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Think $5.50 is too much for a flat white? Actually it’s too cheap, and our world-famous cafes are paying the price

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-felton-143029">Emma Felton</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Even in a stubborn cost-of-living crisis, it seems there’s one luxury most Australians <a href="https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/news/what-australians-wont-give-up-cost-of-living-crisis-report/">won’t sacrifice</a> – their daily cup of coffee. Coffee sales have largely <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/866543/australia-domestic-consumption-of-coffee/">remained stable</a>, even as financial pressures have bitten over the past few years. So too have prices. Though many of us became upset when prices began to creep up last year, they’ve since largely settled in the range between $4.00 and $5.50 for a basic drink. But this could soon have to change. By international standards, Australian coffee prices are low. No one wants to pay more for essentials, least of all right now. But our independent cafes are struggling. By not valuing coffee properly, we risk losing the <a href="https://bizcup.com.au/australian-coffee-culture/">internationally renowned</a> coffee culture we’ve worked so hard to create, and the phenomenal quality of cup we enjoy. <h2>Coffee is relatively cheap in Australia</h2> Our recent survey of Australian capital cities found the average price of a small takeaway flat white at speciality venues is A$4.78. But in <a href="https://pabloandrustys.com.au/blogs/drinkbettercoffee/global-coffee-prices">some international capitals</a>, it’s almost double this, even after adjusting for local <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/updates/purchasing-power-parity-ppp/">purchasing power parity</a>. <iframe id="gaplH" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/gaplH/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> In London, a small flat white costs about A$6.96. Singapore, A$8.42. In Athens, as much as A$9.95. <h2>The cafe business is getting harder</h2> Over the past few decades, coffee prices haven’t kept pace with input costs. In the early 2000s, after wages, food costs, utilities and rent, many cafes <a href="https://www.coffeecommune.com.au/blog-why-are-cafes-so-expensive/">earned healthy profit margins</a> as high as 20%. The <a href="https://www.ibisworld.com/au/industry/cafes-coffee-shops/2015/">most recent data from IBISWorld</a> show that while Australian cafe net profits have recovered from a drop in 2020, at 7.6%, they remain much lower than the Australian <a href="https://www.money.com.au/research/australian-business-statistics">average business profit margin of 13.3%</a>. For an independent owner operating a cafe with the <a href="https://www.ibisworld.com/au/industry/cafes-coffee-shops/2015/">average turnover of A$300,000</a>, this would amount to a meagre A$22,800 annual net profit after all the bills are paid. <h2>What goes into a cup?</h2> Just looking at the cost of raw inputs – milk, beans, a cup and a lid – might make the margin seem lucrative. But they don’t paint the whole picture. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584949/original/file-20240328-24-rlngpk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/584949/original/file-20240328-24-rlngpk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584949/original/file-20240328-24-rlngpk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584949/original/file-20240328-24-rlngpk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584949/original/file-20240328-24-rlngpk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584949/original/file-20240328-24-rlngpk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/584949/original/file-20240328-24-rlngpk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A takeaway coffee cup showing the price inputs, with wages and operation costs making up over 65% of the cost of a coffee" /><figcaption>Chart: The Conversation. <a class="source" href="https://pabloandrustys.com.au/blogs/drinkbettercoffee/whats-in-the-cost-of-coffee">Data: Pablo and Rusty's Coffee Roasters</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></figcaption></figure> Over the past few years, renting the building, keeping the lights on and paying staff have all become <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/ground-down-australia-coffee-shops-an-early-inflation-casualty-2023-07-10/">much bigger factors</a> in the equation for coffee shop owners, and many of these pressures aren’t easing. 1. Green coffee price Increasingly <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/environment/brewing-crisis-how-climate-change-is-reshaping-coffee-production/3113886">subject to the effects</a> of climate change, the baseline commodity price of green (unroasted) coffee is <a href="https://perfectdailygrind.com/2024/02/demand-for-robusta-prices-record-high/">going up</a>. Arabica – the higher quality bean you’re most likely drinking at specialty cafes – is a more expensive raw product. Despite levelling off from post-pandemic highs, its price is still trending up. In 2018, it <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/675807/average-prices-arabica-and-robusta-coffee-worldwide/">sold</a> for US$2.93 per kilogram, which is projected to increase to US$4.38 dollars in 2025. Robusta coffee is cheaper, and is the type <a href="https://www.lavazza.com.au/en/coffee-secrets/difference-type-arabica-robusta-coffee">typically used to make instant coffee</a>. But serious drought in Vietnam has just pushed the price of robusta to an <a href="https://www.barchart.com/story/news/25094367/coffee-rallies-with-robusta-at-a-record-high-on-shrinking-coffee-output-in-vietnam">all-time high</a>, putting pressure on the cost of coffee more broadly. 