Consumers cutting fancy coffees

• From Advertising Age:

Americans appear to be cutting back on their Starbucks.

After reporters in several different cities noticed much shorter lines at their coffee outlets, Ad Age decided to commission Lightspeed Research to find out whether either New Year's resolutions or a tough economy were turning latte sippers into bean counters.

The survey results reveal that 60% of Americans have scaled back on fancy or expensive coffee in the past six months; 56% report cutting back just since the beginning of the year. The culprit was overwhelmingly the economy, with 90% of survey respondents saying they are doing so to save money. Upmarket coffee "just cost too damned much," said one respondent. "I don't drink as much Starbucks as I did before," said another.

Those who have scaled back the most since the beginning of the year, according to the online survey of 500 Americans conducted between Jan. 14 and 15, are consumers 45 to 54, with fully half (50.4%) saying they have "cut back a lot" on fancy or expensive takeout coffee. That was followed by consumers 35 to 44 (37.5%) and 25 to 34 (33.3%).

[Go here for the rest of the story.]

To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.

Industry fights NY 'obesity tax' plan

ALBANY, NY -- The American Beverage Association fought back today against critics who link sugary soft drinks with childhood obesity.

"Despite what Governor (David) Paterson and (Health) Commissioner (Richard) Daines claim, the science is clear: The association between sugar-sweetened soft drinks and obesity, if it exists at all, is so weak that total abstinence from soda drinking will have no impact on public health," said Maureen Storey.

Storey is the ABA's senior vice president for science policy. She spoke in testimony before a joint meeting of the state Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

The committees are meeting to discuss the state's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget, including Paterson's proposal to impose an 18% sales tax on dozens of beverages including regular soft drinks, juice drinks, and teas.

Storey said Paterson and his team rely heavily, if not entirely, on a study published eight years ago in the British medical journal, The Lancet. In that study, Storey contends, researcher Dr. David Ludwig and his co-authors acknowledge their study's limitations, admitting that they "cannot prove causality" between soft drink consumption and obesity.

"I would like to reiterate what the science already says: That soft drinks are not a unique contributor to obesity and to say otherwise is misleading to the people of New York State. And a so-called ‘obesity tax' on beverages would have no noticeable impact on the health of citizens," Storey said.

To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Spirits Notebook
To Dowd's Brews Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Non-Alcohol Drinks Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.