Can the EU afford not to support its entire agri-food value chain, which generates more than €1 trillion in gross value added to the EU economy? We believe it cannot.

No Carnival is complete without food and drinks! Next week, enjoy your Carnival treats safely & help prevent food waste by making sure you know what these dates mean: 🔸 #BestBefore: products can be safely consumed after this date 🔸 #UseBy: products can be consumed until this date, but NOT after

A few days ago, our Director General Nicholas Hodac was in Romania for the launch of the study ‘The socio-economic impact of the soft drinks industry in Romania’, conducted by the Academia de Studii Economice din București (ASE) for our Romanian member association.

This week UNESDA responded to the European Commission’s Call for Evidence on the upcoming Communication on Better Regulation. Our message is clear: if Europe wants to remain competitive, it needs a regulatory framework that is coherent, predictable and grounded in evidence.

In Rome this week? Follow our colleague Alessia Montillo’s lead and join the PETCORE EUROPE Conference!

Making further progress only happens with clear goals. Here are this year’s key priorities we at UNESDA are focusing on to continue driving innovation, advancing environmental sustainability and supporting balanced diets across Europe:

Nothing beats a local story to demonstrate how our sector matters to Europe’s economy and communities. 🎥 Watch the video snippet below from Merlin’s Beverages, a soft drinks company that is creating hundreds of jobs and driving sustainable growth across Romania

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip It has been one month since Cyprus took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU. Feeling tempted to listen to some Cypriot songs? 🎶 Put the sound on and enjoy! 👇 open.spotify.com/playlist/2NB...

We are at the FoodDrinkEurope event on water resilience in the European Parliament! Our colleagues Delphine Close and Alessia Montillo are following the discussions on how the European food and drink industry is taking action to address water challenges and what is needed to drive further progress.

Ever heard of Roma? This company has been producing refreshing soft drinks in Norway for over 100 years, generating jobs and supporting the country’s sustainable growth. 🎥 Watch the video snippet below to find out how Roma is strengthening Norway’s competitiveness. 👉 unesda.eu/our-industry...

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip Get ready for some of the most exciting architecture openings and events of the year! Psst... Two of them are happening in Belgium. 😉 🔎 Find out where 👉 traveltomorrow.com/the-most-exc...

New face in the UNESDA team! 😃 Say hello to Alessia Montillo, who will be supporting our team and covering for our Senior Public Affairs Manager, Delphine Close, during her maternity leave from mid-February to July. You can reach out to Alessia at [email protected]

We will be there next week! FoodDrinkEurope will organise an event on #WaterResilience in the European Parliament in Brussels, co-hosted by MEP Michal Wiezik and MEP Thomas Bajada. 🗓️ 28 January 🕐 13:00-15:00 CET 📌 Room 5G1, European Parliament, Brussels ✍️ www.fooddrinkeurope.eu/event/water-...

It’s almost time for the Annual PETCORE Europe Conference and we won’t miss it! Our colleague Alessia Montillo will follow the discussions on the impact of regulatory and legislative developments on the PET value chain & how the PET packaging & recycling industry keeps driving #circularity forward.

Many of you have probably set new intentions for this year. And what about us? For our sector, there is one resolution that stands firm every year: continuing innovating for our consumers and the environment.

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip Tomorrow is International Mentoring Day. Ever tried mentoring? Why not see for yourself how impactful it can be? 📽️ Watch this story 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Atme...

We warmly congratulate Andy Bagnall on his appointment as Director General of our British member association, the British soft drinks association. 👏 We at UNESDA are looking forward to working closely together. 👉 www.britishsoftdrinks.com/articles/bsd...

If you have not read our latest article on @euronews.com yet... Wait, why not?! 😉 We are breaking down for you the top three facts that explain why our sector matters to Europe’s economy and citizens. 🔎 Find out more in the article 👉 www.euronews.com/business/202... #OurSectorMatters

📢 There is still time for all stakeholders in the PET bottle value chain to provide feedback to the industry-wide consultation on the Design for Circularity (DfC) guidelines for PET bottles. 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐄𝐓 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 (𝐄𝐏𝐁𝐏), 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 15 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲.

New school term underway, same strong commitment to our school policies! Our sector will keep delivering on our school commitment to supporting balanced diets from an early age: 🔹 We do NOT sell our #SoftDrinks in EU primary schools (through direct distribution)

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip New year, new goals! Many of us often make New Year’s resolutions but have you ever wondered where this tradition actually comes from? Just a small hint: It all started 4,000 years ago! 🔎 Find out the story 👉 traveltomorrow.com/the-history-...

Missed the video message from our President, Andy McMillin? No worries! 📽️ Watch now to hear Andy’s thoughts on what the EU should prioritise and take action on this year 👉 www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVxf... #OurSectorMatters

2026 is here and it is the year for the EU to turn ambition into action and deliver, so the European food and drink industry can continue driving #jobs, #innovation and sustainable #growth.

Happy New Year, everyone! 🥳 And let’s give a warm welcome to Cyprus as it takes over the six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 🤝 UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe looks forward to collaborating with the @cy2026eu.bsky.social to drive a more competitive and innovative Europe.

