Opti
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Post by Opti on Jun 18, 2014 8:07:51 GMT -5
Instead, Coke Life is Coca-Cola’s answer to the two health concerns that have been hitting the company’s soda sales with a one-two punch: the anti-sugar movement, which rails against its full-calorie, full-sugar line of beverages, and the perception that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (found in both Diet Coke and Coke Zero) are unhealthy and can even contribute to weight gain.
These concerns have contributed to a steady nine-year decline in U.S. soda sales. Last year they slid even further—dropping 3 percent, or more than double the 1.2 percent they’d fallen the year before. (Soda is already down a further 2 percent this year.) Diet soda sales withstood the decline for a while; now they appear to be tumbling, too. Last year, Diet Coke sales in the U.S. dropped nearly 7 percent, according to Beverage Digest.
This article is about Coke Life a product that doesn't have a launch date for the US, but I thought posters might be interested in the fact soda sales have been declining.
Do you buy less soda than you have in the past? What beverages do you buy?
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jun 18, 2014 8:10:03 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 8:16:45 GMT -5
Maybe if they actually used sugar? And not corn syrup?
I buy a six and/or 4 pack of Blue Sky Ginger Ale / Virgil's Root Beer about every 3 weeks? Average...
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 8:20:12 GMT -5
I drink a lot of soda. Like a lot. But I recently cut it down to almost half and am doing ok. I have trouble on the weekends when it's easy to grab out of the fridge, but weekdays I'm down to 2 a day. Still a lot, but way less than it was!
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jun 18, 2014 8:22:53 GMT -5
I do think that would help and am surprised they don't do that. Pepsi has Pepsi Throwback in the stores certain times of the year.
When checking prices I noticed Coke had put on some of their packages that the beverage contained sugar. Looks like they were just referring to carmel coloring made from sugar!
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Value Buy
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Post by Value Buy on Jun 18, 2014 8:29:01 GMT -5
Coca Cola and Pepsi's declining sales are not totally from the anti-sugar/calorie crowd. Stop at any fast food outlet and observe-the soda world is alive and well. Their problem is raising wholesale prices twice a year to retailers to keep increasing earnings is finally catching up with them. People refuse to pay a dollar a case more on a regular basis than they were paying a year ago. They have cut back consumption at home. At our house we now have 24 pks of water as well as soda, and switch off between them. Water at $3 a case is outrageous, but Soda at $6 a case is obscene. Of course beer is pushing $16 a case on sale, so that is getting really out of control
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 8:29:24 GMT -5
I'm not surprised that the sales are declining. People, as they get older and wiser, are starting to realize what a huge negative impact that stuff has on their bodies. I'm surprised that it has taken Coke so long to realize the benefits of using Stevia in their product. OT. I didn't realize until hearing it recently that someone who has had gastric bypass must never drink carbonated drinks. Apparently, it expands what little they have of their stomachs and they will end up being able to eat large amounts of food again.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jun 18, 2014 8:38:07 GMT -5
VB, I'm sure prices are a part of the issue. I'm amazed how different prices can be sale or "regular" price.
Just tried the Dasani sparkling water in Lime. Probably should have bought two as they ended up being $2.75. My guess is a cheap regular price will be around. $4. I've noticed the sales are only a week long and it seems everyone's regular prices are going up.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 8:58:16 GMT -5
Coca Cola and Pepsi's declining sales are not totally from the anti-sugar/calorie crowd. Stop at any fast food outlet and observe-the soda world is alive and well. Their problem is raising wholesale prices twice a year to retailers to keep increasing earnings is finally catching up with them. People refuse to pay a dollar a case more on a regular basis than they were paying a year ago. They have cut back consumption at home. At our house we now have 24 pks of water as well as soda, and switch off between them. Water at $3 a case is outrageous, but Soda at $6 a case is obscene. Of course beer is pushing $16 a case on sale, so that is getting really out of control Word around our town is that you can just walk out the door of our Walmart with a case of been and no one will stop you.
