SABMiller plc, London, and Molson Coors Brewing Co., Denver, reported that its joint venture MillerCoors’ first quarter underlying net income increased 16.6 percent to $175.3 million and total net sales increased 3.6 percent to $1.76 billion compared to the first quarter of 2011. The companies attributed the performance to positive pricing growth, cost management and favorable mix.

St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch (A-B), a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev, expanded its Michelob Ultra brand with the launch of Michelob Ultra Light Cider.

Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s launched its new McCafe Cherry Berry Chiller for the summer season.

Delta Air Lines, Atlanta, is adding summer seasonal beverages, including Tequila Avion and Blue Moon beer, to its onboard offerings.

The first annual “Canny Awards” recognized craft beer cans with high-quality, captivating graphics with the winners announced during the Craft Brewers Conference, held May 2-5 in San Diego.

Anheuser-Busch (A-B), the St. Louis-based subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B InBev), announced the expansion of Bud Light Platinum production to its St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio, breweries as well as plans to add its Fort Collins, Colo., brewery in June. The production expansion will keep up with demand for the new product that launched early this year and is outpacing expectations, the company said in a statement.

Honest Tea, the Bethesda, Md. wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Coca Co., collected more than 15,000 empty plastic, glass and aluminum beverage containers during “The Great Recycle” event in New York City yesterday. The containers were collected in a 30-foot-tall recycling bin in Times Square.

Pepsi unveiled its first global campaign, titled “Live for Now,” based on the company’s new global positioning.

The first quarter of 2012 saw American consumers’ confidence in their personal finances beginning to return, according to Chicago-based SymphonyIRI Group’s most recent MarketPulse survey.

SymphonyIRI Group, Chicago, named Dr Pepper Ten, Kraft’s Mio beverage mixes, Sparkling Ice from TalkingRain Beverage Co., Starbucks K-cups and TruMoo from Dean Foods among the 2011 Food & Beverage “Rising Stars” in its 2011 New Product Pacesetters report, which is an analysis of exceptional first-year CPG sales success for newly launched products.