"Mid-Calorie" Sodas: C2, Pepsi Edge, etc.

[Gifted Gourmet]

If C2 or Pepsi's equivalent tastes better than their "Diet" versions, I'm definitely going to be a convert.

Anything with fewer calories, but without that horrific artificial aftertaste, would indeed have my blessing!! Although I still love the taste of Coke Classic .. and in Atlanta we fully genuflect at the high altar of this beverage ... and truly venerate the logo .... I am fully aware of the "toll" it takes on the human body over years of consuming it ...

[srhcb]

If C2 or Pepsi's equivalent tastes better than their "Diet" versions, I'm definitely going to be a convert.

Anything with fewer calories, but without that horrific artificial aftertaste, would indeed have my blessing!! Although I still love the taste of Coke Classic .. and in Atlanta we fully genuflect at the high altar of this beverage ... and truly venerate the logo .... I am fully aware of the "toll" it takes on the human body over years of consuming it ...

You know, somebody should sue Coke and Pepsi for not having brought these products out earlier and making everybody fat!

[Gifted Gourmet]

You know, somebody should sue Coke and Pepsi for not having brought these products out earlier and making everybody fat!

As if some shyster lawyer hasn't had the exact same "epiphany"!!

It all falls under the heading of " but Mommy made me eat this!" ... we are all "victims", whether it be of a culinary appetite or narcissistic appetite or nicotine or sexual appetite ... we lack resolve and self control ...

and the legal predators out there are more than pleased to make "use" of this concept ... kind of an "aha!" moment!!

so if there is cash to be gained by suing our supposed "tormentors", you better be damned sure that you have a significantly "appealing" case!!

"Make that one Big Mac and supersize my retainer, ya hear??"

drive around please ....

[KattyKid]

Any Soda/Pop = Blech !!!!!

[jhlurie]

Any Soda/Pop = Blech !!!!!

Tell us how you really feel!

[Gifted Gourmet]

I think she has "filtered" her response here ...

[clothier]

Any Soda/Pop = Blech !!!!!

any?

really?

not even root beer? everybody likes a little root beer now and then.

have you felt this way for long?

[KattyKid]

Sorry I wasn't more explicit. I really dislike soda because anything I drink with a meal should't be sweet - except for Port , Madiera and the like. I do admit to having a Stewarts Root Beer while eating at a Cracker Barrel about 4 months ago tho because at the time It seemed to do.

[PepsiFan]

Can anyone who has seen the bottles confirm this?

Beverage Digest reported that C2 will be sweetened with a mixture of

high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, aspartame and acesulfame potassium,

known as "ace-K."

Why can't the just go with Sucralose and HFCS like Pepsi???

[jhlurie]

Ace-k (it's branded as "Sunett") is actually a fairly common additive to Sucralose blends. The mystery is why they still feel they need aspartame.

[cakewalk]

Any Soda/Pop = Blech !!!!!

I thought that said Any Soda/Pop = Belch! And I'm not even dyslexic.

This soda stuff sounds like a double whammy. Corn syrup plus artificial sweeteners. Who needs both?

When I first heard about the stuff I thought it would be soda with half the sugar in it, and no additional sweeteners. How naive.

[Willly]

In the late 70's, wasn't there a Pepsi Light. It was half sugar, half saccharin with some lemon flavoring. I'm not sure if there was a national roll-out, but it was available in SoCal.

[clothier]

In the late 70's, wasn't there a Pepsi Light. It was half sugar, half saccharin with some lemon flavoring. I'm not sure if there was a national roll-out, but it was available in SoCal.

we had it here in the great lakes state.

I thought it was nasty, but my mom really liked it.

[jhlurie]

In the late 70's, wasn't there a Pepsi Light. It was half sugar, half saccharin with some lemon flavoring. I'm not sure if there was a national roll-out, but it was available in SoCal.

To my surprise look what Google finds.

Pepsi Light still exists... in Russia.

[jhlurie]

I saw a "C2" commercial yesterday while channel surfing (a "joy" you TIVO owners miss out on!) The most disturbing thing? The Rolling Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as it's theme.

More about the coming mammoth C2 "ad push", from AdAge.com

The article at least hints that this may be the start of one of the most expensive ad campaigns in history. "Mid-cal" may seem like a joke, but this is huge money and huge news--possibly even moreso if it falls on it's face like "New Coke" did.

[phaelon56]

In the late 70's, wasn't there a Pepsi Light.  It was half sugar, half saccharin with some lemon flavoring.  I'm not sure if there was a national roll-out, but it was available in SoCal.

To my surprise look what Google finds.

Pepsi Light still exists... in Russia.

If I'm not mistaken, the Russian Pepsi Light is actually Diet Pepsi. When I traveled in Central America and Mexico a few times in recent years there was no "Diet Pepsi" but they had Pepsi Light - exactly the same as standard Diet Pepsi but for the name.

[ronnie_suburban]

The article at least hints that this may be the start of one of the most expensive ad campaigns in history.  "Mid-cal" may seem like a joke, but this is huge money and huge news--possibly even moreso if it falls on it's face like "New Coke" did.

At the recently-completed FMI Show here in Chicago, these products had--by far--the biggest booths of the show. Of course, the soft drink mammoths always do, but large portions of their respective areas were dedicated to these mid-range products. I tasted both the Coke and Pepsi products and thought they were ok, but nothing special. I honestly don't see a big market for these products (too many calories for actual dieters) but wtf do I know?

