Are you Pouring on the Pounds?” – soda tax vs public awareness campaign

Kudos to New York City for their “Are you pouring on the pounds?” public awareness campaign that educates local citizens on the perils of drinking high sugar beverages. 
 Very effective posters which appear around the city and in subway cars communicate that ”just 4 sugary drinks per day is equivalent to consuming 85 packets of sugar.” All those extra calories can bring on Obesity, type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease.  http://bit.ly/dYEsu0
As North American health authorities struggle with how to get consumers to curb their consumption of high sugar drinks, local governments are considering soda taxes with some already implemented in certain states.  The concern is do taxes really work? Eg Tobacco, Alcohol.
The concept of a public awareness campaign really stands out when you see what NYC is doing with this very well marketed campaign.  We look forward to seeing their results and hope that Canada is watching.
As a parent I feel strongly about educating my children on healthy, beverage choices and after a decade of consistent messages, I am pleased to say it works … my boys do not choose high sugar drinks and comb labels to find something healthy.  Sadly, they are the minority so I applaud this campaign and appreciate the support.
Gandi is right  - “We must be the change we wish to see in the world”  
I developed SIP natural craft soda (25 calories) to support those who want to try –
Jennifer Martin, Chief Soda Officer
SIPsoda co. ltd.

Glass Packaging - part of Pure

When it comes to packaging a pure beverage, there is only one choice …..glass. 

Glass is made from pure ingredients ( limestone, sand and soda ash), is completely inert (no chemical leaching) and is recycleable.  A pure beverage deserves pure packaging and the benefits of glass far outweigh the disadvantages of weight, breakage and additional shipping costs.

While plastic makes good economic sense, it fails miserably with health and environment. Many plastic bottles contain Benzene and Styrene which can leach into the beverage contributing to potential health issues such as cancer and infertility.   Despite efforts to create compostable plastics, some take thousands of years to breakdown and there are now more plastic fragments from plastic bottles deep in the ocean than plankton, for our fish to feed on. (see documentary “Tapped”) For these reasons, there is a growing movement to ban bottled water in Universities and other institutions.  While bottled water appears to be the target, it should include any beverage bottled in plastic.

Thankfully there are alternatives. Here’s 5 reasons worth considering when choosing a beverage packed in glass – Taste, Health, Quality, Sustainability and Sensory. (feels colder than plastic)

Sparkling regards,

Jennifer Martin  FdSc, MBA

Chief Soda Officer

SIPsoda co. ltd.

Artisan Adult Soda Market takes off

Fuelled by a growing number of non-drinkers and increasing publicity on overly sweetened soft drinks, a new category is emerging.

Soon consumers will have light, healthy and preservative free beverages to choose from.  No longer will the non-drinker have to settle for a boring bottle of designer water or reluctantly accept an iced tea or lemonade which  are often packed with  similar calories and sugar content to soft drinks.

While the UK has many artisan beverages, only a few exist in North America.   As Stewart points out below, UK pubs are now selling more NA (non-alcoholic) drinks than beer and we know the beer trucks in the US are welcoming NA drinks as well.

Operating like  Craft Beer, SIP Natural Craft Soda, opens their doors in this month to the Vancouver, BC marketplace offering  some stylish drinks for discerning grown ups.  SIP launches with three curious flavors – Lavender Lemon Peel,  Rosemary Lime and Coriander Orange.   Just as nature intended, SIP drinks are delicious, natural and untouched.   Made without  additives, colourings,enhancers ,preservatives, or shortcuts of any kind, each drink is very gently pasteurized to preserve the delicate character.

SIP ‘s  clean, modern and simple look reflects this light and healthy drink which is targeted at natural food stores , upscale supermarkets, cafes,  bars , nightclubs and caterers.

A refreshing change

Simon Stewart, Marketing Director at Britvic

Adult soft drinks continue to offer a big opportunity for pubs that have turned to the category and food to drive their sales.  A clear indication of the opportunity, as highlighted in the recently launched Britvic Soft Drinks Report, is that soft drinks sales have overtaken spirits in the on-trade for the first time, largely due to their high purchase incidence with meals.”

Mintel International Group Ltd.

Although small, this market is growing quickly and is now worth £105million. Premium soft drinks are more upmarket, adult soft drinks which usually come in premium packaged glass bottles and generally contain natural, more unusual and better quality ingredients
* Demand for more adult/better quality soft drinks has grown from, among other things: a rise in ABC1s, meaning that as many as seven in ten now think it is “worth paying extra for quality goods” (TGI data)