Say bye bye to five Baskin Robins flavors

16, Jul, 2010

(CNN) — Baskin-Robbins is putting five of its signature 31 flavors in the deep freeze.

The company, which has thousands of outlets around the globe, is replacing some old flavors with new ones to celebrate National Ice Cream Day in the U.S. on Sunday, and Baskin-Robbin’s 65th anniversary.

Caramel Praline Cheesecake, Campfire S’mores, Apple Pie a La Mode and Superfudge Truffle are leaving the list. French Vanilla, a staple since 1945, is out, too.

Srinivas Kumar, chief brand officer at the company, said “over the decades we have retired some of our iconic flavors into our deep freeze — like ‘Miami Ice’ from the 1980s and ‘Beatlenut’ in the 1960s — but never before have five flavors gone into the deep freeze at one time.”

That’s cold. And it’s ice cream lovers in the United States who’ll likely miss the flavors most. The Illinois-based National Ice Cream Retailer’s Association says the U.S is the world’s top ice cream-consuming nation.

The U.S. ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales, and about 9 percent of all the milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, according to the International Dairy Foods Association.

There’s no word yet on what the new Baskin-Robbins flavors will be. And as for the old ones — get them while you can. They’ll only be available as supplies last.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/15/baskin.robbins.retires.flavors/index.html?section=cnn_latest

Fermented tea kombucha vanishes on alcohol worries

14, Jul, 2010

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a fermented, pungent tea, but it’s the alcohol that can lurk inside of kombucha that’s causing a stink.

Regulators and retailers are concerned that the ancient and trendy tea may need to be regulated as an alcoholic drink. That’s because some bottles have more than 0.5 percent alcohol — the legal limit for a drink not to be considered alcoholic.

The drink dates back thousands of years and across cultures, though its actual country of origin is unclear. But it has gained popularity in the past few years in the U.S., partly because of claimed health benefits, though there’s little science behind them. And it doesn’t hurt when stars like Lindsay Lohan are photographed drinking kombucha.

Since last month, the government has been testing kombucha to determine if it should be labeled like beer or wine. Distributors and retailers like Whole Foods Inc. have removed the most popular form, raw kombucha, from stores, saying they won’t restock until they know more.

That’s upsetting fans, who enjoy the sweet-but-sour taste and shell out more than $3 for a bottle. They’re scouring stores, starting Facebook groups such as “Dude, where’s my kombucha?” and lamenting online.

Anne Sommer misses drinking kombucha each day at 5 p.m., while her husband had wine. She can’t find any at home on Bainbridge Island, Wash., about 30 minutes outside of Seattle and misses her “Booch.”

“I’ve considered taking up wine. I just don’t like how that feels,” she said. “I just drink water and count the days.”

Kombucha (pronounced com-BOOCH-a or com-BOOK-a) contains live bacteria and yeast, similar to yogurt. Many fans make it at home by acquiring a kombucha “mother,” a cloudy mass of bacteria and yeast from another batch. But most prefer to buy it for convenience. Pasteurized versions — where the yeast and bacteria are heated, much like milk — are still for sale because the process kills the yeast, which make the alcohol. But fans tend to prefer the raw version.

Kombucha makers say it leaves production with almost no alcohol. But alcohol can develop over time in unpasteurized versions because the yeast is still alive, converting sugars to alcohol. The more sugar a drink has, the more alcohol can ferment. So each recipe might be different.

Gerry Khermouch, editor of Beverage Business Insights, estimates some kombucha brands might have 2 to 3 percent alcohol, based on reports from producers doing independent testing. Regular beer has about 4 to 5 percent alcohol.

Sales have been doubling each year for at least the past four years and are now worth more than $150 million a year at retail, according to Beverage Business Insights. That’s still barely a drop compared to the $100 billion-a-year U.S. drinks market.

Big brands like Celestial Seasonings and Honest Tea have launched their own raw kombucha brands. Both have taken their products off shelves and are working on new versions.

Some fans aren’t waiting. Macoe Swett drove 80 miles round-trip to snag 20 bottles based on a Facebook tip. The 37-year-old graphic designer will cut her thrice-weekly habit to once a week.

