New study broadens anti-soft drink claims

The debate over the health consequences of soft drinks has escalated dramatically.

A new large-community based study says both diet and regular soft drinks are associated with substantially increased metabolic syndrome risk among middle-age adults.

In other words, says the study, even one glass of soda daily may indicate an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, as reported in Circulation, the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Men and women who drank more than one soda daily had a 48% adjusted higher prevalence and 44% higher roughly eight-year adjusted incidence of the cluster of heart disease risk factors than those who drank less, said the report.

Metabolic syndrome was defined having at least three of the following risk factors:

• Waist circumference at least 35 inches for women or at least 40 inches for men.
• Fasting blood glucose at least 100 mg/dL.
• Serum triglycerides at least 150 mg/dL.
• Blood pressure at least 135/85 mm Hg.
• High-density lipoprotein cholesterol lower than 40 mg/dL for men or 50 mg/dL for women.

The study was supported through National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute contracts and by an award from the American Diabetes Association to one of the researchers. The researchers reported no conflicts of interest.

As with all major studies, there are various angles to interpretations. The best report I've seen on the topic appears on the online report called MedPageToday.

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Massachusetts toy plant bottled up

Ice River Springs Water Co., a Canadian company, has purchased for $4.1 million former toy company warehouse in Pittsfield, MA, which it will use to manufacture and fill plastic bottles for customers in the northeast United States.

The company said spring water will be trucked to the plant from Vermont, where it will be given its own and private label brands for retail and wholesale markets.

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Honest Kids a new line of organic drinks

Looking for something a little healthier for the kids? Honest Tea has released a line of organic kids’ drinks called Honest Kids.

The company says each variety, packaged in a 6.75-ounce pouch, is certified organic and contains less than half the sugar and calories of other kids’ drinks on the market while providing a day’s supply of vitamin C.

The Bethesda, MD, company has created three flavors — Berry Berry Good Lemonade, Goodness Grapeness and Tropical Tango Punch. The pouches are packaged in eight-count boxes and can also be sold individually.

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Not every success is a household name

Ever hear of Reed's sodas? Join the crowd.

However, someone must know about the Los Angeles soda maker whose company sells $14 million worth of product a year, a line of nine soft drinks that includes root beer but is dominated by ginger ales.

It's been a long road for owner Chris Reed who has been a cryogenic engineer, a stock broker and a rock guitarist, but he has hit his stride now. CNBC has an interesting video interview with the entrepreneur.

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So, now it's news?

Having spent the bulk of my adult life as part of the MSM, as bloggers now refer to the "mainstream media," I usually try to avoid mentioning certain things for fear of seeming self-important now that most of my efforts are directed online.

But, sometimes, mind you, the MSM is way behind the curve in topical news. I find that happens with particular regularity in coverage of the beverage industry.

The latest example: Barron's Online has an item today about the switch from high fructose corn syrup to cane sugar as a beverage sweetener. An interesting topic, and certainly one of great importance to dollar-minded businesses and health-conscious consumers. But it's not new news, even from such a paragon of business reporting as Barron's.

As evidence, here are links to my stories on the topic -- published back on April 22 and May 22.

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Business makes for a strange brew

Snapple, which has advertised its drinks as "made from the best stuff on Earth," may be bought by Coca-Cola, which didn't remove dangerous chemicals from its Fanta and Vault drinks until sued by a consumer group.

Industry reports say Coca-Cola may form an alliance with private equity bidders circling Cadbury's $15 billion U.S.-based soft drinks business by bidding for Snapple, the fruit and iced-tea drink brand.

Speaking at a conference in Geneva, Switzerland earlier this week, Coca-Cola chairman and CEO E. Neville Isdell said, “That is a valuation we undertake, whether (Snapple) is of interest to us or whether we can do it on our own.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Coke already has approached private equity groups involved in bidding for Cadbury’s drinks business about taking on its Snapple and Mott’s brands under a pre-sale agreement. A Cadbury’s spokesperson would say only that the group was focused on selling its drinks business, which also includes 7UP and Dr Pepper, as a “total entity.”

Cadbury’s several months ago announced plans to separate its confectionery and soft drinks business under pressure from shareholder Nelson Peltz who bought Snapple for $300 million in 1997 before selling the brand as part of a $1.45 billion package to Cadbury’s three years later.

Coke, seeking to expand its range of ready-to-drink and non-carbonated products, the fastest growing sector in the drinks industry, already has purchased Fuze Beverage and Energy Brands Inc. The $4.1 billion price for Energy Brands, which makes vitamin-enhanced water, was the largest deal in Coke’s history.

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And then there were 48

They may not be regarded very highly for their education systems, but Mississippi and Alabama are watching out for the kids' health.

Alabama yesterday joined Mississippi as the only states to ban full-calorie soft drinks in all its public schools. High schools, however, stilll may sell diet soft drinks. The move comes two years after board members banned sodas from elementary schools.

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Pepsi treats Japan to something new

There aren't many cooler things than ice and cucumbers. So, how about Pepsi Ice Cucumber?

The beverage giant has released precisely that drink in Japan, and if it works there we can expect it to be introduced to the American market.

Incidentally, the mint-colored drink contains no real cucumber, just artificial flavor and scent. So, if you drink this you still have to eat your veggies.

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Think before you drink, or, The Host's Revenge

I've often wanted to find a way to get even with guests who reply to "What would you like to drink?" with the non-committal -- and unhelpful -- response "Anything" or "Whatever."

Now, I've found something that would work on several levels. I simply have to wait for it to become available somewhere other than Singapore and environs where it is manufactured.

A company called Out of The Box has just released two new soft drinks called "Anything," a carbonated drink, and "Whatever," a tea-based non-carbonated product. So, when someone makes the appropriate inappropriate reply, you can hand them a can of what matches their response.

But that's only one level of revenge. The second is that the flavors inside the cans remain a mystery.

