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Beverage Titans Team Up to Remove Soda From Schools

YumSugar — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:50:57 -0800

Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr Pepper Snapple Group have just done the unthinkable. They've banded together in print and television ads to promote their new campaign to remove full-calorie soft drinks from nationwide schools. The joint initiative, spearheaded by the American Beverage Association (ABA) and called Clear on Calories, hopes to tackle childhood obesity with actions such as placing calories on the front of packages, vending machines, and fountain machines.

Thus far, the campaign has involved removing full-calorie sodas, and replacing them with portion-sized options like juice, tea, and water. So far, Clear on Calories has led to an 88 percent decrease in calories from beverages shipped to schools in 2004 - and the goal is to have all full-calorie soft drinks completely removed by 2012.

Through the campaign, the beverage industry hopes to fend off potentially costly legislation, such as taxes on sweetened beverages. "The 'clear on calories' initiative will have far more impact in addressing childhood obesity than a tax ever will," Kevin Keane, an executive at the ABA, told Ad Age. Can the top soft drink giants harness their market influence to effect a healthy change, or should the government step in to take action?

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What's Cooking at Slashfood

YumSugar — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:00:45 -0800

Give a Swiss specialty, fondue, an American twist by using stateside cheeses.
An Australian KFC commercial falls under scrutiny for being racist.
Chuy's, the Lone Star State's Tex-Mex institution, is expanding Southeast.
How restaurant servers deal with customer theft.
A look back at the last decade of American drinking.
Pepsi has started an eight-week run of high-fructose-free Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback.

Pepsi Halloween Cans: Love Them or Hate Them?

partysugar — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:00:54 -0700

For Halloween, Pepsi released a special limited-edition costumed can. Instead of the typical jack-o'-lanterns or orange and black theme, however, the soda company simply printed Halloween-related words like boo and ghost on the cans. Have you seen them in stores? What do you think of the design?

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Pepsi Draws Controversy For Amp Drink iPhone App

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 06:50:33 -0700

Looks like Burger King isn't the only food brand that toes the line between cutting-edge and crass. PepsiCo, the maker of new energy drink Amp, has gotten flack for its latest iPhone launch.

"Amp Up Before You Score" is a free iPhone application that offers young men pointers on how to get in bed with 24 different types of women. Selections include "Sorority Girl," "Treehugger," and "Punk." Amp fans can then detail their conquests on the app's Brag List.

Backlash soon followed, with many accusing Pepsi of demeaning and objectifying women. Amp tried to appease the furor with an apology on Twitter, although it seemed to only want to heighten the buzz around the brand by introducing the Twitter tag #pepsifail.

What do you think of the move? Check out the video after the jump

Dead Frog Discovered in Diet Pepsi Can

YumSugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:00:02 -0700

How did a dead frog find its way into a Pepsi can? That's the seminal question at the center of the latest food safety gross-out. Fred and Amy DeNegri, a retired couple from Florida claim they discovered a dead frog in a Pepsi can, and have plans to take legal action.

Fred DeNegri took a sip of a newly opened Diet Pepsi and started gagging. DeNegri emptied the can in his sink, but could tell that a heavy weight remained inside. He shook it until something resembling "pink linguine" slid out, followed by "dark stuff," his wife said. They took pictures and called authorities. It wasn't until the sample went into lab testing that the larger object was identified as a frog or a toad "lacking internal organs," according to the FDA report, which could not conclude whether or not the frog was there before the can had been opened. The FDA conducted an investigation of the Orlando, FL, bottling plant, and found everything in normal condition.

On a recent CNN show, two correspondents discussed the controversy, insinuating that the situation could be a hoax, or even planted by competitor Coke. I'm repulsed by the situation - how could such a large animal find its way into an aluminum soda can? Do you feel for the traumatized couple, or do you see this as another finger-in-the-chili fabrication?

Source: Flickr User qnr

Would You Rather Drink Coke or Pepsi?

partysugar — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:30:19 -0700

Source: Flickr Users Tom Coates and merfam

Coca-Cola Brings Vault Drink Head to Head With Mtn Dew

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 07:50:45 -0700

Beverage titan Coca-Cola, eager to improve flat sales of carbonated beverage Vault, is hoping to win over consumers with a campaign that employs a tried-and-true tactic: free drinks.

