Latest news with #CrystalLight
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Shrinkflation may be returning for 2025
(WHTM) — After months of rising costs, you may notice some grocery store prices holding steady. But, we may still be paying more. Remember shrinkflation, that trending term a few years ago when it seemed every grocery product was getting smaller? Well, for 2025, it's back. Just when it seemed manufacturers had taken a breather from shrinking their products, it seems they have found some new ways to give us less. The site Consumer World shared photos of the latest items to downsize, including Simply Orange, which it claims recently shrunk from 52 to 46 ounces. Others include: Crystal Light: from six packets to four; Bounty Paper Towels: Consumer World says their triple rolls have shrunk from 135 sheets to 123; Ruffles Potato Chips: Consumer World says they were nine ounces but are now eight and a half, though the site says the amount of air inside the bag looks to be the same. And, from the 'Doesn't That Stink' file, the fact that manufacturers continue to find new ways to shrink products that have already been downsized, according to Consumer World's Ed Dworsky. 'There's almost no product category, except eggs maybe, that hasn't been downsized over the past few years,' Dworsky said. Despite the run up in egg prices the past year, he points out that you still get a dozen in a carton, but shrinking to ten eggs is always a possibility. Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices The good news is that we have been seeing less shrinkflation this year, possibly because so many items are already so small. Find more stories on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Vancouver Sun
04-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
The Bookless Club: How did you scramble some money together as a kid?
In the months ahead you're sure to see them. Article content Yes, it's time to prepare for the onslaught of fresh-faced darlings seated behind small, curb side tables. Their signage will read lemonade even though the drinks on offer may be Crystal Light or Kool-Aid. The pricing will vary between embarrassingly low — say, 10 cents for a cup — to shockingly high — a brash request for $4 for some watery fruit punch. Even if you're not the slightest bit thirsty, you'll shrug and comply. The 10-cent drink, however, will garner a hefty tip. Article content Article content There's something about warm weather that spawns a mercantile impulse in children. I don't know what to attribute it to — maybe Facebook Marketplace, or Etsy — but of late, I'm encountering a different type of roadside commerce. And it's a far cry from the jug of juice and stack of cups. Article content Article content You couldn't miss it. He'd clearly understood the three rules of real estate: Location, location, location. He'd set up near a traffic light so people had no choice but to stop. There was an alleyway beside him so cars could easily pull over. There was even a bus stop promising a steady stream of potential customers. Lots of options here. Article content I had to stop. Turns out he was selling rocks. Article content He had geodes, cave calcites, amethyst crystal clusters, lava, and more. He was, indeed, 10 and he was selling geological specimens. I asked him about a few of them. He had a surprising amount of information. Article content Article content 'How much is that one?' I asked, pointing at a pretty rock covered with sparkly druze crystals. Article content Article content '$60,' came the reply. Article content I raised my eyebrows and cocked my head. Article content My daughter was riding her bike when she spied the tot and the table. Stopping for kids behind tables is a congenital defect in my family, so she stopped. The kidlet, maybe six or seven years old, was selling dahlia tubers. She explained that the tubers came from her aunt who lived up the Valley and that there were two colours to choose from. Article content My daughter chose the three pack of Chimacum Nadjae dahlias. They were advertised on their hand-labelled paper bag as being 'warm 4' coral blooms'. The price was $25. As she handed the freckle-faced vendor the cash she found herself wondering if she was getting fleeced by a preschooler.