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Jun 18, 2014 9:06:08 GMT -5
I don't drink soda and haven't in a few years. I quit when all the negative press about aspartame/HFCS came out (and because I was drinking like 5 or 6 cans of diet pespi a day). I quit cold turkey, dealt with the headaches and don't miss it for a minute. Now I only drink tap water or on occasion a lemonade. DH likes the Dasani sparkling water and has one can a day. DS likes ginger ale but we only buy him one 12 pack a month (we are mean like that) so he rations it out pretty well. Otherwise DH and DS have milk with dinner and drink water the rest of the day.
We have good drinking water here so I don't buy bottled water unless we are out and about for the day. Any time we eat out we all just order water.
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on Jun 18, 2014 9:26:55 GMT -5
The only time I drink soda is when I eat pizza (so maybe twice a month) and then it is a sprite or a ginger ale. I have never liked coke or most other sodas. I grew up in a soda drinking household but I just never cared for it. If someone told me I could never have a soda again I would shrug my shoulders and say fine, but don't take away my chocolate - I will hurt you...
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bean29
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Post by bean29 on Jun 18, 2014 9:37:35 GMT -5
I started to cut back on my consumption of diet soda about 2 months ago, and I dropped 10 lbs in one month. I will continue to cut back...I probably should quit entirely, b/c it is too easy to slip back to drinking excessive amounts.
I wanted to quit the soda habit b/c soda is very expensive but what really sent me over the edge was that all groceries have gone up and soda is not something I have to buy. I think Coke/Pepsi are going to have trouble turning the tide on this one,
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Jun 18, 2014 9:43:12 GMT -5
I never really drank much soda growing up so I just never got in the habit (dark sodas hurt to drink), but once in a blue moon I MUST HAVE a Hank's black cherry wishniak. Especially with a pizza. Mmm!
I primarily drink water with lemon or the lemongrass mineral water from Wegmans.
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Post by mollyanna58 on Jun 18, 2014 9:46:38 GMT -5
but don't take away my chocolate - I will hurt you...
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Value Buy
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Post by Value Buy on Jun 18, 2014 10:50:21 GMT -5
I started to cut back on my consumption of diet soda about 2 months ago, and I dropped 10 lbs in one month. I will continue to cut back...I probably should quit entirely, b/c it is too easy to slip back to drinking excessive amounts. I wanted to quit the soda habit b/c soda is very expensive but what really sent me over the edge was that all groceries have gone up and soda is not something I have to buy. I think Coke/Pepsi are going to have trouble turning the tide on this one, You cut out diet soda and lost 10 lbs in a month?
Something else was also in play there. What else was involved?
We have added ginger ale and Barq's root beer to the refrigerator. Not sure if this is more of a summer thing or not, but tastes darn good! We tend to stay away from Diet sodas. Once in awhile diet coke with lime, for a change of pace. Diet coke or diet Pepsi, might just as well drink water.......
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sheilaincali
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Post by sheilaincali on Jun 18, 2014 11:01:40 GMT -5
"They" have long stated that Diet soda is actually bad for you. When I changed my diet DH stopped drinking soda and lost weight too (we made other changes that contributed).
It's similar to the skim milk/whole milk debate. There are some schools of thought that claim that regular soda is less harmful to you than the Diet soda is. Look at the back of a can of soda- half of the ingredients are things you can barely pronounce and shouldn't be sticking in your body.