Oh, you'll probably identify them once you begin sipping -- cola with lemon, apple, root beer, cloudy lemon and something called fizz up for Anything, lemon, peach, jasmine, apple, white grape and chrysanthemum Whatever. However, there is no indication on the exteriors of the cans which flavor is inside.

Gotcha.

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Kiddie beer and drinks a Japanese trend

Sangaria, a Japanese beverage company, is doing what in most countries would be unthinkable: manufacturing pretend beer and other such beverage products for children.

Japan's drinking culture, which includes educating young people in the practices, is well known and the company says using such products allows children to more fully participate in family celebrations.

"Kodomo no nomimono," for example, comes in cans, bottles and six-packs. It looks like beer, tastes like apple juice and foams in a glass. The product line also includes fake champagne, wine and cocktails.

There's even a TV ad you can watch featuring kids downing these drinks.

Ridiculous stuff.

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Coca-Cola switches to water for the moment

Coca-Cola should have its thirst for acquisition quenched for a while after agreeing to shell out $4.1 billion to acquire Glacéau, a maker of “enhanced water” drinks.

The acquisition of Glacéau, whose bottled drinks include Vitaminwater, Fruitwater and Energywater, will give Coca-Cola about 30% of the U.S. market in the category.

Glacéau was founded in 1996 by Darius Bikoff, a New York entrepreneur. The deal should bring Coca-Cola back to prominence in a niche in which it had been surpassed by rivals. Arch-competition Pepsi-Cola, for example, already has about 45% of the market with its Aquafina, SoBe and Propel drinks.

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New World of Coca-Cola opens in Atlanta

The New World of Coca­Cola opened today in Atlanta.

The new facility's 62,000 square feet of visitor area makes it approximately twice the size of the original World of Coca-Cola.

It will feature more than 1,200 artifacts from around the world that have never been publicly displayed before. Only about 50 artifacts from the previous World of Coca­Cola will be showcased.

In addition to the displays, the facility has a fully functioning bottling line that produces commemorative 8-ounce bottles of Coke, tastings of more than 70 different products, and a Pop Culture Gallery featuring works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and Steve Penley.

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The return of Vanilla Coke

When I was a kid, cherry Coke was all the rage at soda fountains across the country. I drank to a different beat, getting my local soda jerk to whip up a vanilla Coke for me -- a squirt of the pale yellow vanilla syrup, a long pull on the Coke lever, and instant heaven in a glass.

Thus, I was pleased when Coca-Cola began mass producing Vanilla Coke (at one time also called Coca-Cola Vanilla or just plain V) in 2002, particularly since soda fountains had largely died out and tracking down one of the survivors was a tedious process.

Eventually, Vanilla Coke was distributed in 30 countries. However, because it never really outsold its first-year figures, despite Coca-Cola humbly calling it "the greatest innovation since Diet Coke in 1983," it was phased out in the U.S. and many other markets in 2005.

Luckily for fans of the stuff, it was reintroduced in New Zealand earlier this year and did well. Now, both Coca-Cola Vanilla and a sugar-free version called Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero are being distributed across the U.S.

Welcome back. I feel like a kid again.

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A prize-winning lemonade

The great majority of cocktail "competitions" I come across usually are restricted to one establishment or one brand. New York, however, came up with a much more interesting one, its Sidewalks Cafe Cocktail Competition.

The city's Department of Consumer Affairs and the New York State Restaurant Association selected one winner each in the alcoholic and non-alcoholic categories in a competition at the Institute of Culinary Education.

The contest was for bartenders representing restaurants with sidewalk cafés, as licensed by the city. Fourteen of 25 competitors made it to the finals.

The winners, both from Manhattan:

• Non-Alcoholic Cocktail: Watermelon Lemonade, from Bubby's in TriBeCa.

2 ounces of fresh-squeezed lemon juice
4 ounces of fresh watermelon puree, strained through a course strainer to remove seeds
1 1/2 ounces of simple syrup
6 ounces of water

Shake and serve over ice with a big wedge of fresh watermelon garnish.

• Alcoholic Cocktail: The Porch Swing, from the Blue Smoke barbeque restaurant on East 27th Street.

1 1/2 ounces of Hendrick's gin
1 1/2 ounces of Pimm's No. 1
4 ounces of fresh lemonade

Pour into a tall Collins glass. Add a splash of 7-Up. Finish with 10 finely sliced half-moon cucumbers.

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Corn for cars, sugar for drinks

If you want to power your car with ethanol, you may have to pay more for your soft drinks.

Put another way, the Jones Soda Co. now seems rather Nostradamus-like in its decision to create a line of soft drinks sweetened by cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Huh? To explain:

At the time, the Seattle manufacturer said even though sugar costs more than the HFCS, it wanted to offer a less-fattening product.

Meanwhile, the cost of HFCS is rising. It still is cheaper than sugar, but the price gap is closing and such major producers as Coca-Cola Co. and Pepsico Inc. are keeping a close eye on the situation.

Most soda and food manufacturers switched from sugar to the cheaper HFCS starting in the late 1970s, and more joined the trend in 1980 when sugar prices spiked. This year, the diversion of corn to create ethanol fuel in the U.S. has begun pushing up prices of HFCS.

Next month, Jones will have billboards in its key markets saying "Corn is for Cars; Sugar is for Soda."

Ron Sterk, assistant editor at Milling and Baking magazine, was quoted on Forbes.com as saying it is not easy for food and beverage plants to switch to sugar because of needed reformulation in recipes and changes in equipment -- a process companies went through when they made the decision to go with HFCS 25 years ago. Soda makers and food manufacturers would use mostly liquid, not granular sugar if they were to shift back.

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Seize the drink

Carpe Diem USA Inc. has signed an agreement with AMI Brands LLC to distribute its line of natural waters and beverages.

