Latest news with #Sprite
7NEWS
17 hours ago
- Health
- 7NEWS
Stock up now: Outrage as Pepsi and Mountain Dew recipes change
US soft drinks giant PepsiCo has confirmed it has changed the recipe of the beloved regular Pepsi and Mountain Dew beverages. PepsiCo has cut the sugar content of the soft drinks and replaced it with low-calorie sweeteners. It follows changes that the company has already made to its Sprite, Fanta and Lift fizzy drinks. But the switch to artificial sweeteners has done little to shift the needle on the healthy beverage scale, with Pepsi's health star ranking inching marginally higher since the recipe change to 1.5 out of 5, compared with 0.5 previously. The sweeteners used in the new Pepsi blend are 950 (acesulfame potassium or ace-k) and 955 (sucralose). 'Pepi has lost my respect' According to Food Standards Australia, sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar, with no kilojoules, while ace-k is 200 times sweeter. In one study, adults who consumed ace-k were at higher risk of cancer than those who didn't. Studies also found that sucralose can increase risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and cause inflammation due to its impact on at least 14 difference groups of gut bacteria. When well-known Australian influencer Russ Eats picked up on Pepsi's recipe pivot, sentiment was less than positive from his followers. Comments ranged from 'Pepsi has lost my respect now' to how changes already made to Lift, Fanta and Sprite had ruined those drinks. Diabetics said they would no longer be able to drink the fizzy beverages to increase their blood sugar levels. Consumer backlash This is not the first time we have seen a major brand change the recipe of its iconic soda. In 1985, Coca Cola made the infamous decision to change its drink to 'new Coke'. Ironically, Coca Cola made changed the recipe in response to demand from focus groups that preferred it to be sweeter, like that of competitor Pepsi. Coca Cola did not account for the loyal minority who vehemently opposed it, but statistically seemed smaller in the cities tested. This was only realised when the company started receiving more than a thousand calls a day protesting. One psychiatrist who listened in on the calls, likened the protests from consumers to the death of a family member. Same great taste The backlash led to media calling it 'the most memorable marketing blunder ever' and Coke being forced to reintroduce the old recipe 79 days after the new brand launch and selling the two drinks side by side until 2002. The blunder is now used in business degree classes as a classic case study on how not to rebrand or change a recipe. When reached out for comment, PepsiCo confirmed the change, saying they had made the change 'in response to consumers who tell us they are looking for products that contain less sugar.' Like Coke back in 1985, Pepsi confirmed they had 'undertaken extensive sensory research' to ensure they were 'still delivering the same great taste consumers know and love.' We are yet to see whether it will be accepted by the wider public.
UPI
a day ago
- Health
- UPI
Pop, soda or coke? The fizzy history behind a linguistic debate
The word you use generally boils down to where you're from: Midwesterners enjoy a good pop, while soda is tops in the North and far West. Southerners, long the cultural mavericks, don't bat an eyelash asking for coke -– lowercase. Photo by Vika_Glitter/ Pixabay With burgers sizzling and classic rock thumping, many Americans revel in summer cookouts -- at least until that wayward cousin asks for a "pop" in soda country, or even worse, a "coke" when they actually want a Sprite. Few American linguistic debates have bubbled quite as long and effervescently as the one over whether a generic soft drink should be called a soda, pop or coke. The word you use generally boils down to where you're from: Midwesterners enjoy a good pop, while soda is tops in the North and far West. Southerners, long the cultural mavericks, don't bat an eyelash asking for coke -- lowercase -- before homing in on exactly the type they want: Perhaps a root beer or a Coke, uppercase. As a linguist who studies American dialects, I'm less interested in this regional divide and far more fascinated by the unexpected history behind how a fizzy "health" drink from the early 1800s spawned the modern soft drink's many names and iterations. Bubbles, anyone? Foods and