My BIL is addicted to Mt Dew. Drinks probably 6 to 8 cans a day (only cans because it tastes different in plastic bottles apparently). I keep telling him that one of these days he is going to start to glow in the dark.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jun 18, 2014 11:01:59 GMT -5
I drink Diet Coke. Have for decades. I use to drink alot more of it but I cut back because the caffiene in the evening started messing with my sleeping. I drink 2 cans a day at work and then another can in the evening (I also drink coffee in the morning along with my Diet Coke). I don't like sode from the 2 liter bottles or even the little plastic bottles. It's different somehow... I can't explain it. I also think that Coke already has too many 'formulations' they've got a coke flavored product based on all of the various artificial sweetners. But, then that's because people don't respond to the sweetners the same way. I would have switched over to Coke Zero but the sweetner in that leaves a nasty lingering bitter taste that I just can't get past. I can cope with the after taste of Diet Coke. If people aren't drinking as much soda/pop - what ARE they drinking? I'm guessing the "healthy" water drinks and "sport drinks" or "energy booster" drinks are eating up the market. Those things have just as many chemicals and artificial sweetners as 'soda/pop'. I keep seeing my silly relatives and co-workers having some sort of canned Tea drink - becuase it's "healthy' and they are trying to loose weight - and well, there's upwards of 300 calories in that can o' "Tea" and if they are drinking a 'lite' one - there's all that artificial sweetner they're avoiding. I don't think they can see well enough to read the fine print on the can...
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Jun 18, 2014 11:04:35 GMT -5
To be totally honest - I suspect if I stopped drinking soda I'd probably cut out alot of calories - because I tend to pair up a soda with a snack food. So, pouring a glass of pop is tied to also eating something. I don't have the same response when I pour myself a glass of water. The only time I drink soda solo is at work in the afternoon. But even then I'm often tempted to have a mid-afternoon 'snack' with my soda. I think some of it may be the unconcious/not mindful requirement that if I'm having a soda - I should also be eating something. I tend to reach for a pop FIRST - so the extra calories just kinda follow along. I rarely ever thing - I'll have some popcorn AND a coke. it's usually I'll have a soda - what can I have with it?
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justme
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Post by justme on Jun 18, 2014 11:06:31 GMT -5
I started to cut back on my consumption of diet soda about 2 months ago, and I dropped 10 lbs in one month. I will continue to cut back...I probably should quit entirely, b/c it is too easy to slip back to drinking excessive amounts. I wanted to quit the soda habit b/c soda is very expensive but what really sent me over the edge was that all groceries have gone up and soda is not something I have to buy. I think Coke/Pepsi are going to have trouble turning the tide on this one, You cut out diet soda and lost 10 lbs in a month?
Something else was also in play there. What else was involved?
We have added ginger ale and Barq's root beer to the refrigerator. Not sure if this is more of a summer thing or not, but tastes darn good! We tend to stay away from Diet sodas. Once in awhile diet coke with lime, for a change of pace. Diet coke or diet Pepsi, might just as well drink water.......
There have been multiple studies that aspartame (the sweetener in diet sodas) actually increases your appetite. So you save on the calories of the soda, but eat more because you're hungry more. ETA: There's also the thought process like Tiny. And I saw one study where people eat more when it's diet food because it's less calories, but then eat enough to equal the calories of the non-diet stuff that they eat less of. So there's probably some behavioral aspect to it where people decide they can eat more because the diet is no calories.
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Value Buy
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Post by Value Buy on Jun 18, 2014 11:12:02 GMT -5
"They" have long stated that Diet soda is actually bad for you. When I changed my diet DH stopped drinking soda and lost weight too (we made other changes that contributed).
It's similar to the skim milk/whole milk debate. There are some schools of thought that claim that regular soda is less harmful to you than the Diet soda is. Look at the back of a can of soda- half of the ingredients are things you can barely pronounce and shouldn't be sticking in your body.
My BIL is addicted to Mt Dew. Drinks probably 6 to 8 cans a day (only cans because it tastes different in plastic bottles apparently). I keep telling him that one of these days he is going to start to glow in the dark. Soda in plastic bottles is terrible tasting for all varieties. Has anyone noticed that grocery stores are now stocking loose Mexican glass bottle sodas in many Coca Cola varieties as well as Pepsi? I do not believe this is for our southern border migraters, as you see it in supermarkets who cater to the demographics of the neighborhood which are not necessarily from south of the border. I have noticed men, saying "look honey real old fashioned soda, let's buy a couple of bottles" Strange, as there is no deposit required on these bottles like there was years ago. FYI, our state does not have a deposit requirement on cans and bottles in supermarkets, although years ago we had bottle deposit on all soda bottles, which disappeared when the return for deposit bottles disappeared from the soda wholesalers shelves.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 11:17:28 GMT -5
My kids used to buy Mexican coke because it was made with sugar. Last I asked them if they wanted any they said no... It's corn syrup now too ... ?
