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Archive for category beverages

One More Food Tax

Mar 11

Posted by admin in Economy, beverages

A soda tax has been talked about for a long time, and as one group scoffs at its necessity, another jumps to the forefront waving new research. The back-and-forth approach to regulation and what is a government issue v. a personal, private decision remains a hot burner issue.

The Feds seem to be stepping out of the equation with all the other topics floating around, but some of the states seem ready to take up the cause as a way to boost their declining revenues. The formula is a tax fitted to the number of ounces of the drink. Imagine the situation at any of the fast food outlets and then multiply the chaos by the outrage.resize

Whether you’re talking a penny an ounce tax or the very high 18% figure that is being mentioned the concern is the same. We are a country in the out-of-control department about weight gain, obesity, and increases in diabetes. Those being the primary reasons behind the reemergence of the beverage tax. Some in support of the concept talk about overall economic savings.

The real issue that cannot be lost in the steam roll is who makes the decision about what to eat and drink. The economy is still in bad shape with job losses and high overall unemployment. Inexpensive food and drink options help many people stave off hunger. This is the reality of the times. Fix one issue at a time. One more tax is not the way to go.

Pennies count no matter the size of the beverage.

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Hold the Soda; Pour the Coffee

Mar 8

Posted by admin in beverages, news

There are multiple parts to the beverage service at a meal. You need to decide what you are going to drink at the beginning, middle, and end of the experience whther you are dining in or eating out. That’s true for each meal time; with maybe a few more considerations at dinner.

OK, this is so obvious, what am I getting at? It turns out that lunch may be a critical meal for women. If they have coffee with their meal, they are less likely to get Type 2 diabetes, the most common form often associated with a higher body mass index or being overweight. So if you count calories and think diet soda is the way to go, research says otherwise. In a significant study (70,000 participants) from Brazil that followed women for multiple years, they saw a decrease in Type 2 diabetes most significantly from women who had at least a cup of coffee at lunch. Maybe someone will test Brazilian coffee beans next!mao com sementes de cafe torrado

BTW, this is not the only coffee study that linked positive results between coffee and lessening the likelihood of Type 2. This study found no difference between caf or decaf beverages or if the drinker chose to sweeten it or not. LUNCH was the critical discovery!

It is unclear whether coffee needs to be the only drink or if you can end the meal with coffee and be covered, but one fact remains: This is another positive coffee outreach study and maybe the first that targets a meal period.

Off to lunch.

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Starbucks Doubles Up

Mar 3

Posted by admin in beverages, coffee

Whenever a conversation turns to obesity numbers, one food group gets a big shout-out, a negative one, the super-sized drink market. Since customer demand often dictates product roll-out, or at least it seems there’s a connection, big turns out to be better. Look 7-Eleven figured that out a long time ago with the success of the Slurpee. All the fast food guys have cups the size of an infant’s skull, and now Starbucks is testing the truly large concept.

What do you call a 31-ounce drink if its not a Venti Plus? OK, a Trenta. First, we had to learn Starbucks lingo as in short, tall, grande, and venti instead of the tiny, small, medium, and large standards. Now we need to add another word to our vocabulary: Trenta. Super Size Me is accurate. The iced tea and iced coffee size is being tested in just a few markets, one on each coast, Tampa and Phoenix. That’s almost 8-oz larger than their venti!

This is all part of a trend toward bigger sizes in the belief that bigger is better, cheaper, and a deal. Price wars are already in place for the ginormous drink market.

The unsweetened route is the way to go, as it’s reported at less than 5 calories; the sweetened version just under 200.

If this becomes a national rollout, the competitive, super-sized drink market will create one cool summer beverage war.icedcoffee

Iced coffee drinks rock.

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Tea’s Too Weak for Many

Mar 1

Posted by admin in beverages, life

Ever wonder about the strength of a caffeinated beverage? There are those who believe tea is too weak; tea drinkers are not hyped enough. Last week The Tea Party people made headlines. This week a new  group popped up with gusto! Coffee and its kindred beverages that are given a caffeine boost are making headlines with the recent launch of the Coffee Party.

What started as a comment turned into a social media Facebook success story: Incredible numbers decided to join up.

I always knew that coffee had a more vocal following; after all that caffeine has to be put to good use somewhere.

Politics aside Coffee Klatches have been around for a long time. It’s hard to describe the current state of the country as being divided between the teas and the coffees or the amount of juiced up caffeine in our spirit, but that seems to be where we are.

Pick your drink and your politics.cup

I’ll stick with the double espresso.

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Restaurant Promotions

Feb 26

Posted by admin in beverages, lifestyle, news

If you need ways to study dining out, then a simple barometer is the number of promotions that flood your email, Twitter, and Facebook accounts. Social media has become the key communication tool to let potential guests in on ways to save money. The strategies were the saving grace during each of the major snow storms as followers received messages that said ”we are open,” or not. Double and triple point nites were a common incentive to get loyalists in the door.

