Coke is hurting. With heightened nutritional awareness, sales of Coca-Cola have been steadily dwindling in Canada, now, the soft drink guru is aiming to fix that—by slashing calories and sweetness, which is great news in a nation with a serious obesity epidemic.
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Consumer input is the driving force for the changed recipe, as more of us are opting for bottled waters and teas to quench our thirst. On shelves this week, the new and improved pop has 8 per cent fewer calories and less concentrated syrup.
For some unexplained reason, Canada's version of Coke was sweeter than that of lines distributed in other parts of the world. So we may not even notice the "subtle" difference in taste. However, it's still a gamble because the last thing Canadians want when they crack open up a can of Coke is for it to taste like a diluted cousin. They want that classic sugar-rot goodness flooding their mouth. They count on it.
While it's nice to see Coke making changes, the cynic in me questions whether they will make a jot of difference in the grand scheme of things. Going from 260 calories to 240 (for a 591ml bottle) is hardly a staggering drop. An earlier move saw cans shrinking from 355ml (140 calories) to 310ml (120 calories) and the 591 ml bottle down to 500 ml.
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Coke is still pop and, let's face it, it's never going to be the healthy option.
Some people will continue to guzzle it like they've been caught in the desert. Some will treat it as an occasional indulgence, and countless others will boycott it completely. I fall somewhere in the middle. While I like the idea of having small cans on hand to use as a mixers, it wouldn't be a bad thing if that liquid crack never passed my son's lips.
Are Coke's days as a powerhouse brand numbered?
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Leggings. Yoga pants. Why are these the most hotly controversial items in a woman's closet? Beats the hell out of me. First, our own blogger opened up the debate with an seemingly innocent post, and now, Veronica Partridge's vow to "no longer wear leggings” in public has gone viral, with the blogger defending her stance on Good Morning America.
Moms, you may want to pack your bags and move to Finland. For the past 75 years, pregnant women are given a cool perk from the state: a box.
Not just any old box, but a trousseau of all the must-have baby items from clothes to sheets to toys. But the best part is the box itself, which doubles as a cot and is credited with Finland's low infant mortality rate. Think of it as a shower gift from the government, guaranteed to give all Finnish babies the best start in life, no matter what circumstances they're born into.
Dating back to 1938, the box was brought into effect because infant mortality in Finland was high and people were poor.
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"Not only was it offered to all mothers-to-be, but new legislation meant that in order to get the grant - or maternity box - women had to visit a doctor or municipal pre-natal clinic before their fourth month of pregnancy," says Heidi Liesivesi, a worker at Kela, Finland's social insurance institution.
Thankfully the box tradition is still going strong. Though moms have a choice between a cash handout worth 140 euros ( approximately $195) and the box, most choose for the latter because the contents are worth so much.
Here is a typical contents list, though the items evolve to reflect the changing times. Colours come gender neutral:
What a simple, pragmatic gesture... What do you say, Canada? Maybe we could take some cues from a government that places great value on all its tiniest of citizens.
You tell me: What was the best baby gift you received?
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