drinks with wellness benefits might seem like a modern phenomenon, but the urge to create drinks with medicinal properties inspired what might be called a soda revolution in the 1800s. The process of carbonating water was discovered in the late 1700s. By the early 1800s, this carbonated water had become popular as a health drink and was often referred to as "soda water." The word "soda" likely came from "sodium," since these drinks often contained salts, which were then believed to have healing properties. Given its alleged curative effects for health issues such as indigestion, pharmacists sold soda water at soda fountains, innovative devices that created carbonated water to be sold by the glass. A chemistry professor, Benjamin Stillman, set up the first such device in a drugstore in New Haven, Conn., in 1806. Its eventual success inspired a boom of soda fountains in drugstores and health spas. By the mid-1800s, pharmacists were creating unique root-, fruit- and herb-infused concoctions, such as sassafras-based root beer, at their soda fountains, often marketing them as cures for everything from fatigue to foul moods. These flavored, sweetened versions gave rise to the linking of the word "soda" with a sweetened carbonated beverage, as opposed to simple, carbonated water. Seltzer - today's popular term for such sparkling water - was around, too. But it was used only for the naturally carbonated mineral water from the German town Nieder-Selters. Unlike Perrier, sourced similarly from a specific spring in France, seltzer made the leap to becoming a generic term for fizzy water. Regional naming patterns So how did "soda" come to be called so many different things in different places? It all stems from a mix of economic enterprise and linguistic ingenuity. The popularity of "soda" in the Northeast likely reflects the soda fountain's longer history in the region. Since a lot of Americans living in the Northeast migrated to California in the mid-to-late 1800s, the name likely traveled west with them. As for the Midwestern preference for "pop" -- well, the earliest American use of the term to refer to a sparkling beverage appeared in the 1840s in the name of a flavored version called "ginger pop." Such ginger-flavored pop, though, was around in Britain by 1816, since a Newcastle songbook is where you can first see it used in text. The "pop" seems to be onomatopoeic for the noise made when the cork was released from the bottle before drinking. Linguists don't fully know why "pop" became so popular in the Midwest. But one theory links it to a Michigan bottling company, Feigenson Brothers Bottling Works -- today known as Faygo Beverages -- that used "pop" in the name of the sodas it marketed and sold. Another theory suggests that because bottles were more common in the region, soda drinkers were more likely to hear the "pop" sound than in the Northeast, where soda fountains reigned. As for using coke generically, the first Coca-Cola was served in 1886 by Dr. John Pemberton, a pharmacist at Jacobs' Pharmacy in Atlanta and the founder of the company. In the 1900s, the Coca-Cola Co. tried to stamp out the use of "Coke" for "Coca-Cola." But that ship had already sailed. Since Coca-Cola originated and was overwhelmingly popular in the South, its generic use grew out of the fact that people almost always asked for "Coke." As with Jell-O, Kleenex, Band-Aids and seltzer, it became a generic term. What's soft about it? Speaking of soft drinks, what's up with that term? It was originally used to distinguish all nonalcoholic drinks from "hard drinks," or beverages that contain spirits. Interestingly, the original Coca-Cola formula included wine -- resembling a type of alcoholic "health" drink popular overseas, Vin Mariani. But Pemberton went on to develop a "soft" version a few years later to be sold as a medicinal drink. Due to the growing popularity of soda water concoctions, eventually "soft drink" came to mean only such sweetened carbonated beverages, a linguistic testament to America's enduring love affair with sugar and bubbles. With the average American guzzling almost 40 gallons per year, you can call it whatever you what. Just don't call it healthy. Valerie M. Fridland is a professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada-Reno. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The views and opinions in this commentary are solely those of the author.
