This post has been brought to you by Dr. Pepper and The Motherhood. All opinions are my own.
Quick! Do you know how many people in the world know the secret formula for Dr. Pepper? (Answer: Two.) Or a Dr. Pepper product on the shelf today may have existed in over 40 variations before developers were able to develop the best-tasting version using sensory science’s input? I learned all this and more during an interview with the research and development team of the Dr. Pepper Snapple group. After our interview I had a new respect for the science behind the production. Who knew? When I am popping open a cold can of Dr. Pepper 10, I’m only worried about the flavor and whether I am getting a good value for my money!
I have to admit, I am a soda addict. There’s nothing I like better than popping open a cold can of soda after a long day. My kids even joke about this, saying, “No one better get between Mom and her soda!” The one thing I worry about is the calorie count in soda. I switched to diet years ago. The development team at Dr. Pepper has taken the message of calories to heart, implementing their new Calories In, Calories Out Program.
Our initiatives as a company to promote balance reflect a larger commitment by the beverage industry to deliver meaningful solutions to obesity.”
Some of the steps they have taken include removing full-calorie beverages out of schools voluntarily, reducing the calories in beverage shipments to schools by more than 90%, putting calorie counts on the fronts of all beverage containers and promoting Mixify, a multi-year national consumer awareness and engagement program by the beverage industry to talk to teens about the importance of balancing what they drink and eat with what they do.
Did you know kids ages eight to eighteen spend almost 8 hours a day on media devices? This, combined with poor eating and drinking habits and other factors, have caused the obesity rate in children to soar. Dr. Pepper is trying to combat this problem by launching their Let’s Play program. Teaming with Kaboom, a national non-profit dedicated to promoting active play, this program has helped build or improve over 2000 playgrounds around the US. This year, wanting to expand their reach to older children, they have teamed up with Good Sports, a national non-profit dedicated to promoting active play among older children by providing athletic equipment to disadvantaged young people nationwide.
Not wanting to leave out young children, Dr. Pepper/Snapple has improved their Mott’s juices too. Earlier this year, they introduced a line of three new flavors that offer 40% less sugar than fruit juices with 100% Daily Value of Vitamin C.
All of these innovation left me with a desire to take a tour of their headquarters and help them sample some of their new flavors. I’ve sure I would be an excellent test taster! What is your favorite Dr. Pepper/Snapple product?
Great cause, I have not had soda in years. But I love hearing about snapple involved with children’s programs.
I am a huge dr. pepper fan. I’m more an addict actually.
That is a lot of time on social media devices. I never knew that. I love their program and I hope it reaches a lot of kids!
Dr. Pepper is delicious! Eight hours a day on media devices? Wow, that’s a lot. Any way we can get our kids to eat/drink better and move more is good!
My husband is a huge Dr. Pepper fan. We’ve been to both the bottling factories in Waco and Dublin, Texas. The one in Dublin is his favorite before they shut it down. DP made with cane sugar.
I was watching Alton Brown on the Food Network not too long ago, he was talking about how they keep the Dr Pepper formula locked up in a safe!
Dr Pepper is one of our favorites!
I don’t drink much pop anymore. When I do, Dr. Pepper is still my fav!
I love Snapple drinks! Haven’t had one in awhile. I should go to the store…. 🙂
When I lived in the south diet Dr. Pepper was my go-to when I decided to have a pop. Now that I live in the north its harder to find when eating out, especially in diet. I sure miss it.
My husband is a Dr. Pepper freak! He loves it! I myself love the cause of getting kids off the electronics and out of the house!
I really don’t drink anything but water and green juices. At least it is better for you
That is great that they are looking to cut out the calories and sugars. I hate drinking my calories, so cut out the soda a long time ago. Now I can indulge without worrying about how it will affect my waistline.
My sister-in-law and I were just talking about the ill affects that gadget time is bound to have on kids. Obesity did come up…so did poor eyesight…I wonder if all this gadget viewing is going to ill-affect our eyes.
We love Motts for Tots – less sugar, more juice. As in anything I think moderation is the key. Glad to see them taking the initiative to keep kids moving!
I love a cold dp. I’m so glad to know they are taking a big step towards childhood obesity.
You sound like my mom…my mom was and still is a Pepsi fan. Its great to see that Dr.Pepper and Snapple are reinventing their brands with less sugar.
It’s great how snapple and dr pepper are taking initiatives to get people moving. We all need to do more of that.
Great program! That’s ALOT of time on social media.
I’ve always loved Dr. Pepper, and fondly remember drinking it during my camp days. Snapple was a later obsession and I preferred the Pink Lemonade flavor. Not sure if they are still making that one.
Sounds like a great program. Getting kids moving and away from so much technology is always a good idea.
LOL as I type this my son is on his tablet. It is something that I am definitely trying to monitor and use as rewards or else they would be on their tablets all day.
I didn’t know Dr. Pepper/Snapple/Motts were all part of the same company. I love all of those.
What a great program it is nice to see large companies focusing on children’s health. I can’t remember the last time I had a soda.
I’m not a big fan of pop, but I AM a big fan of what Dr. Pepper and Snapple are doing to get kids active.
I am a Coca Cola fan too, but DP is so good to cook with! Makes the best carnitas and cake!
What a great initiative! That’s a lot of time for kids to be on devices!
I’m not usually a soda drinker but we definitely drink juice. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I LOVE Dr. Pepper. I usually drink the diet. It tastes just like the original.
8 hours a day??? That is just nuts… Wow… I love that they have improved their Mott’s Drinks… those are a family-favorite…
It is so important to set aside time to spend outside. Also – Diet Dr Pepper is my favorite!!
I’m a HUGE cola addict. I can’t get enough. So bad I know, but my kids? NOPE. They drink water, milk or watered down juice (my poor 11 YO I still water it down) haha. Great to hear about Motts!
I love the full 100% juice! I can’t drink anything else anymore cause it tastes like straight sugar! I will have to try out their new juices!
Before my son stopped drinking soda, he would always order Dr. Pepper at restaurants. I might have to tell him about this the next time he is drinking it!
Dr. Pepper is the only pop I drink. It’s yummy.
I LOVE Dr. Pepper. My favorite (right now) is the Diet Cherry Dr Pepper. I love the Dr Pepper 10 too. I would love to taste test too. What fun!
Taste testing sounds like a ton of fun! Especially since I haven’t had a bad Dr. Pepper flavor yet.
You know, I’m more of a Diet Coke kind of person! However, my husband would LOVE this! He loves his Dr. Pepper!
I’ve made a concerted effort to stop drinking pop, but when I do, it’s Dr. Pepper. I’m glad to hear they’re helping build all those playgrounds!
Sounds like a great program. Love Motts.
I used to love Dr Pepper but I quit soda altogether several years ago. I stick with water instead.
My daughter would LOVE this. She is a Dr. Pepper freak. knowing that she can have this and drink Snapple too — she would be all excited about that.
I’m drinking a diet Dr. Pepper right now! It was one of my mom’s favorite sodas, and I love it. (I’m also addicted to sodas. So not good for me.)
I’ve always been a Coke fan. It’s probably one of the worst sodas for you, but I crave the caffeine.