Yesterday we posted a photo a reader sent in of a toy aisle in his local Walmart that was packed with junk food. We all got commenty on what exactly Walmart was doing—was it a one-off paid promo by Pepsi? A marketing experiment? A power-mad store manager driven crazy by shelving issues? Nah, it’s actually an intentional choice mandated by corporate.
soda
New York City's Anti-Soda Grossout
By 9.2.09
In the wake of New York State’s failed attempt to tax sugary sodas and juice drinks, the New York City Health Department has come out with a public service campaign to curb consumption the soft way: with the hard sell.
Domino's Uses Pizza Tracker To Track You, Deliver Forgotten Soda
By 8.13.09
Do you ever wonder whether post-transaction customer satisfaction or feedback surveys get lost somewhere in the ether, and have no impact on the local branch of the company you’re dealing with? Thomas didn’t think that his feedback mattered all that much, but his local Domino’s surprised him with a nearly instant response to their Web feedback.
Pepsi VS Coke Logo Evolution
By 7.29.09
Some mystery genius put together a comparison of the logo evolution of Pepsi Vs. Coke. Enjoy.
CVS Beverage Prices: Only Off By $997 Or So
By 5.14.09
A few weeks apart, in different stores, readers Spencer and Sean spotted the same error on CVS shelf tags. Printing error? Zoned-out employees? Maybe our assumptions are all wrong, and it’s an innovative new pricing strategy.
Do Consumers Really Care About High Fructose Corn Syrup?
By 4.30.09
We’ve been getting reports from readers that Pepsi and Mountain Dew Throwback are showing up in stores. Heartening news since Passover Coke season is over. “The second ingredient (after water) is ‘Sugar’ not the dreaded HFCS. Oh, and it is delicious,” Wyatt in Minnesota told us.
Mountain Dew Addiction Helps Rot Central Appalachins' Teeth
By 2.12.09
Central Appalachia is the number one spot in America for tooth decay to due to their poor diet, lack of access to dental care, and widespread addiction to Mountain Dew. They say it’s used as a kind of anti-depressant, thanks to its high-caffeine and sugar levels. Good Morning America visited and found they even put it in baby bottles. Some 2-year olds have 12 cavities in their baby teeth. They discovered an 11-year old Dew-drinker boy who hadn’t brushed his teeth in several weeks because they hurt too much. Crazy to think that’s what acid, sugar and caffeine will do to your teeth when combined with a bad diet and little in the way of dentist visits. [More]
By 1.3.09
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Pepsi is suing an Atlanta distributor for distributing Mexican Pepsi, sweetened with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, in the U.S.
Coke Never Advertised To Kids, Is "Wholesome"
By 10.30.08
I don’t have kids, but if I did, instead of breastfeeding them I would give them bottles of Coke. That’s because Coke is “wholesome.” And if they grew up drinking Coke, it would be because of the decisions I made and choices I taught them to take, because Coke has never advertised to kids. Both these “becauses” are supplied by Coca-Cola. See, Dr. Dr. Yoni Freedhoff spotted an ad page 1632 of the June 17th edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal that said:
Get Your Drink On With Pepsi Blue Hawaii
By 6.16.08
If Ice Cucumber Pepsi only left you nauseous for more, Pepsi has unveiled its “Blue Hawaii” flavor available only in Japan. The antifreeze-blue concoction delivers hints of pineapple and lemon which if consumed, will make you feel as if you have sailed into a heavenly island paradise, or something. Having fully recovered from his Ice Cucumber Pepsi review last year, reader Peter sacrifices himself for a video review of Pepsi Blue Hawaii. The video, inside…
By 6.10.08
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This blogger will save $350 a year with his decision to stop drinking soda. [No Credit Needed]
Man Jailed After Forgetting Case Of Soda Underneath Shopping Cart
By 4.8.08
UPDATE: This guy is a liar! He stole the Pepsi after he was past the check out, and has now admitted to making the whole story up for reporters.
Congress Set To Ban Soda, Junk Food From Schools
By 12.2.07
Snickers and Cokes would be a thing of the past at school cafeterias and vending machines if the Senate approves an ambitious amendment from Senators Harkin (D-IA) and Murkowsky (R-AK). The amendment to the Farm Bill would establish strict federal guidelines limiting the sale of deliciously unhealthy treats brimming with sugar, salt, and fat.
The nutrition standards would allow only plain bottled water and eight-ounce servings of fruit juice or plain or flavored low-fat milk with up to 170 calories to be sold in elementary and middle schools. High school students could also buy diet soda or, in places like school gyms, sports drinks. Other drinks with as many as 66 calories per eight ounces could be sold in high schools, but that threshold would drop to 25 calories per eight-ounce serving in five years.
Coke Expands Nutrition Label To Actually Make Sense
By 10.29.07
I hate it when I’m eating a bunch of crackers and I look on the box and the serving size is like “3 crackers” and all the calories and nutrition info are based on this absurdly small number. So I was glad to turn over my bottle of Coke and see that they were including both a “Standard Serving” and a “This Package” label. On the left it shows how many calories and such are in a regular can. On the right it shows how much is in the bottle. It’s nice that there’s a comparison. It’s also nice that they’re not giving the nutrition info as if someone was going to drink from the bottle at two and a half different meals. Let’s see this spirit of packaging transparency leveraged across the entire food industry.
Should Soda Makers Stop Marketing To Kids Under 16?
By 10.29.07
The Center For Science In The Public Interest (CSPI), and the International Association of Consumer Food Organizations (IACFO). have joined together to start the “Global Dump Soda” campaign.
Target Cards You For Buying Jones Soda
By 10.3.07
Reader Daniel would like to let us know that the Target in Huntsville, AL thinks Jones Soda is alcoholic, and they’re going to need to see some ID.
New Cancer Worries For Diet Soda Drinkers
By 6.26.07
A new study on the effects of low daily doses of the artificial sweetener aspartame shows a statistically significant increase in leukemia, lymphoma and breast cancer in rats. Consumer advocates are calling for the FDA to take another look at the safety of aspartame in light of the study, but the FDA seems uninterested.
Sodium Benzoate Messes With Mitochondria?
By 5.29.07
[An] expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the “power station” of cells known as the mitochondria.
Ok, we know its hard to take news seriously when it comes from a guy named Peter Piper, but sodium benzoate is no joke. It’s in a lot of beverages. Coke, Pepsi, 7 Up, you name it. Constant readers will remember it as one half of the recent “sodium benzoate plus vitamin C = benzene = cancer” debacle. —MEGHANN MARCO
