Preventing alcohol abuse, especially among young people, has long been a focus of public-health campaigns. But despite the well-publicised social and medical consequences of drinking too much it's clear that for many, heavy drinking has become a normal part of life.

Bowl by bowl, traditional ready-to-eat cereal is getting more nutritious and edging its way back into the healthful perimeter that more Americans are putting around their diets. Kellogg and General Mills, the industry giants, are making that a priority for their brands.

After 17 years in its iconic clear glass bottle, Savanna Premium Cider is now branching out into the can format, to meet consumer demand for cans' convenience and other benefits. [Click pic to enlarge]

You know you have a health-perception problem when a fast-food marketer takes a shot at you. So when Wendy's - hardly the standard for health food - makes a point of marketing its beef as "fresh, never frozen," the $70-billion frozen-food industry decided it had to do something.

Coca-Cola will start selling a caffeine-free version of its Coke Zero soft drink this US summer. The Atlanta-based company said Caffeine Free Coke Zero will begin appearing in grocery stores, drug stores and other retail locations in mid-July, with a complete national roll-out in August. The drink will be offered in 12-packs of 12-ounce cans and two-litre bottles. [Click pic to enlarge]

Why drink beer out of a cylindrical can when you can drink it out of a bow tie-shaped can? That's what US beer giant, Anheuser-Busch, is positing, as it releases a unique can that it hopes will be worth its weight in marketing gold. [Click to enlarge]

American firm, Apptec Health Food, has figured out a way to remove fat and calories from peanuts in such a way that it has launched what it says is the first commercial snack product of its kind, under the brand name, Nachalur Natural. Unveiled last year, it is now seeking to patent the novel high-speed process that expels up to 50% of the peanut fat, then reconstitutes the mass with water, and creates ‘nut shapes’ that are dried, coated and roasted.