That might cause the end of civilization as we know it.
Or, at least cause a visit from security.
The FDA permits a substance that has fewer than 5 calories to call that “no calories.” Since there’s about a gram of dextrose in a package, and since a gram of sugar yields about 4 calories, they’re within their rights to claim zero calories. Not exactly accurate, but close enough for government work, as they say.
Why can’t I buy something like Taco Bell hot sauce in the grocery store? I can find various forms of relatively chunky salsa, I can get tabasco type hot sauces, but I can never find a mexican-style hot sauce.
When I worked at Wendys in the 80s they tracked costs by category like meat, paper, bread, vegetables, and so on. I guess the hot sauce would go under other food. They tried to keep each category to a certain percent of sales.
Don’t forget the cost of filling up all those little packets. I wouldn’t be surprised if the labor and packaging doubles or even triples the final cost. This is surely why I’ve seen some restaurants (not drive-thrus) which have large containers of condiments that you ladle into your own little cup.
Interesting. I’ve never seen a Taco Bell without large bins full of packets for the taking. The quotes they print on them now indicate they expect your glove box to be full of them (along with a healthy supply of sporks). It’s like free advertising.
I rather doubt it. They’re filled up by high-speed machinery at rates up to 1000/minute or more. They showed the process on How It’s Made, and it’s just a blur at normal speed.
I’m not sure where you are, but the hot sauce is available in a bottle. Here, for example, is a listing for it at Meijer, a midwestern grocery chain, although I prefer not to buy fast food brands in the supermarket.
You can find it at Von’s or Stater Bros. stores if you live out West.
Think that would cause their head to asplode.
I think what you are looking for is what is usually called “taco sauce” in the supermarket. It’s similar to hot sauce, but just a little bit thicker. Ortega makes it, as do plenty of other “Mexican food” brands. For something like Taco Bell’s “hot” or “fire” sauces, you’d just get one of the hotter brands.
I was on the NW side of Chicago and the NW suburbs. I have seen some Taco Bells that have the bins with the sauce, but I’ve run across others with no bins.
I have seen McDonalds too, some have bins with Ketchup packets and some have the ketchup stations with the little cups. Which they SHRUNK in size so you just have to take more.
For the sugar substititue I was referring to the generic version of Sweet 'N Low is about $2.00/50 packets. But at Starbucks they have the actual BRAND of Sweet 'N Low and the actual brand of Equal and Splenda, not the generic equivilents.
Well, what’s the nutritional advantage of using artificial sweeteners over sugar, then? Is this just a big scam? Or do the sugar packets contain more grams?
Christ, I can’t even get my taco bell to give me a fricken napkin, let alone multiple sauce packets. Consider yourself lucky.
Taco Bell has napkins? Can I ask for a cite in GQ?
Wikipedia says that a typical packet of sugar weighs 4 grams and has 15 calories.
There may indeed be an element of “free advertising.” The OP throws out his extra packets, but many times they wind up in the glove compartment or a kitchen drawer or canister. So you grab a few to use on some other food, and start thinking “Taco Bell.”
The “Fire” sauce is heavily subsidized by the research arm of Pfizer. Don’t ask.
Plus, the stuff in sugar packets is sucrose, which is (roughly speaking) twice as complex and thus energy-packing as glucose.
Valete,
Vox Imperatoris
What? Cite? I’d pretty much always understood that 4 cal/gram was universal for sugars or carbohydrates in general, regardless of ‘complexity.’