Although Pepsi-owned (and recently renamed) Mtn Dew carries as much as 80 percent of the market share for citrus soda, Coca-Cola's three-year-old citrus cooler Vault, with four percent of the market share, has fizzled with customers. Hoping to turn the tides for Vault, Coca-Cola will soon begin its "Don't Dew It" campaign.

In an attempt to convert Mtn Dew die-hards into Vault fanatics, the company will be giving away coupons for free 16-ounce, 20-ounce, or 24-ounce Vault drinks when customers purchase a 20-ounce Mtn Dew.

During the economic downturn, consumer coupon use has skyrocketed. Like other recent promotions, industry experts anticipate that the "Vault Taste Challenge," will see a huge participation rate from consumers. Of course, for Coca-Cola, it will come at a price - that of at least a couple million dollars.

Although I think this campaign will be successful, I'm skeptical of Coca-Cola snagging a significant portion of Mtn Dew's market share. I used to be a huge Mtn Dew fan, and Surge, Mellow Yellow, and the others just didn't do it for me. Do you think it will prove to be lucrative?

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Yummy Links: From Twice Baked Potatoes to Real Sugar Pepsi

partysugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 06:50:34 -0800

Double stuffed baked potatoes are comforting and delicious. - Cooking With Amy
Ten dishes to make when you are cooking alone. - Chow
Time has come up with a list of the world's best food blogs. Did your favorite make the cut? - Time
Food Network is now showing full episodes online. - The Kitchn
Next Fall the Council of Fashion Designers of America plans to release a cookbook. - Eat Me Daily
Take this fun quiz to find out how much you know about food reality TV. - Time Out New York
Eating more soy could help save the planet. - The Epi-Log
Pepsi and Mountain Dew "Throwbacks" will be made with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. - Serious Eats

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India's Next Big Export: Cow Urine Soda

YumSugar — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:00:35 -0800

Holy cow. India's oldest, biggest nationalist Hindu group, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), plans to introduce a new soft drink made from cow urine.

The radical RSS group has long campaigned against beverages such as Coke and Pepsi, foreign imports that it believes to be a corrupt influence and a symbol of Western imperialism. In India, bovine urine is considered medicinal and is, like the cow itself, seen as sacred, particularly at religious festivals. In some traditional rituals, cow urine is consumed to purify those who belong to the lowest rung of the Hindu caste system. Although the group hasn't confirmed flavors or pricing for the drink, to be known as gau jal, or "cow water" in Sanskrit, the elixir will be mixed with aloe vera, gooseberry, and other herbs that allegedly combat diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. The RSS and its offshoots have been promoting gau jal as a cure-all since as early as 2001, but Om Prakash, the head of the RSS's Cow Protection Department, said the drink will be introduced "very soon, maybe by the end of this year." He added:

Don't worry, it won't smell like urine and will be tasty, too. It's going to be very healthy. It won't be like carbonated drinks and would be devoid of any toxins. We're going to give [American soda brands] good competition as our drink is good for mankind. We may also think of exporting it.

How do you feel about this? I think it's disgusting, but at the same time, I've promised myself that I will try anything once. Would you drink cow urine for its purported health benefits?

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Pepsi Targets Controversy With Suicidal Calorie Campaign

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:30:01 -0800

Since debuting its latest series of advertisements, Pepsi Max might want to consider renaming itself Pepsi Maximum Controversy.

Pepsi Max, a one-calorie drink alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi sodas, collaborated with agency BBDO Dusseldorf to release a new set of print ads that depict a single, lonesome calorie committing suicide, often in violent ways. They include scenes that involve hanging, a gunshot, poison, and slitting of the wrists. The tagline: "Pepsi Max. One very lonely calorie."

Since its reveal, this contentious campaign has already been picked apart by news sources, blogs, and message boards, many of which are encouraging Pepsi to pull the ads.

Do you think it should be pulled? Are these edgy ads that push the marketing envelope, or is it a tasteless, insensitive campaign that pokes fun at a grave subject?

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