Dietrich Mateschitz, who created the popular energy drink Red Bull, created Carpe Diem’s Kombucha, Kefir and Ginkgo drinks. They are a blend of 25 botanical ingredients, are 100% natural, and contain lightly carbonated spring water. The California company also produces a line of botanic waters, subtitled Relaxing, Vitalizing and Harmonizing. They contain 26 botanicals, fruit and spring water.

Ginkgo, Kombucha and Kefir all retail for $1.99 and the Botanic Waters for $1.69 to $1.99.

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Hash browns and a cola with those eggs, please

Orange juice, tea or coffee still are the breakfast beverage staples, but consumption of carbonated soft drinks with breakfast by Americans has been steadily climbing for two decades.

NPD Group, a New York consumer research firm NPD Group, analyzed data on beverages consumed with meals, not overall consumption. According to its analysis, consumers eating breakfast outside the home order soft drinks with 15.1% percent of their breakfasts, compared to 7.9% in 1990.

Of meals eaten at home, only 2.4% include carbonated soft drinks, but it was a barely noticeable 0.5% in 1985.

Coffee consumption with meals outside the home has dropped from 48.7% to 38% in the past 15 years.

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Coca-Cola first to settle in benzene suit

Coca-Cola has settled suits in three states that claimed two of its products -- Fanta Pineapple and Vault Zero -- contained ingredients that could combine to form benzene, a cancer-causing chemical.

The Atlanta-based beverage giant agreed with officials in Florida, New Jersey and Kansas to replace drinks to anyone who purchased the beverages before September 2006. It also will pay $500 to each of four plaintiffs plus any legal fees deemed fair by an arbitrator.

The company said it has reformulated the two drinks. They bear a label with a best-before date of January 2008 or later.

Other soft-drink makers, including PepsiCo Inc., remain defendants in related lawsuits.

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The not-so-magnificent 7

In the current atmosphere of finger-pointing at various beverages for their evil sugar-laden ways, the Diet-Blog has calculated the seven most sugar-filled drinks.

I won't spoil the guessing game for you before you head over to that site, but the image at right may give you an idea of a typical culprit.

Diet-Blog, incidentally, was created in 2003 by Dane Carlson as an eating disorder support site and information clearing house. In 2004 Jim Foster took over. Diet-Blog receives income from advertising, a portion of which goes to fund the site.

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Mabi, an island drink, headed to your store

A non-alcoholic drink that bills itself as "The Champagne of The islands" will be hitting mainland store shelves.

The Original Mabi Drink (pronounced "may-vee") is a pasteurized energy soda containing extract from the bark of the mabi plant, seen here.

It has been sold throughout much of the Caribbean by Global Beverage Enterprises Inc. Now, it has signed a deal with Goya Foods Inc. to distribute it in the United States, Canada and Spain as well as increasing the island market by extending into Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Global Beverage, founded in 2003, also has developed Kool Cow Sparkling Dairy Drinks, a shelf-stable, milk-based sparkling dairy beverage line.

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A cocktail list from the UK

Summertime cocktail parties are all the rage, especially in more northerly climes where warm weather is truly a seasonal thing.

But coming up with something other than the same-old same-old when it comes to non-alcoholic cocktails can get to be a bit of a strain.

The UK site 50connect, however, can help. It has come up with a nifty and innovative list of such drinks bearing some equally imaginative names -- such as the Princess Margaret, the Queen Charlie, Acapulco Gold, Boo Boo's Special and Cardinal Punch.

If you have some of your own to add, just attach them here in the comments section.

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Did your hangout make the top 100?

Of all the gin joints in all the world, or at least in the country, which did the editors of Nightclub & Bar Magazine choose for this year's top 100?

Since we all know lots of people prefer not to drink alcoholic beverages but enjoy the clubby nightlife nonetheless, this list might very well contain some places that are perfect for that.

Nightclubs and bars from all over the U.S. were chosen based on a number of criteria, say the editors, "including annual revenues, marketing and advertising effectiveness, promotional expertise, uniqueness to market, food and beverage programs and much more. This list is not a ranking of just the most high-end, of-the-moment nightclubs. Instead, it is a dynamic mixture of clubs, neighborhood bars, sports bars, family-oriented venues and more that for one reason or another deserve notice."

The following bars and clubs, listed in alphabetical order, made the Editors' Choice Top 100 for 2007. The city designated for each is the city in which it is located, or, if the concept has multiple locations, the city of its first location.

