Fanta has been available on-off in Canada for a long time. I used to drink the grape, orange and cream soda varieties in the 70's-early 80's.

The Canadian Coke website does list Fanta has a brand in Canada:

http://www.cocacola.ca/fr/brands_brands.htm

I've also seen Fanta brands in the Southeast US quite a bit, specifically the pineapple version.

JP

Galco's has Dublin Dr Pepper also; I picked up some this weekend. One drawback: It's $1.39 for an 8-ounce bottle, so it's pricier than the local stuff.

So if we're all agreed that Coke tastes better if it's made with real sugar rather than with HFCS, does anyone know why Coca-Cola USA even uses HFCS instead? Is there any advantage to it that would justify the penalty in terms of taste?

Price. (What else?)

Ed

We go over to Mexico a lot for dinner when we are home and we love the "real" Coke. It is SO much better than the HFCS crap which I won't even drink. Real coke is not sickeningly sweet like the HFCS.

It's cheaper.

Cheaper to grow, cheaper to ship, easier to mix into the soda mixing tanks.

There was a piece on 60 Minutes a few years ago about the U.S. government subsidizing the corn growers and then finding uses for the corn. Ergo, high frutose corn syrup and the abundance of it. There has been speculation that the massive use of HFCS in foods has been a major factor in the increase in obesity. The body does not handle HFCS the same was as regular sugar.

I like Coke made with real sugar......hmmmmm...sugar.....

I have also heard that back in the 80's when coke went to New coke and then changed back to Coke Classic, the reason they did this was to switch from sugar to HFCS. They thought people would be so happy to have real coke back they wouldn't notice it is now made with HFCS.

Dublin Dr. Pepper. I just saw six (or maybe twelve?) packs of the cans at the Fort Worth Central Market yesterday.

Not inexpensive, but the ONLY way to drink Dr. Pepper in my book.

The theory is that HFCS is the major cause of DIABETES, which manifests itself as Obesity.

Right. The problem with HFCS is not only that it is sweeter than other forms of sugar, but also that it does not affect appetite. Fructose adds to overeating because it does not trigger chemical messengers that tell the brain the stomach is full and no longer hungry, like food and drinks that contain regular refined sugar do.

Not that I'm advocating overindulging on refined sugar, either, but at least your body will send you a message that you are (or should be) full.

My kids complained that the non-bottled Coke they got in the US always tasted of flouride.
" That's why so many Americans are fat but with great teeth " I usually replied.

in CMH or CLE areas??

In CMH, I'm thinking a store near Bexley

CLE, Beachwood...

anyone have anything more specific??

There are a few reasons. I researched this (well cruised the internet a bunch looking at different theories, etc...) and there seems to quite a few reasons. HFCS is sweeter so they can use less of it for flavoring (even if it isn't as good). It also acts as a preservative and increases shelf life. This is why it can be so difficult to find bread that doesn't have HFCS. It is also used a lot in Frozen foods for the the same reason. My sister mentioned to me that a lot of Canadian foods still use sugar. She surmises that Canada still has access to Cuban Sugar and that the US does not and that is a factor. Whether or not that is true, I have no idea.

Going OMNI for a moment:

HFCS are in durned near everything. Go check the labels of everything you've got in your fridge and cupboards and you'll be shocked how frequently HFCS turns up: pre-marinated meats to salad dressing to ketchup to yogurt.

I'm finally seeing non-artisan bread turn up on supermarket shelves specifically labeled, "Contains No High Fructose Corn Syrup."

I recently contacted a regional dairy based near me, asking whether they planned to stop using HFCS in their yogurt and yogurt-based drinks. Given that their biggest (regional) competitor is hyping their rBST-free/HFCS-free "philosophy" right on the label, I wasn't too surprised that the response I got back was on the order of "we can't move away from HFCS fast enough for our customers." I was so pleased, and now I have several non-OG options for decent yogurt.

Back OT:

Here's a prediction. Eventually Coke will cave to some degree on the availability of non-HFCS product in the U.S. And what they'll probably do is market a Coke w/Real Cane Sugar product -- at a premium price, of course -- to compete with the other all-sugar, all-the-time soda producers such as Jones.

Coke was a really wonderful product pre-1985, but this lumbering behemoth of a corporation left me with a bad taste in my mouth (literally) when they changed formulation. I'd dearly love to see some whiz-bang chemist crack the recipe secret on the old formula and start a new soda company.