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- General
- Buzz Feed
17 Stories Of Why People Quit Their Jobs On The Spot
Sometimes, no matter how much you try to brush things off in the workplace, there's always a straw that breaks the camel's back. Recently, Redditor u/Fluffaygins asked people in the Reddit community who've quit their jobs on the spot to share what happened, and these stories are WILD: "I used to be a bartender. Our owner came in to have a meal with his family before opening. He owned the whole block, including a Mexican restaurant a few businesses down. The owner told the server to get him a margarita from the restaurant. The girl looked at me and kind of chuckled, but he said, 'No, I'm serious.' It was POURING rain. At that point, he was treating her like a servant, not a server. I didn't want to work for someone like that, so I walked out and never looked back." —islasdadbenjamin "They told me, 'By the way, I didn't mention this, but you have to do a three-month, unpaid trial before we hire you permanently.'" "Another manager at my pay grade tried telling a person on my team that they weren't allowed to drink a can of Sprite on their lunch break — only water. In the ensuing 'argument' (aka me defending my team), I told that manager to fuck off. Upper management told me to apologize, and I told them to fuck off, too. It felt good, but it definitely wasn't my wisest moment." "When I applied, I told them I'd need to take a day off two weeks from my start date to see my brother graduate from college. They approved it, but when the time came for me to take the day off, they refused. I never regretted quitting for a second. Screw those guys." —The7footr "When I was a server at a sushi restaurant, I had an asshole boss who'd sometimes schedule the people he didn't like during approved time-off. He did this one Saturday night to a server and host who'd gone on vacation together and left me as the only front-of-house staff. We get wildly packed on weekends, and I knew I'd be fucked. I'd asked around, and a couple of other staff members were willing to cover, but my boss refused to let them work the shift. I busted my ass for a couple of hours, waited until there were butts in every seat, made sure the waitlist was full, and walked out." "I had a customer with a later-than-expected delivery date caused by the vendor getting upset. When the customer stepped away from me, my then-manager said, 'This one's on you.' It was, in fact, not on me. I replied, 'Oh yeah? Now it's on you,' and walked out." "They stole my tips, so I got out of there." "I quit as a hostess at Olive Garden one day when they told us that a new rule was in effect, where we weren't allowed to leave the restaurant for breaks. Not even to go outside and eat in our car. I told them I was going to my car to grab my lunch and never went back in." "I told my boss at a very large media company that if I didn't get a promotion or pay increase soon, I'd leave, because I knew I was getting underpaid. After my boss said it wouldn't happen, I left immediately. Everyone scrambled to keep me, even saying that they'd increase my pay, but I didn't take it. Six months later, at my new job, I was making three times more than I was. I've been at my new job now for almost three years, and it's been amazing. Everyone is so nice, and I feel valued." —ImBoredCanYouTell "My boss admitted that I was a DEI hire. He didn't see me as anything more, or even as a contributor to the team. He never saw me moving away from my role. I started applying for new jobs that night, and ended up quitting with an offer in hand two weeks later. No regrets." "After a year of working together, my manager still couldn't get my name right. It sounds petty, but his attitude was so disrespectful. How can you feel valued by your employer when they can't even get your name right?" "I was working with the owner on my first day with after-fire cleanup. We were moving a dresser on the third floor when he started to fall backwards out the window. I stepped on the bed and grabbed him just before he fell out. He screamed at me for an hour for getting a footprint on the mattress. I never even went back for my paycheck." "I was told to break down pallets. I asked for a hammer, and they said, 'Just throw it at the wall.' I got a splinter from that. Then, they wanted me to unjam the trash compactor tube, and I said, 'Do you have a pole?' They said, 'Nope. Just climb in head-first, and we'll hold your feet.' I asked to go to the bathroom and never came back." —LarryKrappenshitz "I got an interview for a financial analyst role. The interview was scheduled for 10 a.m. I arrived at 9:55 and was told that the 'interview' had already started. I was ushered into a room where a presenter was midway through a presentation to a classroom of about 20 other interviewees. The presenter spent the next half an hour explaining who the company was (they did home loans) and why it was so beneficial to society for people to get their home loans. At 10:30 a.m., there was a break. The person sitting next to me told me that the presentation was part of our induction (meaning we'd already gotten the job, even without an interview), and that the presentation had been going on all morning." "A manager at my retail store was 'training' us on how to improve credit card sign-ups and told us to really push it on students and old people. They even told us to tell customers that what they'd be signing up for 'isn't a credit card.' I told my manager he was disgusting and left." "The owner and I had a giant, explosive argument that every single person in the building heard. I told the owner that I was embarrassed to work there, and I chewed her out and stormed out the door while she screamed at my back. I got about two blocks up the street before realizing I'd left my MP3 player by the ticket printer. I had to go back in and quietly request to have my MP3 player back." Lastly: "My mother-in-law was dying from lung cancer. Near the end of her life, I told my bosses at Home Depot that when she passed away, I would need to not be scheduled for a week so that I could drive a few hours away and take care of my husband and father-in-law and help out with things. My bosses told me, 'Why take the time off? It's not like it's your mom.' I walked out." —Rainbow-Mama I'm honestly so glad that these people did what was best for them and got out of those work environments! If you've ever quit your job on the spot, what happened? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your story using the form below!