230 Fifth - New York, NY
40 Watt - Athens, GA
8150 - Vail, CO.
The Abbey - Hollywood, CA
AJ's Seafood & Oyster Bar - Destin, FL.
Aria - Boston, MA
Avalon/Spider Club - Hollywood, CA.
Beach Bar at the W - San Diego, CA
B.E.D. - Miami, FL
Billy Bob's Texas - Fort Worth, TX
Blue Martini - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
the bosco - Ferndale, MI
Body English - Las Vegas, NV
Bombay Club - New Orleans, LA
Broken Spoke Saloon - Sturgis, SD
Brother's Bar & Grill - Lacross, WI
Butter - San Francisco, CA
Cabo Wabo - Lake Tahoe, NV
Casbah - Atlantic City, NJ
Cherry - Las Vegas, NV
Chilkoot Charlie's - Anchorage, AK
Coyote Cantina - Santa Fe, NM
Coyote Ugly - New York, NY
Crobar - Chicago, IL
The Crocodile Café - Seattle, WA
Diablo's Downtown Lounge - Eugene, OR
e4 - Scottsdale, AZ
Eight 75 - Biloxi, MS
El Gaucho - Seattle, WA
Elements the Lounge - Seabright, NJ
ESPN Zone - Baltimore, MD
Excalibur - Chicago, IL
Fadó Irish Pub - Atlanta, GA
Flatiron Lounge - New York, NY
The Flying Saucer - Memphis, TN
Fox Sports Grill - Scottsdale, AZ
Galapagos Art Space - Brooklyn, NY
ghostbar - Las Vegas, NV
Good Hurt - Los Angeles, CA
The Green Parrot - Key West, FL
The Greene Turtle - Ocean City, MD
Ground Zero Blues Club - Clarksdale, MS
The Helix - Washington, DC
House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
Iguana's Cantina - New York, NY
Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce - Hollywood, CA
JET - Las Vegas, NV
Kahunaville - Las Vegas, NV
Key Club - Hollywood, CA
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop - New Orleans, LA
The Library Bar & Grill - Tempe, AZ
Light - Las Vegas, NV
Lotus - New York, NY
Louie's Backyard - South Padre Island, TX
Mango's Tropical Café - Miami, FL
Mantra - Milwaukee, WI
Marquee - New York, NY
McGillin's Olde Ale House - Philadelphia, PA
Mercy Wine Bar - Addison, TX
Midnight Rodeo - San Antonio, TX
Mie N Yu - Washington, DC
MIXX - Atlantic City, NJ
mur.mur - Atlantic City, NJ
The New Crown & Anchor - Providencetown, MA
The New Sheridan - Telluride, CO
Ocean Club - Honolulu, HI
Pangaea - Hollywood, FL
Pat O' Brien's - New Orleans, LA
Pavilion Bar & Café - Charleston, SC
Pin-Up Bowl - St. Louis, MO
Pink Elephant - New York, NY
The Playboy Club - Las Vegas, NV
Pure - Las Vegas, NV
Purple Moon - Flint, MI
Rockit Bar & Grill - Chicago, IL
Ruby Skye - San Francisco, CA
rumjungle - Las Vegas, NV
Sharkeez - Huntington Beach, CA
Sherlock's Baker Street Pub - Houston, TX
Sloppy Joe's - Key West, FL
Snatch/Suite - Miami, FL
Stingaree - San Diego, CA
Stubb's Bar-B-Q - Austin, TX
Studio 54 - Las Vegas, NV
Tabú Ultra Lounge - Las Vegas, NV
Tangerine - Las Vegas, NV
TAO - Las Vegas, NV
Therapy - New York, NY
Tini Bigs - Seattle, WA
Tipitina's - New Orleans, LA
Tongue & Groove - Atlanta, GA
Tryst - Las Vegas, NV
VICCI - Austin, TX
Vine Street Lounge - Hollywood, CA
The Viper Room - Los Angeles, CA
Walnut Room - Philadelphia, PA
Whiskey Blue - Los Angeles, CA
Worship - Atlantic City, NJ
Yard House - Long Beach, CA
Zinc Lounge - Manhattan Beach, CA

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Jones Soda goes for cane in the can

Soft drinks have been on the receiving end of heavy criticism of late for the use of high-fructose corn syrups.

That type of sweetener, says many good nutrition advocates, is far less healthy than sugar, and may be a major culprit in diabetes, obesity and tooth decay.

The Jones Soda Co., which has made its reputation for goofy flavors such as turkey-and-gravy, fufu berry and blue bubblegum, is taking the criticism seriously and has launched a line of 12-ounce canned sodas sweetened with pure cane sugar, the first nationally distributed brand to do so.

Until the early 1980s, soft drinks were sweetened with sugar in the form of an invert liquid sugar, according to the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. Then sugar prices went up and soft-drink manufacturers began using high-fructose corn syrup, which had been newly formulated for beverages.

"We have always felt cane sugar is a better sweetener," said Peter van Stolk, chief executive officer and president of the Seattle soda manufacturer. "It has a cleaner taste. Sugar has a nicer mouth feel. It is not thick. ... We have switched everything over. There is nothing we make in Jones Soda that has high-fructose corn syrup except our energy drink, and we're switching that in the third quarter."

The cans will be offered in 12-packs with prices averaging $3.99 to $4.29, about the same prices as four-packs of the bottled versions.

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Mmm, that's aloe vera

Now, aloe vera is for more than sunburn ointment.

Waterchef USA has unveiled PurAloe, a line of drinks in Aloe Vera, Cranberry, Passion Fruit and Pomegranate flavors and in an Aloe Vera sugar-free version made with Splenda.

Each 20-ounce bottle contains a high percentage of organic aloe vera and pulp, with natural anti-microbials, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, enzymes and amino acids.

The product, made in Brooklyn, NY, retails for $2.99.

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Brazilian yerba mate drink heads north

Guayakí is pulling out all the stops to let North American consumers know about its new beverages.

The Brazilian company has launched a trio of new organic yerba mate fusions it calls Pure Endurance, Pure Passion and Pure Mind.

Says the company: "These innovative functional drinks celebrate the South American rainforest tradition of handcrafting health-enhancing infusions of yerba mate (mah-tay) and medicinal herbs. They offer a boost of nutrition and sustained energy from the yerba mate, and well-being benefits from several powerful herbs that have been revered for centuries by ancient cultures. Each fusion is ... blended with organic fruit juices and other organic ingredients ... ."

To get the message across, Guayaki has even put videos on YouTube to push the brand name.

Yerba mate has been used for centuries in South America in herbal medicines, particularly in Peru. It has a complex blend of stimulants and nutrients its users say enhances the efficacy of other herbs and helps assimilate them into the body.

It is a plant belonging to the holly family. Its dried leaves and twigs are steeped in hot water rather than in boiling water like black tea or coffee.

The new products are sold in 16-ounce bottles for a suggested retail price of $1.99. They are available at natural foods stores, supermarkets, cafes and gyms throughout North America.

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Beverage David in hunt for a Goliath

Consumers often are understandably apathetic about who owns the companies that make what they drink.

Here's one instance, however, when it might end up making a difference in some products.

Cadbury Schweppes PLC recently announced it wants to divest itself of its beverage operations, valued at nore than $15 billion, a decision that has spawned endless speculation about who might want to buy that portion of the company.

