Coke

Coca-Cola has won the latest battle in its long-standing sales war against Pepsi. In 2010, for the first time ever, US sales of Diet Coke overtook those of Pepsi-Cola. The statistics are shocking, and certainly indicative of America's increasing focus on diet. Although the fridge at Sugar HQ is stocked with everything from Coke to Canada Dry, my soda tendencies are aligned with the American populace. My go-to soda, any day of the week, is a Diet Coke. What's yours?

Could the cult of Mexican Coke be nothing more than another case of the emperor's new clothes? That's what some analysts are asserting. The Latin American soda version has a fiercely loyal following due to the fact that it's made with sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup. But is that really the case? According to a new study in Obesity, the beverage doesn't actually contain sucrose, the sugar compound that makes up cane sugar. Instead, a lab analysis located plenty of glucose and fructose.

So what does this mean? According to nutrition authority Marion Nestle, there are two possible conclusions: either the soda studied was old and the sucrose split into glucose and fructose, or the company used high-fructose corn syrup instead of cane sugar. Which do you want to believe?

Source: Flickr User Mills Baker

When the Vancouver Games commence next Friday, Coca-Cola is aiming for its own gold medal of sorts: its first zero-waste, carbon-neutral Olympics sponsorship. The beverage giant hopes to take sustainable event planning to a new level with drink bottles made from 30 percent plant-based materials, delivered by hybrid cars and electric carts to cafés decked out in furniture that's made from pine-beetle-salvaged wood.

Staff uniforms and welcome bags will be made out of recycled bottles, coolers will be equipped with clean technology, and the company is purchasing carbon offsets to compensate for air travel and on-site transportation. I got my first glimpse into event sustainability at last year's SF Chefs. Food. Wine., but doing so at Olympic proportions takes another level of commitment entirely. I hope other food and beverage sponsors take note. Are you surprised by Coca-Cola's commitment to sustainability?

This holiday season, Costco shoppers can breathe a collective sigh of relief: Coca-Cola products will be back on shelves Monday. Last month, after a surprisingly public pricing squabble with the world's largest soft drink maker, the wholesale club stopped ordering Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Dasani, VitaminWater, Fresca, Odwalla, and all other Coca-Cola beverages from stores nationwide.

"Our sign that we had in stores everywhere basically said it all — 'Until we can provide our members with these products at competitive prices and provide our members with value, we are not prepared to sell it,'" Costco CFO Richard Galanti said. "We're now going to sell it."

Considering Costco's market influence, I knew there would be a quick resolution, and I'm glad it has come in time for most of the month's holiday parties. Are you excited to hear that Coke will be back on Costco shelves?

Source: Flickr User paulswansen