USA Today
10-03-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Crystal Light is getting boozy with new lower-calorie Vodka Refreshers
Crystal Light is getting boozy with new lower-calorie Vodka Refreshers Show Caption Hide Caption Shoppers in U.S. increasingly turning to smaller food brands Industry consultants say Unilever, Kraft Heinz and Nestle are all facing smaller, fast-growing independent brands. Powdered drink brand Crystal Light is launching a ready-to-drink cocktail in a can that will be available in some stores this month. The new Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers are a lower-calorie alternative to the hard seltzers on the market, parent company Kraft Heinz said in a press release. The drinks will also be lower in alcohol content, coming in at 3.8% ABV. Nearly 20% of Crystal Light fans already used the product as an alcohol mixer, according to the press release. 'With tens of millions of social media videos showcasing creative ways to mix Crystal Light into cocktails, creating a delicious lower-calorie vodka refresher was a natural step for us,' said Jeremy Kross, Director of Beverage Mixes at Kraft Heinz said in the release. More: Krispy Kreme unveils new doughnut collection in honor of St. Patrick's Day New Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers coming in two flavors The new Refreshers, made in collaboration with Barrel One Collective, will be on shelves at select retailers in the U.S.'s Northeast region in March. The initial release comes in the flavors Wild Strawberry and Lemonade, Crystal Light signature flavors, with triple-filtered vodka and some carbonation. More flavors and expanded availability are expected to occur in 2026. The four-packs will sell for $9.99. Kinsey Crowley is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at kcrowley@ and follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Review: Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers Are A Swing And A Miss On Flavor
Low-rise jeans, body glitter, and Crystal Light in a water bottle full of vodka: For my teenage self --and many other Americans who lived through the late '90s and early 2000s -- this was the winning combination. It was a fast track to being what I coveted most in this world: Cool in the eyes of my peers. So naturally, when Crystal Light let slip that a canned vodka cocktail was coming, my interest was piqued. Since the Y2K aesthetic is popular right now, this boozy product is actually a very smart move for the brand. The company even noted in its press release that it is aware that the powdered, low-calorie drink mix is already a popular cocktail ingredient. So, for better or worse, I was ready to see if the Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers lived up to expectations. Of course, I won't just be trying the canned beverages and sharing my thoughts as an experienced drinker (hey, it's part of my job). I will also be mixing up my own take on the cocktail to the best of my ability, comparing the canned version to the real, DIY 2000s deal. Hopefully, my mixology skills have improved since 2006. Read more: The Ultimate Ranking Of Coconut Rums The new Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers will be available in two flavors to start: Wild Strawberry and Lemonade. The product boasts of being: "The lowest calorie vodka refresher on the market." This is a clear sign Y2K is rearing its ugly head, coming in at just 77 calories per can. The drinks are sugar and carb-free, and contain 3.8% alcohol by volume (ABV). For context, Surfside Lemonade + Vodka has 100 calories, 3 grams of carbs, and 2 grams of sugar, and is 4.5% ABV; Deep Eddy's lemon vodka soda comes in at 120 calories with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of sugar. It's also 4.5% ABV. Starting in the Northeast United States (and presumably working their way down and to the West), the Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers come in packs of four and cost $9.99 each. The company promises new options in 2026 -- which we can probably assume will feature other popular Crystal Light flavors -- as well as a flavor multipack. Right off the bat, I was not a fan of this canned cocktail. The Crystal Light Lemonade Vodka Refresher smells like floor cleaner, with an overwhelmingly strong scent reminiscent of lemon zest. The color is pleasing and the bubbles are mild enough to appeal to people who enjoy fizzy drinks but also not bother those who prefer a flat beverage. Flavor-wise, the Lemonade Crystal Light Vodka Refresher is exactly what I expected based on the scent. It's how I imagine Lysol would taste if it wasn't actually chemicals. I'm curious about which alternative sweetener was used, as the flavor is pretty strong, pushing past all that fake lemon. You can't taste the vodka, though it's not particularly surprising given the low ABV. If you are a big limoncello fan, you might enjoy this new drink. But I am not, so I don't love this beverage. The scent of the Wild Strawberry Crystal Light Vodka Refresher is a bit more appealing than the lemonade. It's still quite artificial smelling, but closer to those strawberry candies with the gooey inside that grandparents always have in their pockets or bags than it is cleaning supplies. It reminds me of strawberry jam, Fruit Roll-Ups, or fruit snacks. The color is a lovely light pink, and the bubble is the same as the lemonade (so fairly inoffensive). The taste is less aggressive than the smell, with a sticky, jammy, sweet flavor profile that reminds me of artificial cotton candy at the end. For some reason, the sweetener is less forward here than it is in the lemonade Vodka Refresher, which is a big asset. I wouldn't go out of my way to drink this, but gun to my head, I would pick Wild Strawberry over lemonade. It's time to put my money where my mouth is and try the DIY version of the Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers -- which played a bigger part than I'd like in my high school experience. For this little experiment, I grabbed packs of the Crystal Light lemonade drink mix and the Crystal Light Wild Strawberry mix. The Wild Strawberry is caffeinated, as that was the only option at my local Target; hopefully, it won't impact the flavor. The booze comes through a lot more in the DIY lemonade Crystal Light Vodka Refresher. (I wonder if that explains the super intense fake sugar flavor in the canned one?) Oddly, the homemade version makes me appreciate the canned one more. The color is much more saturated, to the point that I kind of think I might be onto a cheap, quick version of limoncello. With some tinkering, it could be a winner, though that negates the point of a canned