Blatant belching

Prepared Foods, March, 1999 by Lynn Dornblaser

Most people try to hide their belching, thinking it rude. However, a new soft drink from Excuse Me Inc., Denver, aims to take the gaseous eruption to an art form. The company offers a line of sodas designed to aid belching. Rudy Begonia's Belcher Sodas are "supercarbonated." In fact, each can has a "belch gauge" so you can judge just how rude you can be.

The company says good belching is a talent, and its sodas help you hone your craft. They "give you the loudest, longest, and most explosive belches you ever had."

The 16-oz. cans come in such forgettable flavors as Loogie Lime, Obnoxious Orange, Gastro Grape and Cherry Cola. Currently, they are sold just in Colorado and other parts of the West (presumably to that Generation-X snowboarder crowd).

New Products Scorecard

Total introductions in five categories for the past three years

                     1998       1997       1996

Baby food              35         53         25

Candy/Gum/
Snacks              2,065      2,505      2,310

Entrees/
Dinners               678        629        597

Pet Food              105        251        121

Side Dishes           597        678        611

Source: New Product News/Prepared Foods