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on Jun 18, 2014 11:25:29 GMT -5
I have a co-worker who is at least 400 pounds. She drinks a 12 pack of diet coke a day. Obviously, she is doing a lot more than just drinking diet coke but just thinking about someone drinking that much soda makes me cringe. She eats nothing but fast food day in and day out. Sometimes I wonder how she is still alive... She is 40 yrs old and I imagine by the time she is 50 she might be one of these people that can't get out of bed. I find it extremely sad because she can't DO anything. She can't go any place where she had to sit in a normal size seat or anywhere she has to stand for any length of times which pretty much limits her to work and home. She can't go to concerts, theatre, museums, festivals, shopping, the movies, sporting events, etc. So basically she can't do anything fun. Even eating out is difficult. She mainly just runs through drive-thru windows to pick up food. She buys a lot of stuff from Amazon and has it delivered so she doesn't have to walk around a store. Then she has family members that are, IMO, enablers. If she needs toilet paper or something they will go to the store and get it for her. We are having a staff/board retreat in South Padre Island in July (about 7 hrs away) and she is going to have to drive there because if she flew we would have to buy 2 seats. The bad thing is she honestly doesn't seem to care. It is all about food. She exists to eat. Sorry to get slightly OT but the diet soda topic just made me think of my co-worker.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 11:25:34 GMT -5
I go through a 6-pack of Diet Coke every 2 or 3 weeks. I've started drinking more tap water with a splash of lemon juice. My really bad habit is coffee, but I don't seem to have any bad health effects from it so I'm not quitting anytime soon.
DH buys generic soda in cans; that lets him choose a variety. I'd say he goes through one every day but the generics are cheap. He's 75 so I'm less worried about long-term effects on his health.
I still can't get into bottled water. DH doesn't like the chlorine taste of our tap water so we buy it in gallon jugs, but I'm just as happy with tap water. We never touch the energy/vitamin/sport drinks. Just not interested.
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wyouser
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Post by wyouser on Jun 18, 2014 11:46:52 GMT -5
Original Coke, new Coke, now Newer New Coke? Where is John Belushi when you need him? Remember: "Coke? No Coke . Pepsi" (Saturday Night Live circa 1977)
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jun 18, 2014 11:54:11 GMT -5
I'm guessing the "healthy" water drinks and "sport drinks" or "energy booster" drinks are eating up the market
I've had many many arguments with DH over how Red Bull is just as bad, if not worse, than the soda he drinks. Look at the ingredient list for those things.
But Red Bull is "healthy" he argues because it's an "energy drink". Did you not read how much sugar you're consuming in those 2 20 oz cans PER DAY? Not to mention I'm surprised all that caffeine hasn't given him a heart attack.
Finally got him to quit drinking it. While he hasn't experienced any real weight loss yet he said he's feeling a lot better nowadays since he replaced Red Bull with water. He's been surprised at how much better his mood is and how much more energy he has without his precious Red Bulls every morning.
I know a lot of people who fall into the same trap as my DH. They eliminate pop because it's "unhealthy" but then turn around and drink Red Bull or Sobe thinking it's better for them because that's what the clever marketing people want you to think. In reality they are just as bad for you calorie wise and some of those energy drinks can really F you up physically.
I'm very curious what will go on with his liver if he can stop drinking Red Bulls permanently . I read in Eat This! Not That! that certain chemicals in energy drinks screw with your liver as much as alcohol can. DH's GP wanted to know if he had been drinking excessively because his liver numbers came back like he'd been an alcoholic half his life.
