Back in 1992-93, my senior year of high school, every supermarket and convenience store in the Orlando area seemed packed to the gills with Crystal Pepsi. But almost as quickly as the clear cola appeared on the scene, it had vanished into the ether to join other failed fizzy drinks in the soda afterlife. But some still hold fond memories of Crystal Pepsi’s brief time among mortals and it looks like the product may be due for a return from the grave. [More]
Food & Personal Care
Pizza Hut’s Hot Dog Crust Monstrosity Is Coming To America
By 6.8.15
Wacky menu items that international chain restaurants add at their overseas outlets are are sometimes strange regional one-offs, and sometimes items being tested for larger markets. After a pizza crust stuffed with hot dogs appeared at Pizza Huts in Luxembourg, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Yes, we’re hearing reports that Pizza Hut will bring the crust stuffed with hot dogs home to America. [More]
Starbucks Unleashing Six New Frappuccino Flavors Loaded With Sweet Stuff
By 6.8.15
Can you hear that? That’s the sound of my teeth cringing at the thought of icy cold, sugary drinks assaulting my insides in a frenzy of sweet syrups. Starbucks is on a sugar high, unveiling six new frappuccino flavors debuting this summer in a line it calls “Fan Flavors.” [More]
How Recalls Work (And Don’t) And Why They’re All So Different
By 6.8.15
Manufacturers — of all kinds — usually try hard to get it right on the first try. From banana muffins to bicycle helmets, it’s in a company’s best interests to make their products perfect. Not only is it better for their reputation and their business, but it’s less expensive, in the long run, and causes less trouble. Sometimes, though, something just goes wrong. [More]
Taco Bell’s Unholy Cap’N Crunch-Coated, Cream-Filled Donut Concoction Going National
By 6.5.15
Today may be National Doughnut Day, but there’s another date lovers of fluffy, sweet indulgences might want to mark on the calendar: July 2. That’s when Taco Bell plans to take its Cap’n Crunch-coated donuts (or doughnuts, whatever) to the masses. [More]
FDA Closer To Approving Twice-Rejected Female Libido Drug
By 6.5.15
Yesterday, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended that the agency approve a new drug, flibanserin, which would be marketed under the brand name Addyi. In headlines and in news reports, you see references to the drug as a “pink Viagra” or “Viagra for women.” Yet the drug works on the brain, not the genitals, and critics say that its side effects may not be worth its proven benefits. The FDA has already rejected the drug twice. [More]
How Can I Avoid Getting Sick From Listeria-Contaminated Food?
By 6.5.15
Listeria-contaminated food has been in the news lately due to massive ice cream recalls from regional companies Blue Bell and Jeni’s. Ice cream isn’t usually where you find listeria, but it’s possible to contract listeriosis from frozen treats because the bacteria can survive below-freezing temperatures, and you don’t cook ice cream. How can you avoid illness from listeria? There are no guaranteed ways to eradicate it from the food supply, but there are precautions that you can take. [More]
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Pepsi Considering A Line Of “Craft” Fountain Sodas Made With Sugar
By 6.4.15
In the race to create sweet, carbonated beverages people actually want to drink, PepsiCo is looking into peddling a line of “craft” fountain sodas made with sugar, instead of the high fructose corn syrup used to sweeten many other beverages you might find on tap. [More]
Former CVS Workers Claim They Were Told To Watch Minority Shoppers In Some NYC Stores
By 6.4.15
Four former CVS workers have filed a federal lawsuit against the company alleging that their supervisors ordered them to keep an eye on minority shoppers in some New York City stores, even when there was no indication that those targeted customers might steal. [More]
Subway Removing Artificial Ingredients From Its Menu By 2017
By 6.4.15
Last April, Subway stopped using Azodicarbonamide – a chemical that is used to improve elasticity in bread but that also shows up in things like yoga mats. Now, the sandwich shop is taking things a step farther, by making plans to drop all artificial ingredients from its menu by 2017. [More]
Taco Bell Confirms A Boozy Menu At Soon-To-Open Chicago Location
By 6.4.15
Nothing goes better with a chalupa than a nice glass of red wine. Okay, we don’t actually know that, but we do know that the pairing will certainly be an option at Taco Bell’s new Chicago location. [More]
Here Come Brownie Batter Oreos
By 6.4.15
There’s something about the intense chocolate flavor and gritty texture of brownie batter that makes it irresistible. Continuing their series of exotic Oreo flavors, Nabisco will try to capture this flavor in the form of Oreo “creme,” between two standard chocolate-flavored cookie wafers. [More]
Homeowners Accept Buyer’s Offer After She Sweetens The Deal By Offering Free Pizza For Life
By 6.3.15
When it comes to buying a home, prospective buyers are always looking for bargaining tools that can help them get a leg up on the competition. And in Portland, OR’s competitive real estate market, one new homeowner found the leverage she needed to close the deal in the form of free pizza for the sellers — for life. [More]
Police: Taco Bell Customer Upset With Drive-Thru Order Arrested After Tire Iron Assault On Fellow Patron
By 6.3.15 — Updated: 11.18.16
It can be vastly annoying to receive the wrong order at a fast food restaurant after patiently waiting for your meal in the drive-thru line. But there’s no reason to resort to violence, a tack police in St. Paul, MN said one group of customers took when they allegedly attacked other customers, hitting one in the head with a tire iron. [More]
Customer Finds Black Widow Spider In Grapes Bought At Target
By 6.2.15
It seems like it was just last week that we last heard about a grocery customer bringing home a venomous black widow spider on a bunch of grapes…because it was. Last week, a woman in Vermont was hospitalized after a black widow spider hiding in the grapes bit her. This weekend, a man in Illinois found one in the grapes that he purchased at Target, and headed right back to the store to return the fruit. And the spider. [More]
White House Makes Push For Private Sector To Help Curb Dangerous Overuse Of Antibiotics
By 6.2.15
Today at the White House, representatives for some 150 organizations, including Consumer Reports, and private companies gathered for a forum on how to rein in the rampant, and potentially deadly, overuse of antibiotics in everything from hospitals to farm animals. [More]
Chipotle Testing Chorizo Protein Option On Menus In Kansas City
By 6.2.15
Although Chipotle just released a new menu item last fall in the form of its vegan tofu sofritas protein offering, it seems the chain is considering debuting another new option — chorizo. The chain is currently testing the ground chicken and pork sausage in all of its 33 Kansas City, MO locations starting today. [More]
Nestlé USA Cutting Artificial Flavors, Reducing Salt In Some Frozen Pizza Products
By 6.2.15
Following Nestlé USA’s announcement that it would be pulling artificial flavors from all its chocolate products earlier this year, the company now says it’s removing artificial flavors and reducing salt by 10% in many of its frozen pizza and snack products by the end of 205. [More]