Also, regarding new Coke, I always view that debacle differently since the plan there was to entirely replace original Coke with it. These 'mid' products are designed to create/capture a new market (and take up shelf space), not replace existing ones. If they fail, no one but the shareholders and those reponsible for launching them will likely notice.

=R=

[mags]

I tasted both the Coke and Pepsi products and thought they were ok, but nothing special. I honestly don't see a big market for these products (too many calories for actual dieters) but wtf do I know?

I don't think these products are intended for dieters, Ronnie. My sense -- and this is purely me talking out of my ass (what a charming image THAT is) -- is that Coke and Pepsi have gotten wise to the fact that the world is not divided between dieters and people who don't give a damn what they eat. There is a huge, third population made up of people who don't need (or aren't prepared to take on) the stringency of a "diet" -- giving up all the things they love to eat -- but are increasingly uncomfortable with the high levels of fat, sugar, and calories in those things. That discomfort could, theoretically, prompt them to opt for the "diet" versions, but for many people, Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke taste awful, and are lousy substitutes for The Real Thing. Another option is for people to moderate their consumption -- kicking their three-can-a-day habits down to one can a week, for example -- but Coke and Pepsi sure don't want people choosing that option. So I think the introduction of the "mid-calorie" line is like a preventative measure: See, you don't HAVE to go the moderation route (which you don't want to do anyway, since you love your three cans a day). If you go with the mid-calorie option, you can have your three cans a day and simultaneously get rid of the guilt you've been feeling about drinking them.

WHile I'm sure the introduction was motivated entirely by marketing, I actually think it's a really healthy step toward a less insane concept of food and eating. America in particular has a feast or famine mentality: As a country, we tend always to be either dieting strictly (however individuals define that) or throwing caution to the winds and binging our heads off. We're either eating skinless chicken breasts and salad with no dressing or fried chicken with cream gravy, mashed potatoes and biscuits; dessert is either revolting sugar-free Jell-o with a strawberry and a tablespoon of fat-free Cool Whip, or fudge brownies with ice cream. As a society, when it comes to food (and obviously, there are individuals of whom this isn't true) we don't seem to know how to tread a middle ground, and both food companies and the media fuel our black-and-white approach; both advertisements and food magazines seem to assume that we're looking only for menus that fall either into the 500-calories-and-under camp (like Gourmet's Eating for Health section) or into the calories-be-damned department. Some magazines and newspapers (Sunset, the Washington Post) do publish nutritional counts on all their recipes -- which I think is great, because it allows people to make informed decisions about ALL of what they eat -- but too many assume that the only people who care about the calories, fat, carbs in their recipes are "dieters," who are assumed to want only the most stringent options available. I think all of this is insane, I think it contributes significantly to the binge-and-starve mentality that has been the bane of so many people with weight problems (me included), and I even think it's indicative of wider social ills, of a mentality that says a given food or recipe or menu is either Good or Evil.

So I'm all in favor of anything that proposes a workable middle ground, even if that middle ground comes complete with (modified amounts) of high-fructose corn syrup.

[ronnie_suburban]

Mags, what you say makes perfect sense. Perhaps there will emerge a vast market of non-dieters who will just be happy to consume less sugar--and that's a positive thing. Being permanently cynical prevented me from seeing this possibility on my own

I will say that with both the products I tried, the "mid" Coke and Pepsi really did taste like the originals (more certain of this with the Coke than the Pepsi), so maybe success lay ahead with these types of products.

=R=

[phaelon56]

I wish someone would follow the lead of many Italian soft drink producers - better raw ingredients (e.g. sugar rather than HFCS), much less sweetness (thus fewer calories) and lower carbonation levels. I've never been much of a soda drinker but I don't like drinking lots of fruit juice and don't consume alcohols. I've been trying out a number of Italian alternatives lately and theyr'e great apart from the high price. I think the biggest dilemma is that a huge marketing campaign would be required to get a significant enough number of people shifting in that direction. In the meantime I'm paying $4 for a six pack of 6 oz bottles. Ouch.

[mags]

Owen, this may sound sort of like reinventing the wheel, but have you thought about making your own? That way, you could control the sweetness, the form of sweetener, and the level of carbonation. I'm not much of a soda-drinker, but my SO craves orange soda (don't ask, it's a reversion-to-childhood thing), and I've been thinking about trying to make some for him that won't send him into paroxycisms of guilt over the amount of sugar he's consuming. Whey Low it is, for me, but you might be happy with plain table sugar...or even something like raw sugar.

[phaelon56]

Actually... that's a good idea. Simple syrup made from raw (turbinado) sugar would be my preferred sweetner but I'll have to work on where to get the best fruit and bitters elements.

[mags]

There are a number of places that sell flavoring extracts intended for home soda-makers. You might want to start with one of those, and then tweak it to your liking. While trying to avoid work, over the winter, I compiled a list, so PM if you want sources.

[wilewil]

Wonder if they plan caffiene free version?

[Ms Neato]

I haven't seen any of these surface in New Zealand yet; but when (and if!) they do, it will be interesting to see if the ingredient lists are the same - HFCS isn't something that we see a lot of over here (even Coca Cola is made with *actual* sugar, for example); so it would be interesting to see if it is included.