DH is a teetotaler but he does/did consume massive amounts of Red Bull. Connection?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 11:54:49 GMT -5
I started to cut back on my consumption of diet soda about 2 months ago, and I dropped 10 lbs in one month. I will continue to cut back...I probably should quit entirely, b/c it is too easy to slip back to drinking excessive amounts. I wanted to quit the soda habit b/c soda is very expensive but what really sent me over the edge was that all groceries have gone up and soda is not something I have to buy. I think Coke/Pepsi are going to have trouble turning the tide on this one, WTG on the weight loss! -thumbsup-We've never been soda drinkers, but DH lost a lot of weight after he stopped drinking fruit juice and milk.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2014 11:58:13 GMT -5
I'm guessing the "healthy" water drinks and "sport drinks" or "energy booster" drinks are eating up the market I've had many many arguments with DH over how Red Bull is just as bad, if not worse, than the soda he drinks. Look at the ingredient list for those things. But Red Bull is "healthy" he argues because it's an "energy drink". Did you not read how much sugar you're consuming in those 2 20 oz cans PER DAY? Not to mention I'm surprised all that caffeine hasn't given him a heart attack. Finally got him to quit drinking it. While he hasn't experienced any real weight loss yet he said he's feeling a lot better nowadays since he replaced Red Bull with water. He's been surprised at how much better his mood is and how much more energy he has without his precious Red Bulls every morning. I know a lot of people who fall into the same trap as my DH. They eliminate pop because it's "unhealthy" but then turn around and drink Red Bull or Sobe thinking it's better for them because that's what the clever marketing people want you to think. In reality they are just as bad for you calorie wise and some of those energy drinks can really F you up physically. Get me started on that Red Bull crap!!! I know a mother who gives it to her kids to get them up in the morning! Her hubby drinks it 24/7, so he can be on the go 24/7. It's going to be heart attacks for a lot of people soon.
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movingforward
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Post by movingforward on Jun 18, 2014 12:01:39 GMT -5
My brother stopped drinking Mt. Dew and started drinking energy drinks because he says they are healthier . He also drinks them because he doesn't sleep well at night - well duh, you drink caffeine all day long and then wonder why you can't sleep at night - double . These energy drinks are absolutely horrible for people and they are an endless cycle. They keep people awake all night and then they feel like they need to drink more of them each day... Honestly, I wish they would pull them off the market.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jun 18, 2014 12:07:27 GMT -5
He also drinks them because he doesn't sleep well at night - well duh, you drink caffeine all day long and then wonder why you can't sleep at night Is your BIL my husband? DH also used to be addicted to those 5 hour energy shots. They're terrible for you and also expensive considering how much you get. The only reason he got off those is because they resulted in him spending massive amounts of time in the bathroom and he got freaked out enough he quit. Yeah they're REALLY giving you energy all right. It's been hard to convince him he can live without Red Bulls. It takes a lot of willpower to not run around doing the "I told you so dance" as he sits there and comments about how he can't understand why he feels so much better now that he's replaced Red Bulls with water.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Jun 18, 2014 12:14:51 GMT -5
My kids used to buy Mexican coke because it was made with sugar. Last I asked them if they wanted any they said no... It's corn syrup now too ... ? We went to a Mexican restaurant last month (in a small town in GA) that had real Mexican coke in a bottle. It said it had sugar on the bottle. Kids loved it. Like Tiny, I drink Diet Coke, 1 or 2 during the day with lunch and 1 with dinner. I can't even drink non-diet anymore. I understand the idea that it doesn't really help you lose weight, but I would rather have a big lunch and diet coke than a medium lunch with regular coke. My boys both drink a lot of Coke. The 21 year old is underweight and the 19 year old just lost 30 pounds in the last 2 years (while growing 2 inches) to go from his high school football playing weight to his currently just right for his height weight. So I don't worry too much about the sugar in Coke. If they don't drink soda, it is Gatorade, which is about the same sugar wise.
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