"sodas" news and stories

The New Year is always full of possibilities. There are meals to be eaten, recipes to try and, of course, a slew of new food trends that will shape the way we eat and what food issues will be at the forefront of the news. Of all the trends that seemed to be pushing towards the forefront in recent months, these are some of those that look like they're about to have a breakout year.

Single Origin Chocolates - Dark chocolate was the hot item last year, but more companies, including Hershey's, are introducing and promoting single origin chocolates with cocoa beans from one country - or even one plantation - for their unique flavor profiles.

Healthy Soft Drinks - Jones Soda has eliminated high fructose corn syrup from their recipes. Enviga has been fairly successful so far, thanks to the large amount of publicity that it has received, and Diet Coke Plus will be coming to stores in a few months. Look for other soda companies to follow suit.

Healthy Food Labels - Hannaford supermarket introduced a labeling scheme of their own to direct shoppers to healthier foods and the traffic light system was a success in the UK. Don't be surprised to see more obvious messages about what is and is not good for you.

Starting on January 1st, Jones Soda will be pushing its canned sodas to consumers instead of the bottled sodas that it is known for. They will continue to package the soda in bottles, but the switch to cans is intended to make the product more accessible as the company expands. Coinciding with that launch, Jones Soda has announced that they will be sweetening their sodas with pure cane sugar, rather than the high fructose corn syrup that they use now (the diet flavors are made with sucralose/Splenda). All of their canned sodas will use cane sugar and, by mid-2007, so will all of their bottled drinks.

Jones Soda says that the change is being made with consumer health in mind, even though nutritionists say that it is not any more harmful than other forms of sugar. The reality is that the switch is being made because shoppers are interested in anything that they think is good for their health. Neither sugar nor corn syrup is all that good for you, especially in large amounts, so claiming that it is healthier to drink the sugar-sweetened soda at the same time as they are trying to push sales seems to be a bit contradictory. That said, the taste is really the most important factor in soda selection and if the change improves the flavor of their sodas, which is already excellent (with a few exceptions), then it sounds like a good one.

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Last year, when the holiday pack of Jones Sodas came out, I picked one up and reviewed all the flavors. When this year's pack was released, I was relieved to see that the most disgusting soda flavor ever created, Salmon Paté, from the 2005 pack was no longer included, replaced with an antacid soda I surely could have used after tasting the salmon. With a charitable spirit, since the proceeds go to Toys for Tots, I decided to sample the new flavors. The flavors include: Turkey and Gravy soda, Sweet Potato Soda, Dinner Roll Soda, Pea Soda, as well as the Antacid Flavored Soda I previously mentioned. The reviews of each soda follow the same format I used last year, rating the "ick factor" of each flavor on a scale of 1-10, 1 being enjoyable and 10 being smoked salmon paté.

Reviews and photos are after the jump.

A recently completely study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health provided another piece of ammunition in the ongoing battle to get sodas out of schools. After observing kids at 10 middle schools, it was found that 71% buy "sugar-sweetened beverages from school vending machines." Water was the second most popular drink, but soda sales tripled its numbers.

Perhaps the conclusion of the study was that access to soda was too easy and that this is another reasons schools should make them less available, but the study did not compare soda purchases from, say, a machine stocked with non-sweetened drinks. Even though there was water in the machines, if you have even looked at a soda machine on a school campus, you'll notice that water is only one of the 8 or so options, if it is there at all. Yes, students are buying too much soda if the middle school students from the study are drinking it down on a daily basis, but the kids want to buy something and an alternative should be provided - otherwise they'll just wait until school is out and head across the street to buy a soda from the nearest fast food joint or convenience store.

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I know sodas are getting a very bad rap these days, and a soda that tastes like candy certainly is not going to be any better, but heck, it's Halloween at the end of this month right? Besides, a soda that tastes like a Jolly Rancher is definitely better (IMHO) than a soda that's called Cocaine!

They're not totally brand new, but I have yet to see them in stores in my area (LA). Jolly Rancher Sodas look as bright and colorful as the original candies, and while they probably aren't any better for your teeth because of sugar, at least they won't crack any fillings! The 20 oz. bottles of soda come in the same flavors as the candies:
Blue Raspberry, Grape, Green Apple, Orange, and Watermelon.

Unfortunately, according to the Junk Food Blog, it supposedly tastes pretty bad, but hey, what were we expecting from a soda that tastes like candy?