G.T. Dave, CEO of the company that makes category leaders GT’s Kombucha and Synergy, said the products should return in weeks. His company plans to resume production with a new version that will keep alcohol levels under the limit, though he declined to say how the company would do that.

“We’re hoping this month, but nothing is definitive,” he said.

The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which is testing samples of kombucha brands to determine how it should be labeled, said each brand will be treated differently, depending on its alcohol content. It’s not clear how long the investigation will take because regulators don’t know how many companies produce kombucha, spokesman Art Resnick said.

Neither Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods or United Natural Foods, kombucha’s largest distributor, returned calls seeking comment.

Producers are weighing their options. They can change their formula or production methods to lessen the alcohol, pasteurize their drinks, or market their drinks as alcohol. But that would mean taxes and label approval and dealing with a maze of government regulations.

Katalyst Kombucha in Greenfield, Mass., will buy new equipment for $50,000 — 10 percent of the sales he hoped to do this year — to remove alcohol without heat, meaning the drink can remain unpasteurized. But owner Will Savitri doesn’t know what this means for business.

“I think we’re going to get through this one and hopefully on the other side it’s going to be a little less tumultuous,” he said.

Elaine Marshall wants her favorite drink back. The 41-year-old mother in Long Beach, Calif., relied on her morning kombucha for energy. But if there’s too much alcohol, she’ll think again.

“I’m going to be a little bit leery of drinking that with my breakfast.”

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fermented-tea-kombucha-apf-340175706.html?x=0

Free Slurpee

13, Jul, 2010

Oh Thank Heaven™
It’s 7-Eleven® Day
Happy Birthday to Us!
Happy Slurpee® to You!
Happy Concert for Everyone!

7-Eleven®
Celebrates 83rd Birthday with 5 Million Free Slurpee Drinks and Free Online Train Concert

Just one week after our country celebrates its birthday, 7-Eleven, Inc. customers across the country will raise their free 7.11-ounce Slurpee® drinks to salute the all-American convenience retailer. That’s because Sunday is July 11 – also known as 7/11 or 7-Eleven® Day – the day when the world’s first convenience chain celebrates its birthday. 2010 marks 83 years since the company was founded in Dallas, Texas.

Participating 7-Eleven stores across America and Canada will serve 5 million free Slurpee frozen carbonated beverages in special birthday cups on Sunday (while supplies last). “Slurpee-brations” and 7-Eleven birthday parties are being held around the country with music, entertainment, prizes and food sampling. The convenience chain has been celebrating its birthday with free Slurpee drinks since its 75th anniversary celebration in 2002.

7-Eleven is also using its namesake day to kick off its second annual Slurpee® Battle of the Bands (BOTB) contest. Starting this Sunday, 12 home-grown musical groups will begin showcasing their talents and compete for semi-finalist status at four regional concerts.

The first concert takes place Sunday, July 11, at 7 p.m. in Los Angeles at The House of Blues on Sunset Strip where three of the bands will open for a performance by Train, the Grammy Award-winning mainstream rock group from San Francisco. In this virtual talent contest, fans can view all performances live online on Slurpee’s Facebook fanpage (www.facebook.com/Slurpee) and vote for their favorite band at Slurpee.com. Voting is open for three days immediately after each event.

“7-Eleven Day has become so popular that people mark it as a recurring event on their calendars,” said Stefanie Olson, 7-Eleven category manager for Slurpee and Big Gulp® beverages. “Some people forget that it’s July 11th or 7-Eleven Day. They just know it as free Slurpee day. It’s a great way to create a party atmosphere at our stores. Everyone wants to celebrate!” Free Slurpee drinks aside, July, typically the hottest month in the U.S., is the top-selling Slurpee month of the year.

Every year, July 11 marks the day that the convenience retailer observes its birthday and other company milestones. 7-Eleven, the first convenience store, began its run in 1927 when a Southland Ice Company employee started selling bread, milk and eggs from an ice dock as a convenience for his customers. Since that inauspicious start, “convenience” has become a big business. That small ice company has grown into a major international retailing chain with close to 8,200 7-Eleven stores in North America and more than 38,100 worldwide.

