"Soda" news and stories

Boston's long-time mayor, Thomas M. Menino just made quenching the thirst of city-workers that much harder. According to The Boston Globe, Menino issued an executive order to phase out sugary drinks from all city property in an effort to curb rising obesity rates. So long non-diet sodas. Adios sweet tea. Arrivederci you sexy sports drinks, you.

City departments have six months to phase out the sinister sugary beverages in cafeterias, vending machines, concession stands and during city-run meetings. And just in case parched public workers aren't quite sure what constitutes a healthy beverage, the Boston Public Health Commission is applying the familiar red, yellow and green labels to drinks, and reinforced by nearby posters that say, "Stop. Rethink Your Drink. Go On Green."

According to a release from the Mayor's office, "red" beverages include non-diet sodas, sweetened ice teas, sports drinks, etc. Diet sodas and diet iced teas, 100 percent fruit juices and low calorie sports drinks qualify as "yellow" beverages, while "green" drinks mean bottled water, low fat milk or unsweetened soy milk. Mmmm. Unsweetened soy milk -- yum.

Boston's not alone in trying to combat obesity through mandated choices. Cities like San Francisco, San Antonio, Los Angeles County and New York City have also set standards to limit or prohibit the sale or distribution of unhealthy food -- including sugary drinks.

Will there come a time when buying a case of soda will inspire the same nagging sense of guilt that skulking into your local c-store for a pack of cigarettes causes today?

It may sounds farfetched, but a strangely familiar script seems to be playing itself out as a multibillion-dollar American industry (soda makers) finds itself put on the defensive by a barrage of disquieting health news.

The latest story? As NPR reports, a new study conducted by researchers in Britain finds that drinking more than one soda or other sugar-sweetened beverage per day increases your blood pressure, and the more you drink, the higher it goes.

Happy Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day!

It's a fact: Americans love their sodas, so much so that, for the average American, carbonated beverages alone account for approximately 7 percent of their daily caloric intake. And, although soft drink companies would surely be disgruntled to be associated with this very adult sip, it would hardly seem appropriate to discuss caffeinated beverages these days without mentioning Four Loko.

Containing the alcohol content of three beers and three coffees in just one potent can, Four Loko is one of many caffeinated alcohols lately that have been under public scrutiny for their "blackout in a can" effect. They seem to be destined to follow in the (less-energized) footsteps of Sparks, which removed the taurine and caffeine from its contents two years ago, at the urging of the Food and Drug Administration. After purportedly landing students across the country in hospitals, Four Loko has been banned in numerous states and deemed unsafe by the FDA -- and on Tuesday announced that it would be removing caffeine, taurine and guarana from its beverages.

What do you think about caffeinated booze? Spark up a debate in the comments!

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Yes, public health advocates are getting increasingly vocal about the negative effects of soda on the body, but Coke isn't giving up its 70 percent market share to tap water without a fight. The Atlanta-based company is rolling out the big guns with the Freestyle, a super-sleek, touch-screen soda fountain that lets users create up to 104 different flavors of fizzy refreshment. This high-tech beverage machine shoots out a wide range of traditional sodas, flavored waters, and energy drinks in every conceivable combination. Raspberry Coke? Check. Grape Sprite? Why not. Peach Fanta? No problem. The fountain is a study in excess, totally over the top. And yet ... admit it: You want to try it.

"Consumers are telling us they want choice," says Helen Tarleton, senior communications manager for Coca-Cola. She points out that the while the Freestyle might get some flack for offering so many options, more than half of them are low- and no-calorie. "When you've only got six or eight valves to work with, maybe only one is diet," she says.

Soda fountains have remained pretty much the same since they were popularized in the 1950s -- a basic ratio of syrup to carbonated water is combined in a container, then released out of the spigot. The Freestyle completely changes the game with a touch screen that instructs the machine to mix flavors on the spot, using technology originally developed for dialysis and cancer treatments. It's only got one nozzle, and works by releasing the flavorings into a stream of carbonated water. The new technology ensures that one soda doesn't taste like the flavor poured before it.

If coffee beer sounded like a paradox (a stimulant and a depressant, all in one!), then coffee soda might be overkill. Wouldn't it be a sugar-caffeine rush just waiting to push your heart into overdrive?

But believe it or not, coffee sodas have existed at least since the late 19th century, when Manhattan Special released its Espresso Coffee Soda -- a blend that includes brewed coffee and pure cane sugar. (It's also available as a "diet" drink, made with NutraSweet, and in caffeinated or decaffeinated versions.) The dark-as-night brew is still commonly found in bodega coolers today, sipped by both staunch devotees and those trying to quickly (and probably unsuccessfully) recover from a night of revelry.

Read more about coffee sodas after the jump.