The Cott Corp., headquartered in Toronto, is the latest and perhaps most viable suitor. The company has confirmed it is in talks with Cadbury Schweppes. If Cott takes over the C-S beverage division, it could become a viable rival to industry leaders Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. Cott currently makes private-label soft drinks for such retailers as Wal-Mart.

"Cott ... is exploring the potential benefits of participating in possible industry consolidation," Cott said in a statement.

Cadbury Schweppes, which wants to concentrate on its candy operations, makes such drink products as DrPepper, 7Up, Sunkist, A&W and Canada Dry. Cott makes its own brand of beverages, as well as Royal Crown (RC) soft drinks and more than 200 different soft drinks, waters, energy drinks and the like under various retailers' names.

Such a takeover would alter the way such brands are marketed, and perhaps even change the packaging and contents with which consumers now are familiar.

Cott, much smaller than the C-S entity at an estimated $1 billion, is getting at least some short-term benefit from its announcement. The price of its shares rose a quick 25% Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange to $18.44 after it confirmed it has taken part in "exploratory discussions."

Cott has been in a cost-cutting mode since Brent Willis took over as chief executive officer last summer.

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Water continues flooding the market

Store shelves and vending machines may be chock full of all sorts of colorful liquids, but water is doing just fine, thank you.

Sales of bottled (canned, pouched, etc.) water in 2006 increased 9.5% over the previous year, according to statistics just released by the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), in conjunction with Beverage Marketing Corp. (BMC).

"The latest upward trend was reflected in 2006 when total bottled water volume exceeded 8.25 billion gallons, a 9.5% increase over 2005, and the 2006 bottled water per capita consumption level of 27.6 gallons increased by over two gallons, from 25.4 gallons per capita the previous year," said the IBWA in a press release.

"Additionally, the wholesale dollar sales for bottled water exceeded $10.8 billion in 2006, an 8.5% increase over the $10 billion in 2005. These statistics demonstrate continued consumer demand and appreciation for the convenience and good taste of bottled water brands consumed on-the-go, during exercise, at restaurants or meetings, and at home or the office."

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Snapple adds reds to its colorful teas

Snapple certainly can't be accused of neglecting bright colors when it comes to its tea line.

The Cadbury Schweppes Americas company has added Snapple Red Teas to its White Tea and Green Tea lines. All are naturally caffeine-free and contain antioxidants and vitamin C.

The new product is made from the Rooibos plant, found only in South Africa, It's described by Snapple as "an herbal tea that is sweeter and fruitier than black or green tea. Rooibos, which is Afrikaans for red bush, develops its signature red color during the fermentation process, when the leaves of the plant oxidize."

Snapple Red Teas are available in Acai Mixed Berry, Peach Pomegranate and Mandarin Tangerine. A 17.5-ounce bottle retails for $1.39.

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Waiter, there's a hair in my ... sorry, it's The Donald

Not content with having his face and name plastered over buildings worldwide and having his own brand of vodka even though he doesn't drink alcohol, entrepreneur supreme Donald Trump is entering the iced tea market.

Drinks Americas, the five-year-old company that owns, markets and distributes beverages associated with high-profile celebrities, is working up a non-alcoholic iced tea for him to be launched this summer.

In addition to alcoholic drinks such as Willie Nelson's Old Whisky River Bourbon, Drinks Americas also created and markets such other non-alcoholic beverages as Paul Newman's Own Lightly Sparkling Fruit Juice Drinks.

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Letters: Is there a kosher Coke?

Dear Mr. Dowd:

I noticed your soft drink section and thought I'd pose a question. Does Coke make a kosher version with sugar instead of corn syrup for Passover?

-- John D., Albany, NY

Dear John:

Yes, the Coca-Cola company has been making a kosher version of its soft drink since about 1935, thanks to the late Rabbi Tobias Geffen who was dean of the Southern Jewish Orthodoxy. You can get the whole story from the American Jewish Historical Society here.

Since Geffen was often asked which foods and beverages were kosher, particularly at Passover, he began compiling his own list. Since Atlanta-based Coke is a true Southern beverage, he checked with the manufacturing giant and found out its No. 1 seller was not kosher. Perhaps you'd have a new market if it were, he suggested.

Although the recipe for Coke is a closely-held secret, the company did share it with the rabbi on condition he keep it a secret. He did so, but noticed two problem areas. Coke contains glycerin, unkosher because it is made from beef tallow, and trace amouints of alcohol that come from the grain products used to sweeten Coke. Anything derived from grain is not kosher. The sweetner for kosher Coke is now made from vegetable glycerin.

Now, as to finding kosher Coke, you're on your own. Check around, though, since it is supposed to be available nationally.

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Soft drink freebies for summer

Forget the recent reports on soft drinks' contributions to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. It's summer!

The Magic Springs amusement park in Hot Springs, AR, has announced that visitors will be able to drink all the soft drinks they want at the park for free this summer.

As a nod to good health, they'll also be offered free sunscreen creams and free use of riding tubes in the Crystal Falls waterpark.

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Letters: We think we have a gimmick

Dear Mr. Dowd:

I thought you might be interested in learning about our product since you are quite the beverage connoisseur.

To quote you to you, "Energy drinks are found in such profusion on the market that there's little chance the product will get any press unless a manufacturer comes up with a new gimmick."

I heartily agree. The number of "me, too" brands out there boggles the mind, each trying out extreme each other or adding a smattering of supplements that currently have the public's eye. That said, there is the emergence of a new kind of energy drink, not going for "extreme," but simply "smart." We believe that our smart energy drink SmartPower is positioned to be the leader of that category.

I guess we do have a gimmick, too, in the sense that our "message brand" (part of our company's commitment to getting people to Think Two Steps Ahead -- about ingesting caffeine and in life) is called Nuclear Waste Antidote. Our Web site is Smart Power Drinks.