Metro
2 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Daylight robbery or reasonable? Wimbledon punters divided over price of Pimm's
Punters have been left divided over the price of Pimm's and other alcoholic beverages at Wimbledon. The All England Club opened its doors once again on Monday morning for the 138th edition of the tournament. Tickets are hard to come by and the cost of attending Wimbledon does not get much easier for fans once they have entered the iconic venue. A meal in one of the club's restaurants can set you back £100 or more, while the price of alcohol continues to be a subject of debate among tennis fans. Over half a million fans will attend this year's championships and many willchoose to watch the action, either on court or on the famous hill, with an alcoholic beverage. From a £2.75 soft drink to a £100 bottle of champagne, there is plenty on offer for thirsty guests. Pimm's has also been synonymous with Wimbledon and punters will have to pay over £12 for a cup or £36 for a jug. The price of pints has increased to £8.85 while Wimbledon's iconic strawberries have gone up in price for the first time since 2010, now costing £2.70. 'I'm of the opinion that it's a day out, it's a treat, and we don't know if we're ever going to do this again,' Phillip Wood, who bagged Court One tickets, told Metro. 'It is expensive but we're trying not to think about that. The Pimm's are expensive, you wouldn't pay that anywhere else.' evian Reusable bottle & All Day Refills, £5 Soft drinks (Coca-Cola, Sprite etc.), £2.75 Drought beer (pint), £8.85 Bottled beer (330ml), £7.80 Wine ranging from £6.60 (125ml glass) to £49.60 bottle Champagne ranging from £26.55 (20cl) to £96 bottle Pimm's, £12.25 Another fan said: 'I was at Glastonbury this weekend and it was cheaper at Glastonbury than it is here. So it is a little bit expensive. 'It's not outrageous. The Pimm's are expensive, that feels a little bit punchy to me. That feels like they're taking advantage of the experience a bit.' Shaun and Emily, who travelled from Grimsby and camped out overnight to get tickets, compared Wimbledon to 'being on holiday' and worrying less about prices. 'It's more expensive than I would like it to be but it's what I expected,' Shaun said. 'We didn't pay to camp so saved on a night in London there. That helps you stomach paying £10 for a pint.' Emily added: 'We said on the way in it's like being on holiday, we're here once probably and we're just going to forget about the price of things.' Scott, who travelled from Falkirk to attend day one of Wimbledon, felt the prices were 'okay' and said he was 'warned' over the costs ahead of his trip. 'It's my first time at Wimbledon but I wasn't surprised by the prices because I had been warned!' he said. 'The prices are okay, I think.' Another fan, also with Court One tickets, added: 'For the event it's maybe reasonable. It's Wimbledon so you kind of expect it. 'If I was just out in London I would be more surprised but you are coming to an event so you're more willing to pay it. But it is still a lot of money. 'I guess it depends where you're coming from. I've been in London for a few days so it seems fairly normal now but the Pimm's does seem excessive.' Over 30 tonnes of strawberries are eaten each during the two-week Wimbledon Championships, according to the Wimbledon website. More Trending 'The strawberries served at Wimbledon are a variety named 'Malling Centenary' and are produced by Hugh Lowe Farms, a family-run business located just 31 miles away from the Grounds,' a piece on Wimbledon's favourite fruit said. 'To ensure there are enough, 100,000 plants are planted in late March. Our world-famous berries are hand-picked and delivered to the All England Club each morning where they are inspected by our Food & Drink team to make sure only the best are served to our guests. 'We make sure that any strawberries not eaten during the fortnight aren't wasted. 'These are frozen and used to make the strawberry jam for the scones and Victoria sponge served in our Wingfield Café, which is open year round.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Meet the Wimbledon 2025 tennis presenters, commentators and pundits MORE: Wimbledon 2025 TV channel coverage: Where to watch, BBC start times and schedule MORE: How to become a Wimbledon ball boy or girl and how much do they get paid?