cocktail, at least to some degree. My DIY Strawberry Crystal Light Vodka Refresher honestly didn't taste that much different from the canned one. Similar to the lemonade, the color of my version was much, much darker (which I low-key think fits the jammy, candy flavor more than the bubblegum pink). Overall there was little difference between the two. To honor my teenage years (and to avoid flashbacks of my 16-year-old friends calling Marianne "such a baby" for wanting a chaser [sorry Marianne]) I tried both Crystal Light flavors mixed with straight vodka – and not the expensive stuff. Don't do this with either flavor, it's as awful as you remember. While pleasantly bubbly and conceptually appealing, I find the Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers to be overly sweet and chemically tasting. I can see the attraction to a wider audience, picturing someone -- not me -- drinking them at an outdoor event or poolside. Personally, the flavors are too artificial and candy-forward. I would consider trying other flavors when they arrive at my local grocery store (raspberry lemonade and fruit punch would be my first choices out of the other Crystal Light offerings), but based on these two alone I would not recommend the Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers or purposefully drink them again. Want to make the Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers yourself? You kind of can, but I would suggest starting with a smaller batch and tasting as you go to get the balance to your liking. And for the love of god, do not skip the seltzer unless you'd like to take a trip down memory lane to the backseat of Jimmy's car, shaking a Poland Spring bottle full of vodka and telling your friends: "It's not that bad." If you're someone searching for a sweet, low-calorie canned cocktail with a little bit of bubbles (that won't get you wasted), you can certainly do worse, but I think you could also do better. At $2.50 per can, it may be worth taking the gamble. Hungry for more? Sign up for the free Daily Meal newsletter for delicious recipes, cooking tips, kitchen hacks, and more, delivered straight to your inbox. Read the original article on The Daily Meal.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Crystal Light Answers Decades-Long Call from Fans with First-of-Its-Kind Vodka Refreshers
As the category leader for over 40 years, Crystal Light delivers the lowest-calorie vodka refresher on the market CHICAGO, March 04, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly one-in-five Crystal Light fans use the product as a mixer for their cocktails 1, proving it's no secret that the signature zero-sugar refreshment has been a trusted mixer for decades. As demand for lighter, lower-calorie cocktails continues to grow, the beloved powdered beverage brand is now doing the mixing for you with the launch of Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers. Delivering the crisp flavor the brand is known for, Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers are the lowest-calorie ready-to-drink cocktail on the market, offering a refreshing alternative to hard seltzers and traditional vodka sodas. Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers are a 77-calorie, zero-sugar beverage crafted with the delicious blend of Crystal Light's signature flavors, triple-filtered vodka, and light carbonation. Launching with two fan-favorite flavors - Wild Strawberry and Lemonade - each Vodka Refresher is developed to deliver a lightly fizzy beverage perfect for any occasion. "With tens of millions of social media videos showcasing creative ways to mix Crystal Light into cocktails, creating a delicious lower-calorie vodka refresher was a natural step for us," said Jeremy Kross, Director of Beverage Mixes at The Kraft Heinz Company. "We're bringing fans a ready-to-drink version in a new format – now with a light, refreshing twist– offering the same signature flavors they know and love. Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers aim to revolutionize the hard seltzer category as consumers seek lighter, lower-alcohol cocktails that don't compromise on taste. In fact, nearly 40 percent of hard seltzer drinkers prefer lower-alcohol options (under four percent ABV). As the first powdered beverage brand to enter the hard seltzer aisle, Crystal Light is set to deliver with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 3.8%, and zero sugar. Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers reinforce the brand's commitment to meeting evolving consumer preferences for modern drinking occasions. Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers will hit shelves this month at select retailers in the Northeast U.S. region in a convenient four-pack for $9.99, with plans for a larger expansion, new flavors and multipack options in 2026. For more information about Crystal Light Vodka Refreshers, crafted in collaboration with Barrel One Collective, visit X and to keep up with all things Crystal Light follow @sipcrystallight on Instagram or visit 1Source: KHC Beverage Mix Quarterly Consumption Tracker, Quantilope, Q3 2024 ABOUT THE KRAFT HEINZ COMPANY We are driving transformation at The Kraft Heinz Company (Nasdaq: KHC), inspired by our Purpose, Let's Make Life Delicious . Consumers are at the center of everything we do. With 2024 net sales of approximately $26 billion, we are committed to growing our iconic and emerging food and beverage brands on a global scale. We leverage our scale and agility to unleash the full power of Kraft Heinz across a portfolio of eight consumer-driven product platforms. As global citizens, we're dedicated to making a sustainable, ethical impact while helping feed the world in healthy, responsible ways. Learn more about our journey by visiting or following us on LinkedIn. ABOUT BARREL ONE Barrel One Collective is the result of a groundbreaking merger between two of New England's craft beer pioneers, Mass. Bay Brewing Company and FinestKind Brewing LLC. With a combined production volume of nearly 165,000 barrels, it is the largest craft beer producer in New England and the 14th largest in the U.S. The Collective unites 14 iconic brands, including Crystal Light, Harpoon, Smuttynose, Long Trail, and UFO, and operates eight brewery-taprooms across four states—Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. Committed to quality, innovation, and community, Barrel One Collective aims to push the boundaries of craft beverage experiences while honoring its rich heritage of craftsmanship. View source version on Contacts ALISON BROD MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONSkraftheinz@ KRAFT HEINZmedia@ Sign in to access your portfolio