-- Eleanor Mason Reinholdt, Smart Energy Enterprises Inc., Benecia, CA

Dear Eleanor:

It's always interesting to learn about new products. Thanks for the note.

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Coca-Cola, read all about it!

Coca-Cola seems intent on capturing more than just beverage market share.

As I reported earlier, the international drinks giant is partnering with L'Oreal for a "neutraceutical" drink that purportedly will quench thirst and help skin health.

Now, it's partnering with the Belgian magazine GLAM*IT to offer the magazine on a bottle of Coke.

The project will go to market in April, with a version of GLAM*IT -- known for its young, glamorous fashion mag content and audience -- attached to the bottle.

Joanna Wojtalik, the inventor behind the revolutionary On Product Publishing concept, said in a statement, “On Product Publishing is all about broadening and targeting content delivery by using the mass market reach of an FMCG distribution network.

"In these terms, the Coca-Cola Company provides the perfect platform to utilize On Product Publishing, which will convert its Coca-Cola light bottles into an unrivalled communications tool. Effectively, the OPP label allows Coca-Cola light to place more content directly on its product and thereby enhance the relationship its consumers have with the brand at the point of purchase.”

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Other soft drinks strike out, but root beer a hit

Soft drinks have not been getting much positive press of late.

Obesity, diabetes and the like have been linked to excessive sugar intake, much of it from soft drinks. Root beer, however, is getting some good press out of the whole mess because the Academy of General Dentistry says root beer may be the safest soft drink for teeth.

According to a study published in the March/April 2007 issue of General Dentistry, the AGD's clinical, peer-reviewed journal, exposing teeth to soft drinks, even for a short period of time, causes dental erosion—and prolonged exposure can lead to significant enamel loss. Root beer products, however, are non-carbonated and do not contain the acids that harm teeth.

Even diet drinks can be harmful to teeth. While they may not contain sugar, they do contain phosphoric acid, citric acid or both and still cause dental erosion, though considerably less than their sugared counterparts.

"Drinking any type of soft drink poses risk to the health of your teeth," says AGD spokesperson Kenton Ross, DMD.

He recommends that patients consume fewer soft drinks by limiting their intake to meals. He also advises patients to drink with a straw, which will reduce soda's contact with teeth.

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New products, in brief

• Honest Tea expanded its lengthy line of ready-to-drink beverages with pomegranate white tea with acai. Three antioxidant-rich ingredients — pomegranates, white tea and acai berry — are combined with less than three teaspoons of organic cane sugar to create the delicately flavored tea with 35 calories per 8-ounce serving, although it is packaged in a 16.9-ounce bottle.

• Pepsi-Cola North America has added low-calorie, vitamin-added Aquafina Alive to its line of bottled waters. It's available in three flavor combinations — berry pomegranate, peach mango and orange lime. It contains "a splash" of fruit juice and is a good source of vitamins E, B6 and B12 and niacin, the company says. Every 8-ounce serving has 10 calories and provides 10 percent of the daily value of each of these nutrients. Aquafina Alive is available in 20-ounce plastic bottles for $1.29 and 16.9-ounce six-packs for $3.39.

• Cintron Beverage Group launched Cintron Energy Enhancer in citrus mango, tropical zzul, pineapple passion and sugar-free citrus mango. It uses sucrose as the sweetener. The 16-ounce silver can, which features a resealable plastic top, retails for $1.99.

• Cooper Tea Co. has unveiled Bazza High-Energy Tea, a no-calorie tea with natural energy ingredients — green tea, yerba mate, guarana and cola nut. It is available in green tea and raspberry tea flavors, each in a 16.9-ounce resealable bottle priced at $1.79.
Bazza High-Energy Tea

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Anheuser-Busch makes a 180

There are so many "enery drinks" on the market that unless a manufacturer comes up with a new gimmick there's little chance the product will get any press.

Welcome 180 Red with Goji.

Anheuser-Busch's new energy drink meets that criterion with the inclusion of goji, a small, high-antioxidant Tibetan berry that helps impart a cherry taste to the slightly sweet drink.

For consumers into the minutiae of drink formulae, growers and vendors of goji, also known as wolfberries, say they are loaded with all sorts of nutrients -- 18 kinds of amino acids, 21 trace minerals, and "500 times the amount of vitamin C, by weight, than oranges, making them second only to camu camu berries as the richest vitamin C source on earth," among others.

The overall formula contains carbonated water, sucrose, goji berry juice, acerola juice, guarana -- a natural caffeine, vitamins B-6, B-12 and C, and lychee natural flavor.

180 Red joins a product line that includes 180 Blue, 180 Blue Low-Calorie and 180 Sugar-Free Orange Citrus Blast. It is now available nationally in 8.2- and 16-ounce cans.

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Kmart expanding beverage line

Kmart is adding 32 new private label non-carbonated beverage products to its lineup under the American Fare brand name.

They include vitamin water, bottled green iced tea, Free Fall and Loop energy drinks, and Fruit FX fruit-flavored water and a 10-pack of juice pouches.

Kmart already offers a line of American Fare beverages. The new drinks will be available in all Kmart stores by mid-April.

Coke for sensual skin?

Coke and L'Oréal may seem like an odd partnership, but anything goes in the beverage world these days.

The soft drink giant and the skin care behemoth are teaming up on a new health-and-beauty beverage to be launched next year, axcording to industry sources cited by Brandweek.

Says the magazine, "Currently called Lumaé, the "nutraceutical" drink was trademarked as a tea-based ready-to-drink beverage by Coca-Cola's Beverage Partners Worldwide division. The drink, which is still in the early stages of development, is expected to contain ingredients that will help women care for their skin, per a source."

"Neutraceuticals" are a growing industry niche. Coca-Cola has been producing “Love Body” in Japan for a while, and more recently launched “Enviga” in the U.S.

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Ever hear of bochu? You will

If you begin hearing claims of a new herbal ingredient in your beverage, it might be bochu.