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Costco finishes rolling out massive food court menu change
People who shop at Costco on a regular basis tend to fall into a specific routine. If you're someone who visits Costco every week, you probably have your go-to shopping list you stick to, and you probably know which aisles to hit first and which ones to hit last. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter You're probably also used to the crowds during your preferred shopping time. And you may even time your Costco visits to when samples are likely to be most abundant. Related: Costco adds new food item members already love After all, if you're going to haul over to Costco, wait patiently (or impatiently) for a spot to open up in the parking lot, and then push a heavy shopping cart around a gigantic store, you deserve to be rewarded with some tasty bites of food along the way. As a regular, you may even go so far as to have your preferred checkout lane. And you may or may not be on a first-name basis with the person who checks your receipt and draws your smiley face on the way out the door. Image source: Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images If you're like many Costco members, part of your warehouse club shopping routine may involve a trip to the famous food court. Costco's food court may not exactly be filled with nutritious menu options. But it certainly offers its share of tasty bites at extremely reasonable prices. Related: Costco quietly pulls popular product, upsets fans Take the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo. It's a known fact that Costco loses money on that deal, but it's willing to take the hit if it gets more customers in the door. Costco's food court is also famous for its $9.95 pizza. And if you're ever in the mood for true comfort food, the chicken bake is worth a try. If you tend to make a pit stop at Costco's food court, there may be certain items you order on a regular basis. And losing a beloved food court item can be upsetting. Many people who loved the food court churro are still upset to this day that it was replaced by a giant chocolate chip cookie. And recently, Costco swapped its strawberry banana smoothie for a frozen strawberry lemonade instead. A lot of people weren't happy about that change and complained that the new smoothie wasn't up to par. Related: Costco brings back huge perk members have missed Meanwhile, earlier this year, Costco announced that it would be replacing its Pepsi products with Coca-Cola products at its food courts instead. The company gave members a heads-up that Coke products would return to the food court by summer. So chances are, if you stop in for a meal in the coming weeks, you're going to see an all-new beverage lineup. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on your preferences, of course. Some Costco fans were quite upset to learn that Pepsi products would be making an exit. However, if you're a Coke fan, this is excellent news. In addition to regular Coke, Costco food courts will feature Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Sprite, and more. More Retail: Walmart CEO sounds alarm on a big problem for customersTarget makes a change that might scare Walmart, CostcoTop investor takes firm stance on troubled retail brandWalmart and Costco making major change affecting all customers Of course, some people just don't like change. And it's understandable that any disruption to your typical Costco shopping experience might feel uncomfortable at first. But if there's one thing Costco tends to do often, it's mix things up, whether by swapping out inventory or messing with the food court menu. So if you're a regular, you might as well get used to it. Maurie Backman owns shares of Costco. Related: Costco makes rare mistake with its bold new idea The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