About 7 Eleven, Inc.
7 Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience retailing industry. Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates franchises or licenses more than 8,100 7-Eleven® stores in North America. Globally, 7-Eleven operates franchises or licenses close to 37,500 stores in 16 countries. During 2008, 7-Eleven stores worldwide generated total sales of more than $53.7 billion. 7-Eleven has been honored by a number of companies and organizations recently. Accolades include: #3 spot on Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500 list for 2009, #3 in Forbes magazine’s Top 20 Franchises to Start, #3 among Top 100 Global Franchises by Franchise Direct, #3 in Store Growth by Convenience Store News, #2 in Franchise Times Top 200 Franchise Companies and #29 among Top 100 Chains in Food Service. In addition, Hispanic Magazine’s named 7-Eleven in its Hispanic Corporate Top 100 Companies that provide the most opportunities to Hispanics. 7-Eleven recently was selected by three diversity publications as a company offering the best career and franchisee opportunities. 7-Eleven is franchising its stores in the U.S., and is expanding through organic growth, acquisitions and its Business Conversion Program. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com.

Contact:
Margaret Chabris
7-Eleven, Inc.
972-828-7285
margaret.chabris@7-11.com

- http://corp.7-eleven.com/NewsRoom/2010NewsReleases/OhThankHeavenIts7ElevenDay/tabid/428/Default.aspx

Ten Foods You Should Be Eating

13, Jul, 2010

Eaten many coconuts lately? How about cherries or blueberries or grass-fed beef?

You should, because these are all foods with powerful health properties. However, few people pack their grocery carts full of these items.

Take kiwifruit. It’s chock full of vitamin C–a whopping 115% of what you need to eat in a day. It’s also low in calories–just 45 per fruit, sans skin.

In Depth: 10 Foods You Should Be Eating

“In America, most people don’t eat three servings of fruit and vegetables a day,” says nutritionist Jonny Bowden, author of eight books including, most recently, The Most Effective Ways to Live Longer. According to him, there are 10 very healthy foods we don’t eat enough of.

Ignore the Food Pyramid Bowden says many Americans are misled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food pyramid, which is a graphic, pyramid-shaped depiction of nutrition guidelines, updated every five years, that tells Americans what to eat according to food groups. Bowden dismisses it as the product of interest group politics.

“It demonizes fat,” notes Bowden. “Fat is an essential building block for many important compounds in the body.” This is why Bowden puts grass-fed beef, wild salmon and, yes, coconuts, on his top 10 list.

Salmon, in particular, is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with heart and brain health as well as bringing down blood pressure and triglycerides, a risk factor for heart disease. Omega-3s have also been found to improve mood and reduce inflammation, says Bowden.

Another food packed with nutritional value that’s present–but not necessarily front and center in every grocery store–is kale. A member of the cabbage family, which Bowden dubs “vegetable royalty,” kale contains indoles, a compound found to fight cancer. Kale is also rich in antioxidants, which also help prevent cancer, says Bowden.

If that’s not enough for you, kale is also full of sulforaphane, yet another cancer-prevention agent. Kale has calcium, iron and vitamins A, C and K, and two nutrients that are great for the eyes, including zeaxanthin. Kale’s pi�ce de r�sistance: Two cups packs three grams of fiber. Try saut�ing it with garlic and butter, recommends Bowden. Or eat it like salad, with pine nuts, cranberries and olive oil.

Then there are coconuts, a terribly misunderstood food, according to Bowden. The fat in coconuts is a particular kind that’s good for you. It’s called MCT, or Medium-Chain Triglycerides. The body doesn’t store MCT as fat, says Bowden, but rather uses it as energy, like a carbohydrate. Coconuts are also high in lauric acid, a fatty acid that tends to kill pathogens. In addition, coconut oil is great for cooking since it has a very high smoke point.

Eat MediterraneanFor Bowden, sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet is the healthiest way to eat. That means plenty of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, and lots of olive and nut oils. The Mediterranean diet has indeed been proved by study after study to have multiple healthful properties.

If all that sounds just too darn healthy, consider the 10th food on Bowden’s list: dark chocolate. Rich with a phytochemical called flavanol, found by a 2005 study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology to improve cardiovascular health, chocolate with at least 60% cocoa content should be a regular on your shopping list.

Chocolate and coconut anyone? OK, but not until you’ve finished your kale.

In Depth: 10 Foods You Should Be Eating