It looks like it's become a game of "spot the additive" in the China-Taiwan whose-food-is-worse battle to the death PR-a-thon. Not two months after a massive food additive scandal rocked Taiwanese drink-makers, Taiwan has now blown the whistle on Coke Zero syrup being imported from Shanghai: "A batch of Coca-Cola Zero imported into Taiwan from Shanghai has been found to contain an additive banned by Taiwan authorities but allowed on the Chinese mainland. One batch of the syrup used to make free-flowing Coca-Cola Zero has tested positive for methyl p-hydroxybenzoate, a kind of antiseptic，which cannot be added to fizzy drinks in Taiwan, the Xinmin Evening News reported on Monday." However, once they mention that this additive is also allowed in other countries like, say, the US and Hong Kong, it becomes clear that maybe Taiwan is just scrambling for a headline. Coca-Cola has now come out assuring customers that "This ingredient is widely used as an acceptable and safe additive in food and drink, but Taiwan's laws and regulations do not permit its use in sparkling beverages." more ›

In our ongoing quest to keep you updated on the sugar free food and beverage options in Shanghai (and to keep with our tradition of posting stories that are "SOOOO interesting"), we thought we'd mention that locally branded Coca-Cola Zero — a sugar free carbonated beverage that "unlike the sugar-free Diet Coke, is formulated to taste like Coca-Cola," according to Wikipedia — started being available in Shanghai grocery stores and convenience stores sometime last week (we think). Coke Zero, which comes in a black can, made its global debut in 2005, and friends in Beijing said they have had it up there since sometime earlier this year. more ›