| Starbucks, Jamba sour on corn syrup Are latest chains to switch over to sugar
By LISA
JENNINGS
Ray Crockett, director of communications for Coca-Cola North America in Atlanta, said his company offers a range of products to meet consumer preferences, including beverages with non-nutritive sweeteners, such as Diet Coke. With Coke as the leading brand, he said, “consumer research indicates that there is no discernible difference in the taste of our products based on the sweetener used. That authentic, real cola taste is why, around the world, a Coke is a Coke is a Coke.” Still, in the Southeast, demand is growing for Coke made in Mexico, where the product is sugar sweetened. That demand is fueled both by the nation’s growing Hispanic population, as well as the anti-HFCS movement, reports indicate. Crockett said Coke from Mexico is sold by bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises in several states, including Texas and California, and this year the product’s availability will expand to other states throughout the Southeast. Jeff Sinelli, founder, president and “chief vibe officer” for the Which Wich sandwich chain, said his new secondary concept, Burguesa Burger in Dallas, offers the sugar-sweetened Coke from Mexico—in part because of the concept’s appeal to Hispanic diners but also because he has designed the concept to avoid HFCS altogether. Burguesa Burger offers a proprietary line of cane-sugar sweetened fountain drinks, in cola, orange, grapefruit and lemon lime flavors. The drinks are priced about the same as mainstream brands: $1.50 for a small and $2 for a large, with free refills. Sinelli said he is working to eliminate HFCS from the menu at Which Wich, but “100-percent elimination is really dependent on the manufacturers and will ultimately result in higher prices.” Still, Sinelli is a believer in avoiding HFCS. His wife has battled a brain tumor in recent years that he thinks may have been diet related. They are attempting to raise their daughter on “clean” foods, and try to avoid HFCS as part of that effort. “We think it’s worth the investment,” he said. Rusty Coco, co-owner of the Jason’s Deli sandwich chain, said he insisted on the removal of HFCS as part of a health-focused overhaul that began in 2004 and also included the removal of trans fats and monosodium glutamate. “We felt like it was the right thing to do before it was the popular thing to do,” Coco said. Ultimately, the goal was to offer products that were “less fooled around with,” he said. “Cane sugar is more of a natural, pure ingredient.” Coco said the result was better-tasting food, and that surveys and mystery shops indicated consumers loved it. In terms of food costs, making the switch was “close to a wash,” he said, noting that high corn prices last year pushed up the cost of corn syrup products. Coco, however, said the chain still offers fountain beverages made with HFCS, largely because of the company’s long-term contracts. Meanwhile, the chain has brought in bottled Boylan brand cane-sugar sweetened sodas as an alternative. On his blog last year, Coco asked customers about soda preferences. About 7,000 responded, with 68 percent of those saying they would prefer cane-sugar sodas over HFCS-sweetened versions. Coco said he has made such views clear to his suppliers. “We’re hoping one of these major players will come to the market with a bag-in-the-box product that doesn’t use HFCS,” he said, referring to the type of packaging typically used for soda fountain beverages.—ljenning@nrn.com |