor's Productscan Online database of new products. "The aging of the population combined with the need to keep sharp on the job and off bode well for energizing products of all sorts."

New offerings run the gamut from physical energy boosters to products designed to put consumers in the mood for love. Turn On Soda Love Drink, for instance, carries a warning label that it "will arouse you," alluding to the "nice tingling sensation" it is said to deliver.

Seeking to emulate the success of the wildly successful Red Bull Energy Drink, beverage makers have looked to the jungle for inspiration, notes Datamonitor. Brands like Buzz Monkey Energy Drink and Gorilla Juice Energy Drink seem to imply endurance and energy gains befitting some of nature's more energetic species.

And while the energy drink niche has attracted a disproportionate share of niche brands, the market's appeal hasn't been lost on the large soft drink companies.

Coca-Cola hopes to rev up its sales with the U.S. launch of Vault Soft Drink, said to be a citrus flavored energy/soft drink. This follows on the heels of the company's late 2005 launch of Tab Energy Drink, an attempt to revive what was once the top-selling diet soft drink brand in the USA.

PepsiCo is also vying for a slice of the market with its Mountain Dew MDX Soft Drink that is said to have a flavor similar to original Mountain Dew. New coffee flavored soft drinks offer another promising avenue of energy enhancement. Coca-Cola Blak coffee flavored cola recently debuted in the USA and France.

But it's not just drinks jumping on the energy bandwagon. According to Datamonitor, the number of new foods and beverages worldwide that use the word "power" in the branding or advertising has more than tripled since 1998.

New in Ireland, Kellogg's Tiger Power Cereal provides whole grain energy. American consumers can try Alter Eco Fair Trade Red Quinoa that is said to be "Inca power fuel," perhaps explaining the mystery of the Inca pyramids. Danone DanUp Power Up Yogurt Drink offers consumers in Portugal the world's first energizing yogurt drink with ginseng. Even meat snacks are on trend. New Redline Energy Wurst Sausage contains ginseng, guarana, and taurine to power up consumers in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain.
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