Some soft drink companies already use it by the ton, and it's even used in some French perfumes. Recently, the South African herb has been growing in demand, both by legal and illegal means from poachers who harvest and steal buchu from the remote mountain slopes where it grows wild.

Most buchu had traditionally been harvested from wild plants, but it now is grown on numerous irrigated farms. Producers have been having talks with soft drink giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to begin regularly purchasing the herb.

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Soft drinks drying up

The sales chart arrow is pointing in the wrong direction for the U.S. soft drinks industry.

Beverage Digest, a major industry publiciation, said today that the sales volume declined 0.6% in 2006 following a 0.2% decline in 2005. That's based on sales of 10.16 billion cases of soft drinks in 2006, down from 10.22 billion in 2005.

An increase in consumer demand for bottled water and healthier drinks in general is blamed, or credited, with the decline. However, in flavored soft drinks Pepsi's Mountain Dew rose 1%, Cadbury's Dr. Pepper 1.7% and Coke's Fanta 7%.

Energy drink makers Hansen Natural Corp., Rockstar and Red Bull saw their sales volumes soar, with Hansen up 68%, Rockstar up 65% and Red Bull up 27%.

“The carbonated soft drink industry has moved from roughly 3 percent growth in the 1990s to modest declines in the last two years,” Beverage Digest reported, saying the estimate included energy drinks, a very fast-growing segment. “Beverage Digest estimates that if energy drinks were excluded, the category would be down by about 1.5 percent.” the report said.

U.S. drinks makers Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. posted U.S. volume declines of 1.2% and 1.3%, respectively, while UK company Cadbury Schweppes Plc saw its volume rise 1.3%, according to Beverage Digest.

Volume of Coke Classic fell 2% to 1.76 billion cases while Pepsi-Cola's fell 2.5% to 1.11 billion cases, Beverage Digest said. Sales volumes of Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi also fell slightly. The top three brands by market share are Coke Classic, Pepsi Cola and Diet Coke.

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Bionade: Es bitte kaufen

A German manufacturer is embarking on an effort to get its organic soda a place on the global beverage stage.

Bionade, a low-calorie carbonated beverage sold in orange ginger, elderberry, lychee and herb flavors, is the hot non-alcoholic drink of the moment in German bars and clubs, particularly in Hamburg, Germany's media capital.

"We plan to go into the whole of old Europe this year as well as the U.S., and the Canadian and Japanese markets," Peter Kowalsky, chief executive of the privately held firm, told Reuters. "It is the first and only non-alcoholic refreshment drink produced by a purely organic process."

Getting international acceptance might be tricky because Kowalsky said Bionade will continue its advertising-averse stance. He prefers word-of-mouth and news media mentions to drive sales. Which seems to be working on a regional basis since Bionade has tripled sales to 70 million bottles annually.

The drink was created in 1995 when Dieter Leipold, whose financially flailing family brewery was in trouble, came up with the idea of using brewing principles to create an organic soft drink. It is manufactured in the village of Ostheim in central Germany.

Reuters checked with several market analysts to predict Bionade's chances of international success.

"The United States in particular is a difficult market," said Patrik Schwendimann of ther ZKB brokerage in Switzerland. "It usually takes several years and a lot of patience to make any headway there."

"The difficulty is to find a foreign distributor," said Jens Pollmann, corporate consultant at Price Waterhouse Coopers' office in Dusseldorf, "but I wouldn't exclude the possibility that it'll work out for them in the end."

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Dial up your own fizz level

Turbo-Fizz.

Lock that term away in your memory bank. I suspect you'll be hearing a lot about it when the soft drink industry gets into full gear.

"Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Britvic, the soft drinks manufacturers, are developing a raft of increasingly wacky space-age new products in an attempt to stem the decline of growth in the fizzy drinks market," reports Mark Choueke in London's Sunday Telegraph.

"Innovations being developed by the industry include a 'turbo-fizz' dial feature on the side of a can that allows consumers to increase or reduce the amount of bubbles in their drink. Drinks that change colour are also being developed. Such features could be the norm within five years, according to soft drink industry experts."

Of course, this could be one gigantic joke. When I Googled "turbo-fizz" the only hit I got was on a "Star Wars" fan site that showed a lot of humor.

In its list of SW-esque foods and drinks it listed " Turbofizz -- A highly carbonated drink popular in the Corporate Sector." It also listed such things as Death Star Popcorn Balls, Boba Fett-uccine and "Harmon Kizzlebrew -- This beer is favored in the Mid Rim, and is an excellent accompaniment to steamed yazstrimskizzies."

The Telegraph, citing "sources from within some of the largest soft drinks manufacturers in the UK," reports that within a few years, drinks on store shelves "will use interactive features such as aroma and sound. Cans fitted with technology to ensure that drinks are served at the correct temperature, even if they haven't previously been chilled, are also being tested."

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Coffee industry: We're No. 1 again!

It's been a long time, but coffee finally has regained supremacy over soft drinks in America's drinking habits.

The percentage of adults who drink a daily cup of coffee exceeds those who drink a soft drink every day for tghe first time since 1990, according to the National Coffee Association of USA.

Of nearly 3,000 adults reached in a random January telephone survey for the 2006 National Coffee Drinking Trends report, 57% said they drank coffee every day, up 1% from 2006; 51% said they drank a soft drink daily, down 6% from the prior year. from 57 percent a year ago. The number of adults who drink coffee at least once a week is 67%, down 1% from 2006.

“(The increase) is mostly in regular coffees, not as you might expect in the more gourmet coffee beverages. We believe that this is mostly because of the way consumers are thinking about coffee. There’s this classification that gourmet coffees to them are becoming much more mainstream and they are counting that as regular coffee,” Bill Gottlieb, a market researcher for Starbucks Corp., told the NCA annual convention in Arizona on Saturday.