This has truly been a long month of limited outings whether from record snows or unceasing inches of rain. The Coasts have been clobbered, and the spots with normally full outdoor tables have been holding court inside as record lows have walloped the FL sun. Enough about February; what’s to come in March?

It looks as if restaurants have come out of the gate in flying colors with multiple promotions to get us out of our homes. In Washington, DC, The Restaurant Association coordinated a one-week (March 1-7) “Unleashed” deal in the hopes of creating a buzz again as too many people have been stuck at home and not taking advantage of the conviviality of dining in a more spirited space.

Chicago restaurants, at all price points, have banded together and offer any number of food and drink specials via Open Table. This site is a particularly easy way to see who’s offering what during the coming weeks throughout the country. Hey, Minneapolis, get out, you still have til the 5th to enjoy Restaurant Week.

Resorts are getting into the act, too. One of my favorite properties, Meadowood in Napa Valley, has instituted a rain check. If your visit includes a rainy day during your stay from now through April 2010, they’ll give you a complimentary night’s lodging when you stay again before the end of July. It’s been raining a  lot in California. The fields still have their mustard color display, and the restaurant always offers a quiet respite with exciting food.

opentable

Regardless of the city, coupons, social media tactics, and the old-fashioned Internet are ready to help move you from the doldrums to the tables. Let’s welcome March by getting out and helping the restaurants stay in business and be there for us when accessibility is even easier.

I’m on my way.

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Food News Wrap

Feb 21

Posted by admin in beverages, food universe, news

Think that Sunday mornings take on a special new meaning as I do my weekly round-up of info we didn’t have time to discuss fully  this week. Today is no different. So much news. So many topics.

–Here’s a heads up, rather than a look back: IHOP has a special promotion this Tuesday (BTW, have you ever noticed how many one-day food deals there are on Tuesdays?), National Pancake Day. They hope you will enjoy the free pancake short stack (3) and consider making a charitable donation. This is a great two-fer as the company has managed to raise over $3 million dollars in the past few years of the event and would like the figure to reach $5 million. Take advantage and share your advantage.

–As long as we’re thinking pancakes, you might want to visit Bisquick’s Pancake Nation website where you’ll learn about pancake fundraising opportunities and potential grant information. As all states and counties seem to be struggling with budget issues, here’s an opportunity for schools and its organizations to kick start a fundraising effort.pancake

–On the less sunny side of sweet news, there’s a warning from the FDA about Eggo waffles coming from a Georgia plant. The company has not yet responded. This is a watch-and-see situation as we wait to hear from Kellogg that the problems have been remedied at the Atlanta plant.

–This is the week that we had affirmation of a common trend we have promoted: The popularity of locally grown food. Seems a remote thought now with all the snow but a dreamy concept as the days get longer and the fields again produce the bounty we have come to expect. Time for individuals to decide about joining a CSA or starting their home-grown seeds. Have definite proof, spring is on the horizon (March 20).

–A little positive health news to end our round-up: Cranberry Juice is again in the news as a positive beverage to lower blood pressure and help promote a heart-healthy lifestyle of good cholesterol. The new study from Queen Mary University in London shows that those who do not choose an alcohol-based beverage are wise to select cranberry juice for its similar effects.

The week goes on.

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Tap Water, Please

Feb 16

Posted by admin in beverages, lifestyle

We’ve read and talked about plastic water bottles filling up the recycling bins and having no place to go. That we are stretching the limits of sustainability. Now, there’s a clever, and colorful, solution to the problem.

Welcome to Bobble, the little insert that fits inside a plastic bottle and filters regular tap water. Clever; smart; practical. BPA-free and, of course, reusable. We’re talking about an affordable solution with its activated carbon filter that goes into action and does the work of about 300 water bottles. Do the math: Not just on the wallet but on the environment, too.

You’ll love the design and the choice of 6 bright colors. Credit industrial designer Karim Rashid, a well-known design icon (who helped change the face of many of Target’s aisles), with the look.bobble

With your reusable bottle, you won’t have to look far to fill ‘er up.

It looks good enough to drink!

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Coffee, Coffee, Coffee

Feb 9

Posted by admin in Michelle Obama, beverages, news

It’s a bad day to be a can of soda: Talk about getting kicked around.

That’s what’s happened today. Actually some of the news started yesterday when a link between sweetened drinks and pancreatic cancer grabbed headlines all day. Interesting that the study only took into account those who consumed multiple sugar-sweetened sodas daily. They did not study diet sodas or even sugar-sweetened fruit juices. The report (which covered a 14-year period with a sizable sample) found an 87% increase in the possibility of getting pancreatic cancer in individuals who consumed as few as two cans of soda a week. It’s the spike in insulin which occurs from the highly sweet beverage. Juice was not considered a culprit because quantities are often less than with soda consumption.

