Kraft

Capri Sun comes in 14 flavors, not including Moldy

What's grosser than gross? When you open your Capri Sun and find five types of fungus in it!

A recent examination of the unexpected contents of the popular kids drink was spawned by reports of consumers finding mold -- we're talking mats of fungus consisting of millions of cells -- in the beverage, Yahoo News reports.

While absolutely disgusting, the fungi probably aren't harmful to most people, said study researcher Kathleen Dannelly, associate professor of microbiology at Indiana State University.

"Probably, those of us with healthy immune systems, we could even eat that, and that wouldn't be a problem," Dannelly said, referring to the fungal mats.

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Flickr/vwb5

Coke

California lawmakers are considering a bill this week that would tax sugary drinks to the tune of one cent per fluid ounce. That would add 12 cents to your typical can of Coke -- but not Diet Coke.

It would also affect the price of sweet tea, but not tea that you add sugar to yourself. Yes, this is making more and more sense.

The measure passed its first hurdle, clearing a tax committee on Wednesday, KTLA reports.

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Flickr/stevendepolo

Grape soda

Now we know you were all really mad at NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg for trying to ban large-sized sodas. But the man may have had a point. Sugary beverages are linked to more than 180,000 deaths worldwide annually, according to new research presented this week at an American Heart Assn. conference.

Harvard researchers examined how often people around the globe drink sugar-sweetened beverages and how that affected their risk of death, CNN reports. They looked at over 100 national dietary surveys covering more than 60% of the world's population, and also sought evidence from studies in medical journals concerning sugary drinks and other dietary habits.

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Flickr/uberculture

an old Mountain Dew ad

If you're the sort of person who wakes up not to a demitasse of espresso or a nice pot of tea but instead prefers the neon glow of Mountain Dew in your morning cup, the marketing folks at PepsiCo have a new drink for you. A breakfast drink, to be specific, which the company is rolling out later this month. The stuff is called Kickstart -- and no, I don't imagine the New York-based company needed a Kickstarter campaign to finance this idea -- and it contains 5% juice, vitamins B and C and extra caffeine, as well as that Mountain Dew flavor.

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Flickr/poolie

Soda

New research claims that sweetened beverages increase the risk of depression in older adults -- and those drinks containing artificial sweeteners have an even worse effect on mood. Coffee, on the other hand, slightly lowers the chances of experiencing depression, CBS News reports.

"Sweetened beverages, coffee and tea are commonly consumed worldwide and have important physical -- and may have important mental -- health consequences," study author Dr. Honglei Chen, a researcher with the National Institutes of Health, said in a written statement.

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Nesquik

If you were thinking of making yourself a nice comforting cup of cocoa to deal with last Friday's spinach recall, you might want to try a glass of wine instead. Glendale-based Nestle USA has recalled Nesquik, also for possible Salmonella contamination. (That Salmonella seriously gets around.)

The foodmaker said Thursday that it's recalling Nesquik sold in its 10.9-, 21.8- and 40.7-ounce canisters across the country in early October. The affected products have an expiration date of Oct. 2014.

Nestle says it is issuing the recall after its ingredient supplier recalled some of the calcium carbonate used in the product due to potential Salmonella contamination. Nestle asks consumers with the product to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund, or call Nestle Consumer Services at (800) 628-7679.

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MiO/Facebook

MiO advertisment

The lounge. The smell of chalky beans in a microwaved burrito. Cold Chinese leftovers. A squashed tuna sandwich. Most of your co-workers wash their food down with water from the cooler or a diet Coke. However, one guy pulls a plastic vial from his pocket and waves it over his cup of water. Red ribbons lash out and the water turns the color of Gatorade. "What's that?" you ask. "It's water enhancer," he replies, as if granting a gift.

Water enhancer looks like the stuff of a futuristic cocktail bar, an elixir that extraterrestrial barkeeps might squirt into steaming beakers of murky space-booze. Kraft's MiO makes six varieties of sugar-free water enhancer, including Sweet Tea and Orange Tangerine, and advertises its wares as an opportunity for consumers to customize their drinks down to the drop.

"Make water awesome again," pledges the company. As reported in Beverage Daily, on Oct. 1, Coke is getting in on the act with its own line: no-calorie Dasani Drops, in nine flavors, including Pink Lemonade, Pineapple Coconut, and Mixed Berry.

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Flickr/jacreative

Diet Pepsi

PepsiCo Inc. is trying out new artificial sweeteners that would let its diet soda keep its sweet taste for a longer period of time, The Washington Post reports. The current sweetener used in Diet Pepsi -- aspartame -- loses its potency faster than high fructose corn syrup, the sweetener that's used in most regular sodas. This can result in both an uneven flavor in the soda and a shorter shelf life.

When the company figures out a better sweetener blend, a new version of Diet Pepsi will be released as early as next year. It will use the same formula that creates Diet Pepsi's overall taste, but will add a mix of artificial sweeteners, including acesulfame-potassium, or ace-K, that has a longer shelf life (and sounds like something you could buy on the street). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ace-K in 1998.

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Corey Ann/Flickr

A summer shandy

The very first drink my father ever made for me -- the first drunk not behind his back in some friend's basement but in our basement, with him -- was a shandy. That must be part of the reason I love them, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that a properly made shandy just might be the most refreshing alcoholic beverage on earth.

Granted, it is barely an alcoholic beverage at all, or one with training wheels, made with equal parts ice-cold beer and ice-cold ginger ale or ginger beer, finished perhaps with a spritz of lime or lemon, maybe a shave of ginger, all placed in a large tumbler filled with so much crushed ice it could not possibly hold another sliver.

That first sip was such a slap it felt like my thirst had amnesia.

Why did it taste so good?

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Flickr/JoelK75

NYC may be putting the standard 16.9-ounce soda bottle on ice -- permanently

As we count down the days remaining to enjoy foie gras in California, we should also count our blessings that we do not live in New York City, which has just proposed a ban of large-size sodas. (Or maybe we shouldn't; maybe it is good idea.) The far-reaching ban would prohibit the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters, delis and ballparks, The New York Times reports. The draconian measure is an attempt by the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg to fight rising obesity.

Under the proposed ban, pretty much the entire menu of popular sugary drinks, from energy drinks to pre-sweetened iced teas, would be limited to a maximum serving size of 16 fluid ounces -- about the size of a medium coffee, and smaller than a regular soda bottle. The plan, which would take effect as early as next March, would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes or alcoholic beverages. It would not extend to drinks sold in grocery or convenience stores or from vending machines.

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