Hey Patrick, I am trying to limit consumption of HFC soda was on the chopping block so now I only drink diet soda or in that rare case a Mexican one.

Even if this scenario is true, I do not view it as a conspiracy (per se). HFCS (compared to sugar) was not exactly controversial back in 1984. Lowering the cost of a product is nothing new to industry (even if it means changing an ingredient). CCE already knew the brand’s worldwide popularity, and they probably did not want to see any potential bad press about a change in taste, so I’d almost expect them to pull a move like this. I think the link you cited, the guy is overreacting. My wife used to work for P&G. Knowing their corporate MO, if they were the maker of a softdrink, they’d handle an ingredient change in a similar manner if it meant a double-digit % cost savings on the ingredient list.

I do have memory of “Old Coke” versus “Classic Coke”. The sugar stuck to your teeth differently. I’m very curious to see an early 1984 coke can versus a 1985 classic coke can, and see the ingredients list.

If not, then I can never see that weird year as a good one for Coke. But it sure did cement the Coke brand as the premum soft drink of the world.

I have never professionally experienced the level of competency necessary for a business or corporation to pull off a conspiracy like this, so I call Hanlon’s Razor and blame this on short-sightedness.

Was “New Coke” just a ploy to get us away from “cane sugar coke” so they could introduce “HFCS coke” (coke classic) and have us not notice the slight difference in taste?

Or is this absolute common knowledge? Was I sleeping or something?

As I’ve considered a career change into medicine, I took a job in a hospital as a physical therapy tech for 3 months last year (career intelligence gathering). I was shocked to find that upwards of 75% of my patients (most over age 65) had type-2 diabetes. Most had no idea they were even in trouble. They’d come in with sugar levels upwards of 350 (under 110 is normal). As a people, I hate to say it, but we’re in some serious trouble as far as lifestyles go. Forget tech investments. if you want to make some money Joe, invest in companies that manufacture diabetic treatment solutions and blood testing equipment. It’s a sure winner as a market category.

There was a very interesting study released 3 years ago on the topic of soda. They studied the incidence of forearm breaks in teenagers over a 3 or 4 decade period. 1967-70, 1977-80, 1987-90 and 1997-2000

Most of this bone density growth happens during our pre-teen years (9-12 years). They also looked at soda consumption rates versus the consumption of milk. As you might expect, during the 60′s they had low incidences of forearm breaks, higher milk consumption and lower soda consumption. By the late 90′s those figures were dramtically different. many bone breaks, low milk and high soda consumption. Soda’s upturn was almost identical in slope to milk’s downturn. The conclusion was that the popularity of soda was probably responsible for the lower bone density being seen, and the higher likelihood of future bone breaks. They were particularly worried about the hip fractures these kids will probably face when they take tumbles in their old age. As one who has suffered a recent hip fracture, I can attest to the fact that it is a tough thing to recover from.

Another thing: Go to a corner bodega. Do you see any 12 oz coke cans anymore? No. All you see now are the 20oz plastic bottles. The soda companies have essentially removed the 12 oz cans from circulation. And I doubt it is strictly because of the cost of aluminum vs HDPE. They’re pushing this cheap crap upon us. I did some work for Coke back at Organic. Coke’s corporate marketing strategy is to change the fact that the entire world population consumes a coca cola product every 3 days..to a coke product consumed EVERY DAY. Nice goal, eh? Seems to be working.

And another other thing: Corn syrup has one horrible effect that sucrose never had. It impedes the hormone that tells the body to actually feel full. The more corn syupr laden stuff you consume, the more you feel compelled to keep eating.

I’m thankful for my wife. My son is 3 1/2 years old. He has not consumed so much as a full cup of soda. We try to keep corn syrup products away from him at all costs. I’ve given up all soda consumption as well (and it was hard to do).

I believe people must understand that they are in charge of their lives and able to change themselves and their habits. Any emphasis on being a victim of eternal forces provides a clear path to giving up. We will always be presented with bad choices, too many people seem to declare themselves powerless in the face of those temptations.