🎄 All of us at UNESDA send our warmest wishes for a happy holiday season with your loved ones and a bright start to the new year. Thank you for being part of our journey in 2025! We look forward to reconnecting with you in January. 🙂

What do you need to know about some of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' most exciting #innovations from 2025? 🔎 Unwrap the latest edition of its newsletter The Ideas Department 👉 www.linkedin.com/pulse/2025-y...

There is only one thing better than preparing and enjoying Christmas #food. Doing it all safely without #FoodWaste. It is possible, and it starts with understanding #DateMarking, so you know what these dates really mean:

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip 🎄 Christmas is coming! 🎄 Not everyone celebrates it the same way. Discover 30 festive traditions from around the world 👉 time.com/7202959/uniq...

Something about this festive season has us sharing even more good things before the year wraps up. 😉 🎥 Here’s our new video recapping the key highlights from the seven videos we have released so far, showcasing the crucial role our sector plays in driving #jobs & sustainable #growth across Europe 👇

How can the EU and the #food and #drink industry join forces to tackle health challenges like obesity? Three key steps are essential to ensuring EU measures are balanced and evidence-based, while also boosting European #competitiveness:

📢 Calling all stakeholders in the PET bottle value chain! Your feedback matters! ♻️ The European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) has launched an industry-wide consultation to collect stakeholder feedback on the recently developed Design for Circularity (DfC) guidelines for PET bottles.

📽️ The year is ending and our President, Andrew McMillin, has important insights to share, and a clear message for policymakers: 2026 has to be the year of action - the year of delivering for the European food and drink sector.

Looking to read an insightful article on our sector’s #circularity efforts? Then, the interview with our Director General Nicholas Hodac for PETplanet is the perfect choice. Nicholas shares our sector’s journey towards #circularity of #BeveragePackaging:

What if our sector could drive sustainable #growth and provide #jobs across Denmark and Europe? That’s exactly what we are doing, and we have many stories showing that. 🎥 The snippet below is one example.

📢 Great news for PET bottle #circularity: a new tool is now available to support circularity assessment! The European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP) expands its Circularity Test Protocol with the launch of the Quick Test – Accelerated Impact Test.Circularity (QT-AIT.Circularity).

💧 We are at the @ec.europa.eu #WaterResilience Forum in Brussels today! 👏 It is inspiring to see so many stakeholders in the room, from policymakers and scientists to industry leaders and civil society, because addressing #water challenges requires all of us working together.

🎬 Recording in progress! Our President, Andrew McMillin, is sharing key insights you won’t want to miss. Coming soon! Watch this space. 😉

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip Most of us love Advent calendars but do you know where this tradition comes from? 💫 Here's the story 👇 www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/arti...

We have the perfect read for you to find out why #OurSectorMatters to Europe! All in just three key facts 👉 www.euronews.com/business/202...

The Coca-Cola Company has been creating significant value to Europe's communities and economies. 🔎 Find out how in this article on @euronews.com by Wouter Vermeulen, Vice-President Sustainability and Public Policy, Coca-Cola Europe ⤵️ euronews.com/business/202... #OurSectorMatters

Don’t know Merlin’s Beverages yet? Well, it’s time to discover how this Romanian #SoftDrinks company is supporting #jobs and driving sustainable #growth across the country.

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip Still trying to get your head around the 720 MEPs? This interactive game makes it simple (and even a little fun) to recognise them and understand their positions and influence 👉 preview--mep-ace-challenge.lovable.app

Setting up a well-designed and efficient #DepositReturnSystem (#DRS) for single-use beverage containers is no simple task, as UNESDA explained at last week’s DRS event in Madrid, organised by NGOs @reloop.bsky.social, @retorna.org and @zerowasteeurope.eu.

What does innovating for consumers mean to our sector? ➡️ It’s about offering a variety of #SoftDrinks that meet every need, preference and lifestyle so consumers can enjoy the beverages they love as part of a balanced diet.

Improving Europeans’ health is important, and it is a public goal that our sector has long supported with concrete actions to promote balanced diets, including reducing the average sugar content in our #SoftDrinks. That works. Not soft drinks taxes and here’s why:

It’s #WorldTelevisionDay. You know why we're talking about it? It’s a timely occasion to highlight our sector’s ongoing commitment NOT to advertise/market any of our #SoftDrinks to children under 13 on TV & across any other media channel when at least 30% of its audience is composed of children.

😍 Being in Madrid is always a pleasure, but this week it’s even more exciting: it’s a hub for global collaboration! We are delighted to reunite with our beverage colleagues from around the world for what promises to be engaging discussions on our sector’s actions and key challenges.

Heard that Spain will introduce a #DepositReturnSystem (#DRS) next year to boost the collection of single-use beverage containers for #recycling? You heard it right! That’s what is being discussed now at the DRS event in Madrid, hosted by NGOs @reloop.bsky.social @retorna.org & @zerowasteeurope.eu

When you discover Sanmy, Spain’s oldest #SoftDrinks company, and the role it plays in a sector that drives #jobs and sustainable #growth across the country, you understand what we mean when we say #OurSectorMatters to Europe. 📽 Watch the video snippet below 👇

💡 UNESDA #FridayTip Getting married in 2026? You may want to check out these five wedding trends 👉 traveltomorrow.com/wedding-tren...