Whether you call it pop, soda, coke or soda pop, if you’re a US citizen it’s likely that you drink soda on a fairly regular basis. In 2007, it was estimated that, on average, Americans drink three quarts of soda per week. So what is it that we’re drinking so much? Well, just take another look at that list of generic names for carbonated soft drinks and it should be pretty obvious; Coke is America’s most popular soft drink.

Coca-Cola was created in 1885 by Georgian druggist John Pemberton and was originally known as Pemberton’s French Wine Coca. You’ve probably heard that the original formula used cocaine, but may not be aware that it was also alcoholic. Of course, that had to change when Atlanta outlawed booze the next year and the resulting drink, which also contained caffeine from Kola nuts, became known as Coca-Cola. It wasn’t until 1903 that the Coca-Cola Company stopped using cocaine in the popular soft drink.

According to “Beverage Digest,” 17.2% of soda consumed in 2007 was Coke Classic. Pepsi Cola held second place with 10.7% and Diet Coke came in third with 10%.

Everyone has their favorite candy bar, the one they still might occasionally grab while waiting in line at the convenience store.

The Snickers bar, created by Mars Inc. in 1930 is a chewy nougat center with peanuts and caramel on top, all covered in a layer of milk chocolate. It was named Snickers after one of the horses of the Mars family who invented the candy, but sold as the Marathon bar in the United Kingdom. It had global annual sales of over $2 billion last year, becoming the most popular candy bar in the world. However just a few years back, the Mars bar held the top spot among the most popular candy bars, for most of the 20th century.

The Mars bar was created by Mars Inc. as well, in 1936. The international version of the Mars bar has always been different than the United States version, as it does not contain almonds like the original formulation. Both versions are a chocolate malt nougat center with caramel on top and covered in a layer of milk chocolate.

The Mars bar has been renamed to Snickers Almond in 2000, which may have been a huge mistake on the part of Mars Inc. In 2000, annual sales of the Mars bar reached over $2 billion, but by 2002 they had dropped to $1.09 billion.

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Time and technology have allowed for cheaper and much more efficient production. Modern refrigiration techniques dropped the price of ice cream drastically, as you no longer needed large amounts of ice and salt to keep the cream chilled. The continuous process refigerator was successfully introduced by Clarence Vogt in the 1920s, and ice cream cones first gave people a chance to carry it around and spill it on their pants at the World’s Fair in St. Louis in 1904. It’s been giving us “Good Humor” since Harry Burt’s team of uniformed drivers started delivering it in 1920.

Today, ice cream is widely available in traditional flavors at any retail food merchant, and in niche-market packages from parlors such as Ben and Jerry’s and Baskin Robbin’s, or the more recent Coldstone Creamery. More healthy renditions have become available in frozen yogurt and other fat free varieties, as some of us have a waistline to watch. Make mine mint-chocolate chip any day.

Based on ice cream consumption figures, the top five individual flavors in terms of share of segment in the United States are:

1. vanilla (26%),
2. chocolate (12.9%)
3. neapolitan (4.8%)
4. strawberry (4.3%)
5. cookies n’ cream (4.0%)

Source: The NPD Group’s National Eating Trends Services

In 2003, about 86% of packaged ice cream retail sales happened in supermarkets. Convenience store sales were second at 11.4%, drug stores were third at nearly 2%, with 0.6% occurring at other locations. Source: Mintel

Based on supermarket statistics in 2001*, ice cream volume sales by quality segment were: superpremium (3.5%), premium (51.5%) and regular (45%). Source: IRI

Nearly 80% of supermarket ice cream sales are packaged in half-gallon containers. Source: IRI, 2001

Mexico is the single largest market for U.S. frozen dessert exports, with an estimated value of almost $17 million. Canada was the number two destination for U.S. frozen dessert exports, valued at $6.6 million. Japan ($3.6 million), United Kingdom ($3.4 million), and Hong Kong ($3.1 million) are third, fourth and fifth respectively. Source: USDA/International Ice Cream Association

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According to Budweiser, it is brewed with two-row and six-row malt, rice, and hops, both American and European varieties. It uses a very different and distinct brewing process to produce a distinctively different, lower calorie beer with a crisp, clean taste.

Even though the micro-brewed beers are more flavorful and are gaining in popularity, the marketing people have help make Bud Light the best selling brand in the US!

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According to a new poll by Zogby International, nearly one-in-four (23%) American adults call fast food chain Wendy’s their favorite, with half as many preferring runners-up Taco Bell and McDonald’s (12% apiece). Burger King trailed McDonald’s and Taco Bell at 11%. Rounding out the field were KFC at 8%, and Jack in the Box and Long John Silver’s, at 3% each. Three-in-ten (29%) respondents say they either prefer no fast food restaurant or a chain not offered on the list.

Until 1999, McDonald’s was the most popular fast food restaurant by leaps and bounds. Recent trends in health and some famous “anti-McDonald’s” movies have apparently, fairly or unfairly, giving the golden arches a stigma in American eyes as “the most unhealty” fast food option. McDonald’s is currently spending Millions of dollars in advertising to change this public opinion.

Some fast food restaurants, like Jack in the Box in the western US or White Castle in the northern mid-Atlantic are the most popular fast food restaurants in their respective regions, possibly due to their somewhat “local” appeal.

With more and more fast food restaurants hitting the streets every day, it’s getting harder and harder for one chain to prove they are America’s favorite. Fast food it’s self, however, is in no danger of loosing popularity amongst a population that seems to be growing increasingly large.