What the Sunday papers said…

UK plc drained its glass and bid cheerio to the last quoted cidermaker as Merrydown was bought by SHS, the private Irish group that owns WKD alcopops and Caledonian Clear mineral water - Financial Times​

Ministers are preparing to abandon their controversial attempts to relax gambling laws rather than allow the issue to dominate Labour's election campaign - Independent on Sunday​

Downing Street has played down a report that the Government is on the brink of abandoning controversial new laws to bring mega-casinos to Britain - Mail on Sunday​

European demographics, a fall in sales of ready mixed drinks including Smirnoff Ice and evidence that Nigerians were spending more on mobile phones than Guinness were all cited as reasons for a lacklustre two per cent sales increase at Diageo - Financial Times​

Paul Walsh, the chief executive of Diageo, has made it clear that he has no plans to drive the next wave of consolidation in the wine and spirits industry… but the reality is that the world's biggest booze company wouldn't be allowed to because of too many competition and regulatory issues - Sunday Telegraph​

Hardys & Hanson has acquired five pubs with lodge accommodation from Shadeweir Inns for £11m - Financial Times​

Shares in drinks group Allied Domecq continued to rise on the prospect of a possible takeover by Pernod Ricard - Independent on Sunday​

Pernod Ricard, the third largest drinks company in the world, is thinking of combining with the world's second biggest distiller, Allied Domecq - Sunday Express​

Premier Foods announced last week that a batch of its Worcester sauce had been contaminated with a cancer-causing dye and it was revealed that the sauce was used to flavour more than 350 foods - Independent on Sunday​

The Food Standards Agency has warned that hundreds more foods could be added to the list of products contaminated by an illegal food dye that causes cancer - Sunday Telegraph​

The actress who appears in a high-profile campaign about the dangers of getting drunk admitted last week to binge drinking on a daily basis in the past - Sunday Times​

Next month Moet Hennessy will launch the first sparkling wine in Britain to be sealed with a beer bottle cap - Independent on Sunday​