Soda has been linked to any number of medical issues before, but today it truly grabbed the limelight when First Lady Michelle Obama tackled childhood obesity and pointed a finger at a number of culprits, including soda. The message translates quite simply: We can control what we put in our bodies and what we offer our children. The obesity figures are staggering ( 1 in 3 children ages 6-19 are overweight and 1 in 5 are considered obese) and label us as an overweight society.

The School Lunch Program will receive greater scrutiny, and all facets of the food industry will be asked to consider how they can join the Partnership for a Healthier America. By creating a Task Force on Childhood Obesity, the nation will be able to work in lock step with all aspects of the food industry in bringing down the dangerous obesity numbers.

The First Lady has had a great first year focusing us on how we can all be healthier. The White House Garden was an important first step. Now the attention is on the whole child and the society that we have become. The worry is that with the current obesity figures, young people will have a shortened life span. The time to get off the couch and get moving logo_letsmoveis now.

The non-alcoholic Beverage Industry was ready with its response: Front and center labeling will spell out the calorie count in a visible fashion for packages, vending and fountain machines. In addition to smart labeling, the industry will continue its efforts to lessen sugar counts and reduce package sizes. Recall that Coke introduced a smaller can, with fewer calories, a while ago and has been aggressively marketing its properties.

Beer has had a much better week. It is not the first study that links the properties from a beer especially one with a high count of hops and barley to improved bone strength or a way to ward off osteoporosis. The new darlings, the wheat beers, would not qualify as being strong contenders in this space so ask for a light ale with a high malt content. This study has another added component: Women who seem to have more staggering numbers when it comes to instances of osteopenia or osteoporosis may think twice when they shrug off the beer choices. Raise the stein for bone density.

I know, I know, everything in moderation. Fill your refrig with a variety of foods and eliminate the sugar-laden ones that weigh us down. Water’s good, but my espresso lifestyle is not that bad!

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Food Rocks: A Television Feast

Feb 8

Posted by admin in beverages, food universe

So much Monday quarterbacking focuses on the plays, for some the memorable parts of the game.

Me: I focus on the food ads (or that memorable part of the game), and there were a few that have people still laughing.

The 3 big players: Coke, Denny’s, and Doritos.

The score: Denny’s will fill ‘em in on Tuesday, Grand Slam free day, but in the process am sure the PETA folks are lining up. Maybe a few too many chicken jokes or is that reality placement?

Coke and Doritos performed well throughout the game and came up with a few winners.

Should do a slap laugh at enlisting Betty White in a memorable Mars (Snickers) ad–get that energy bar! Whatta winner!snickers

Can’t leave out the brews. It was a close call whether the Clydesdale’s would make it, but thankfully the love bit was a winner.

If you wanna see the staying power of ads, check out Mo Rocca’s piece on CBS Sunday Morning. This will show you the power of an ad and give you a quick sociological understanding of our demographics.

No matter what your beef is or which team came out a winner in your play book, the food ads always win.

They just keep marching on.

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A Drinkable Solution

Feb 1

Posted by admin in beverages, news

Here we are at the beginning of overhype week with the Super Bowl of all snack foods and chicken wings ready for our super-sized HD televisions this Sunday evening. One of the original gets in the advertising blitz has always been Pepsi. Not so fast, Jones.pepsi

Pepsi decided to sit out the costly ad game and give back: Use their money for a good cause that has much more play time than just the game and the repeat circus of morning after ad quarterbacking.

This approach hopefully has wings. The Pepsi Refresh Project redefines the soft drink company’s thirst quenching ability with its new campaign aimed at getting ideas that will help move the world forward. This is the year that innovation jumps to the top of the pile as it moves from just a social media idea to a real funded program. Pepsi plans to award more than $1 million this month with grants from $5,000 up to $250,000 and the program continues to find and fund winners until the end of the year.

The first round of voting ends February 28 with winners announced Monday, March 1 (That’s one month from today). Here’s your chance to vote on the best idea or submit your own. They are lots of categories to help you peg your concept or find the best innovative idea and vote for its funding. Sign in to Facebook to vote for the best idea. As a side contest, both Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon are participating in the Celebrity Challenge with novel ideas to get people motivated and at the same time support their two charities: Bacon’s sixdegrees.org and Moore’s work with GEMS (Girls Educational & Mentoring Services).

You know all those ideas you have that you wanted someone to know about: Here’s your chance.

This is an excellent move on Pepsi’s part. A good idea is a good idea: They threw the first salvo in innovation with their campaign. Now it’s your turn to get involved.

Who remembers last year’s Super Bowl ad anyway?

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