Asahi, Kagome to launch fizzy, low-alcohol vegetable drink

Tuesday 13th May, 06:40 AM JST

TOKYO —

Asahi Breweries Ltd and Kagome Co said Monday they will launch their first low-alcohol sparking beverage using vegetable juice on June 3. The product, “Asahi Vegesh,” will contain the juice of 21 kinds of vegetable, including carrot, and five kinds of fruit, including grapefruit. It is priced at 196 yen for a 350-milliliter can.

Asahi and Kagome aim to boost sales of vegetable-based low-alcohol drinks, riding on growing health consciousness among consumers.

Vegesh is the third product developed jointly by the two firms since they concluded business and capital alliances in February 2007.

Sales of the three low-alcohol products, including “Tomate” tomato juice-based beverage and “Vegete,” a low-alcohol fruit and vegetable cocktail, are projected to total two million cases by the end of this year. One case contains the equivalent of 24 350-milliliter cans.

JCN

Latest 15 of 16 Total Comments Show All

cleo at 09:31 AM JST - 13th May

It sounds vile. In these times of rising prices and food shortages, it should be a criminal offence to take perfectly good fruit and veggies and muck them about like this.

Health-conscious consumers can buy their own fruit and veggies and if necessary process them themselves, instead of paying out good money for a ' low-alcohol sparking beverage using vegetable juice'.
Altria at 10:16 AM JST - 13th May

This is great for people like me who are sick of the high alcohol content in the regular vegetable drinks.

No longer will I have to drink a fifth of vodka for my daily potato intake.
Ultradude at 10:37 AM JST - 13th May

Perfect for the kids after school and mommies drinking during the day.
NorikoT at 10:48 AM JST - 13th May

Health conscious persons will buy their own fresh veges and then juice them, without the heating above 50C and that destroys enzymes, other delicate plant chemicals and vitamins. Further they would also be able to make sure there was no product in their juicer that contains floridzin, naringenin, limonene, onion, or other plant chemicals found in specific fresh fruit and veg that degrade and inflame internal organs. These chemical actions then help to form the cancer nucleus, which prepares the way for a cancer malignancy. If you want to get up to date on new science, not the mainstream NO CURE for any chronic disease nonsense pushed out by Big Pharma-sponsored-University research teams, then do you health a favour and buy `The Cure and Prevention of All Cancers, 2007. H R Clark PhD ND Unfortunately, the teaching of Nutrition in Japan is 55 years out of date, as shown by the pseudo scientific nonsense spewed out such as calories, cholesterol, healthy soy, food pyramids, doctors telling patients NOT ot supplement etc. that keep the population in the dark and keep them sick.
cleo at 10:49 AM JST - 13th May

No longer will I have to drink a fifth of vodka for my daily potato intake.

lol Now I would have said that was a perfectly legitimate use of the potato crop (so long as they leave a few new ones for me to have with mint and butter).
NorikoT at 11:49 AM JST - 13th May

cleo, potatato is the natural food for dog heart worm, stronyloides. None in my kitchen. 2007 info. Is the worm food chemical still in vodka, dunno. BTW old 1970s science places potatao as one of the glyco-alkaloid family of veges, that cause arhritis.
cleo at 11:56 AM JST - 13th May

Oh come on NorikoT, I only want a few!

T'ain't like there's that much butter around these days anyway.....
cleo at 12:24 PM JST - 13th May

mmm... Just done a check on Ms HR Clark....according to Wiki Ms Clark says that all cancers are caused by the flatworm Fasciolopsis buski and that HIV is caused by worms.

An investigator for the Indiana Department of Health and a deputy attorney general visited her office incognito as part of a sting operation. Clark proceeded to test the investigator and "told him he had the HIV virus [sic], but said that he did not have cancer." She told the investigator that she could cure his HIV in 3 minutes, but that he would "get it back" unless he committed to returning for six more appointments. She then ordered blood tests from a laboratory. Upon learning of the undercover investigators' status, Clark stated that everything she had told them had been a "mistake". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HuldaRegehrClark

I think I'l continue to enjoy my potatoes.
Seiryu at 02:12 PM JST - 13th May

I always knew that alcohol was healthy for you. And now this!
romulus3 at 02:33 PM JST - 13th May

what the hell is the point? Gross! fizzy veggies in alcohol sauce. Yuk!
Nessie at 03:13 PM JST - 13th May

That explains why the bucho's been on the health kick pounding ten veggie drinks over lunch. Helps him segue into the afternoon nap in the parking lot.
GrouchyGaijin at 04:32 PM JST - 13th May

But it's vegetarian!
PuffinMuffin at 09:14 PM JST - 13th May

Asahi, Kagome to launch fizzy, low-alcohol vegetable drink

fruity/cocktail drinks I'd understand but why mix veggies with alcohol? It'll be out of the market soon enough, much like many other 'experimental' products. I regret that in Japan once you start to like one particular beverage that they start selling, they take it out rather shortly afterwards. Then there are the 'only this season' type of products too. Consumerism at its best.
soothsayer at 05:15 AM JST - 14th May

NorikoT,

cleo, potatato is the natural food for dog heart worm, stronyloides. None in my kitchen.

Don't worry Nori. You have nothing to worry about, as long as you're not a dog, that is.
presto345 at 06:44 PM JST - 16th May

What are we talking about? Potato, potatato or potatao? Just curious.