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7-11 amps up its coffee kick

For those within reach of a 7-Eleven who don't get enough kick from regular coffee, the convenience store chain is peddling something called Fusion Energy Coffee.

It's coffee hyped by the addition of guarana -- regarded as a "natural" caffeine, ginseng and yerba mate, the same ingredients found in numerous energy drinks.

This won't be the end of it. The Dallas-based chain has plans in the works to offer Energy Slurpees as well as other high-test caffeine products.

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Aquaman at the Ritz-Carlton

NEW YORK -- Some of the best water in the city comes out of the tap, straight from reservoirs in the Catskills.

Anyone can show you where to get it.

Some of the most expensive comes in bottles, straight from places such as France, Sweden, Fiji, Italy, Norway, Canada, Scotland and various U.S. states.

Your friendly water sommelier can suggest which to choose.

Well, he can if you're dining at the new Ritz-Carlton hotel in Battery Park. The management says they have the only such person in the world.

His name is Filip Wretman. He's 26, a diminutive, GQ-slim Swede who came to the United States via various peaks and islands.

Wretman, son of the prominent Swedish restaurateur/chef/writer Tore Wretman, openly concedes he did not set out to be a water expert, much less the first water sommelier.

He studied the hospitality business at the Les Roches hotel school in Switzerland, and worked in the Swiss Alps, the Philippines and St. Bart's in the Caribbean before coming to Manhattan as bar manager at the Ian Schrager chain's trendy Hudson Hotel, near Columbus Circle.

So, how much did Wretman know about water when the Ritz-Carlton decided to get serious about its offerings at the new hotel, which opened in January after being delayed in the aftermath of 9/11?

"Not much more than anyone else,'' Wretman said with disarming honesty during a private water tasting for judges in town for the annual New York Wine & Food Classic competition.

He said he spoke to numerous vendors and spent a lot of Internet research time getting to know more about the burgeoning business of bottled water, a hit in many countries but particularly booming in the United States.

Wretman's research and tastings did more than simply acquaint him with the numerous brands of bottled water anyone can find in local supermarkets brands such as Fiji, San Pellegrino, Evian, Aquafina, Acqua Della Madonna, Dasani, Deer Park, Poland Spring and on and on 1,800 or so brands worldwide, including such familiar Capital Region brands as Saratoga, Diamond Spring and Vermont Pure.

His studies made him comfortable selecting and suggesting a range of still and sparking waters that make ideal accompaniments for cheeses, certain sauces, spicy or mild dishes, sweet or salty offerings, desserts and the like.

Some might think having an in-house water expert is merely a high-end hotel's contrivance or a gimmick to sell bottles of high-priced waters.

Contrivance, perhaps, but not a particularly expensive one. At the Ritz-Carlton, you can try as many waters as you like at just $5 a head, less than the price of a cocktail.

"We really see it as part of our mission of providing comfort and gracious living to all our visitors, whether they're overnight guests or not,'' says Nikheel Advani, the hotel's food and beverage director.

The Ritz-Carlton's goal at Battery Park, Advani notes, is to make it "a center of comfort and tranquillity in a rebuilt city.''

Wretman keeps a dozen or so waters on hand, but can come up with virtually any brand a visitor requests with at least 24 hours notice. After all, the Ritz-Carlton chain prides itself on catering to visitors' every whim. It even has a bath butler who creates various bathwater concoctions designed to refresh, soothe and pamper guests.

Should you think some bottled water brands are obscure and hard to come by, bear in mind the multibillion dollar industry is so lucrative the beverage giants have a hand in getting it to you, no matter your needs or location.

Coca-Cola, for example, has a controlling interest in Dasani and U.S. distribution rights to Evian. Pepsi-Cola has Aquafina. And so on.

Anyone who doubts the popularity of bottled water need only look around at people of all walks of life clutching bottles of water with the tenacity of an infant with its bottle of formula. They're at outdoor concerts, in offices, on the streets, in stores, on public transportation. So, why not in restaurants where someone who has researched the topic can advise them?

Water-tasting competitions are about as old as county fairs, but they've begun taking on a global flair. At the famous Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting Competition in West Virginia earlier this year, for example, Ice Mist from Sweden, Canadian Mountain from Ontario and Laure Spring from Tennessee finished 1-2-3 in the noncarbonated bottled water category.

In the carbonated category, Oaza Tesanj from Bosnia, Gleneagles from Scotland and Highland Spring, also from Scotland, took the three top places.

How does a water expert compare the art of recommending waters to that of recommending wines?

"Wine is a world of its own,'' Wretman said. "You can recommend much more specifically.

"With water, we didn't want to treat this in a way that would make people think of it as a hoax. But, it is quite true that different waters will have different impacts on the palate. They can help you recover the tastes of other foods after eating chocolates, cheeses, and so on ... With those sorts of food courses we would suggest a sparkling water to clear the palate.''

Perrier, a familiar name to American consumers, is one such sparkler recommended for cleansing because of its large natural bubbles, Wretman says. San Pellegrino, on the other hand, has tiny bubbles and a high mineral content, giving it a more distinctive taste that would work well with salty or very spicy dishes. Fiji is very light, with a high silica content that complements meat and game without interfering with their juices.

What about the ice cubes in drinks?

"New York tap water,'' Wretman confided with a slight smile. "Maybe someday we'll have that kind of demand for specialty ice cubes, but we're certainly not at that stage today.''

DRINK IN THESE FACTS

• It takes about one gallon of water to process a quarter-pound of hamburger.
• It takes 1,500 gallons of water to process one barrel of beer.
• Humans require about 2 1/2 quarts of water a day.
• A human can live more than a month without food, but only as much as one week without water.
• Only 1 percent of the Earth's water is available for drinking.
• About 60 percent of the weight of the human body is water.
• An elephant is 70 percent water.
• A tomato is 95 percent water.
• An egg is about 75 percent water.
• A watermelon is about 90 percent water.
Source: h2o4uweb.org

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