Month: October 2006

The Internet is abuzz with talk about Enviga, a new sparkling, green-tea-based beverage “proven to burn calories,” which will hit Northeast stores in November and roll out nationally in January.
The new, “negative-calorie” drink — developed jointly by The Coca-Cola Company and Nestle S.A.. — is being touted as actually increasing calorie burning — that is, if you drink three beverages over the course of a day. In fact, a press release from Coke and Nestle cites extensive scientific studies, which showed that three cans a day of the drink — which contain a blend of green tea extracts (epigallocatechin gallate or EGCG), calcium, and caffeine — will burn a net average of 60 to 100 calories.
This is absolutely brilliant marketing to get you, the unsuspecting consumer, to fork over the suggested $1.29 to $1.49 per can three times a day. (If you develop an Enviga habit, it can be quite costly. That’s a minimum of $3.87 a day, $27.09 a week, or a whopping $116.10 a month!)