QSR Beverage Push: Sonic is leaning hard into specialty drinks and customization, arguing the U.S. nonalcoholic beverage market is still “just getting started,” with chains like McDonald’s and Taco Bell also chasing “dirty soda” and limited-time flavors. Foodservice & Retail Trends: Convenience stores are increasingly competing with fast-food by expanding foodservice and premium coffee, even as shoppers grow more worried about fresh-food safety. Packaging & Sustainability: Virginia Tech research aims to close the quality gap between traditional plastics and bioplastics for food packaging. Waste & Waterway Pollution: In the Philippines’ Mimaropa region, 6,000+ volunteers collected 107,607 pieces of marine litter in an International Coastal Cleanup, with beverage bottles and caps among the most common items. Policy & Compliance: Bangladesh’s NBR made online VAT return filing mandatory for 11 sectors, including beverages, pushing more transactions into its eVAT system. Wine Tourism: Oregon’s Savor Southern Oregon wine festival won a Sunset Travel Award, highlighting how beverage events keep drawing visitors.