Pepsi Throwback — Now with Real Sugar!

For years the little bottling company in Dublin, Texas has been selling Dr. Pepper made with Imperial Pure Cane Sugar instead of High-fructose corn syrup. There is no comparison. The real sugar tastes better. It also cost more. A case of the good stuff will set you back $10, about twice the “regular” stuff. For the small 8 oz bottles you are looking at $16/case. Six 8 oz bottles cost $6. It’s well worth it. It turns Dr. Pepper into a treat instead of just a drink. Coca-cola too can be found in classic formula sold in bottles. It is usually found with a Spanish label. Now Pepsi is advertising that between now and June, you will be able to get Pepsi and Mountain Dew made with real sugar.

Pepsi	Pepsi Throwback
CARBONATED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CARAMEL COLOR, SUGAR, PHOSPHORIC ACID, CAFFEINE, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVORS	CARBONATED WATER, SUGAR, CARAMEL COLOR, PHOSPHORIC ACID, CAFFEINE, NATURAL FLAVOR
Calories: 150 Sodium: 30mg Carbs: 41g Sugars: 41g Caffeine: 38mg Potassium: 10mg Phosphorous (mg): 53mg	Calories: 150 Sodium: 40mg Carbs: 40g Sugars: 40g Caffeine: 38mg Phosphorous (mg): 60mg

What I find funny is the marketing engine surrounding selling something that is made the way it should be made. I liken this to when you look at an orange juice carton labeled “not from concentrate”. It’s sad that they have to tell you when something is made the way it should be made. It is now the norm that orange juice is made by mixing frozen concentrate with HFCS and water. Instead of explaining why things are made using natural ingredients, food manufacturers should have to explain why they are not using sure.

Of course, the reason is simple: money. HFCS is cheap and the price is predictable. There’s not enough sugar cane to satisfy the US’s sweet tooth if they were forced to use real sugar. If you want to see what the ingredients for a soda made with “natural” ingredients would look like, just visit Pepsi‘s web site and look at Pepsi Natural: SPARKLING WATER, SUGAR, NATURAL APPLE EXTRACT (COLOR), CARAMEL COLOR, CITRIC ACID, CAFFEINE, ACACIA GUM, TARTARIC ACID, LACTIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVOR, KOLA NUT EXTRACT. Keep in mind that “Natural Flavor” is intentionally vague.

I’ll be interested to see what the public reaction to the Throwback products will be. I think it is a step in the right direction (like KFC offering Kentucky Grilled Chicken).