2. Milk prices The price of fresh milk has risen by <a href="https://cdn-prod.dairyaustralia.com.au/-/media/project/dairy-australia-sites/national-home/resources/reports/situation-and-outlook/situation-and-outlook-report-march-2024.pdf?rev=b0222df4b01b40d0ae36cf8ac7b01bc0">more than 20%</a> over the past two years, and remains at a peak. This has put sustained cost pressure on the production of our <a href="https://gitnux.org/australian-coffee-consumption-statistics/#:%7E:text=Coffee%20is%20a%20beloved%20beverage,approximately%206%20billion%20cups%20annually.">most popular drink orders</a>: cappuccinos and flat whites. 3. Wages and utilities Over the past year, Australian wages have grown at their <a href="https://ministers.treasury.gov.au/ministers/jim-chalmers-2022/media-releases/real-wages-growth-back">fastest rate</a> since 2009, which is welcome news for cafe staff, but tough on operators in a sector with low margins. Electricity prices remain elevated after significant inflation, but could <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/heres-how-much-your-energy-bills-might-go-down-by-and-when/k8g00jheg">begin to fall mid-year</a>. <h2>Specialty vs. commodity coffee: why price expectations create an industry divide</h2> One of the key factors keeping prices low in Australia is consumer expectation. For many people coffee is a fundamental part of everyday life, a marker of livability. Unlike wine or other alcohol, coffee is not considered a luxury or even a treat, where one might expect to pay a little more, or reduce consumption when times are economically tough. We anchor on familiar prices. <iframe id="oDbah" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: none;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/oDbah/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0"></iframe> Because of this, it really hurts cafe owners to put their prices up. In touch with their customer base almost every day, they’re acutely aware of how much inflation can hurt. But in Australia, a huge proportion of coffee companies are also passionate about creating a world-class product by only using “<a href="https://medium.com/@samandsunrise/why-is-specialty-coffee-so-expensive-6cf298935e4b#:%7E:text=Specialty%20Shops%20Feature%20High%20Grade%20Coffees&text=Their%20coffees%20are%20hand%2Dpicked,even%20on%20the%20same%20tree.">specialty coffee</a>”. Ranked at least 80 on a quality scale, specialty beans cost significant more than commodity grade, but their production offers better working conditions for farmers and encourages more sustainable growing practices. Although not commensurate with the wine industry, there are similarities. Single origin, high quality beans are often sourced from one farm and demand higher prices than commodity grade coffee, where cheaper sourced beans are often combined in a blend. Running a specialty cafe can also mean roasting your own beans, which requires a big investment in expertise and equipment. It’s an obvious example of doing the right thing by your suppliers and customers. But specialty cafes face much higher operating costs, and when they’re next to a commodity-grade competitor, customers are typically unwillingly to pay the difference. <h2>Approach price rises with curiosity, not defensiveness</h2> When cafe owners put up their prices, we often rush to accuse them of selfishness or profiteering. But they’re often just trying to survive. Given the quality of our coffee and its global reputation, it shouldn’t surprise us if we’re soon asked to pay a little bit more for our daily brew. If we are, we should afford the people who create one of our most important “<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-cafes-bars-gyms-barbershops-and-other-third-places-create-our-social-fabric-135530">third spaces</a>” kindness and curiosity as to why. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/226015/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emma-felton-143029">Emma Felton</a>, Adjunct Senior Researcher, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/think-5-50-is-too-much-for-a-flat-white-actually-its-too-cheap-and-our-world-famous-cafes-are-paying-the-price-226015">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Why is gluten-free bread so expensive? A food supply chain expert explains

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/flavio-macau-998456">Flavio Macau</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a> Before the cost of living hit Australian families hard, a group of consumers were already paying top dollar for their staples. Whether it be gluten free, dairy free or lactose free, people with special dietary requirements are used to spending more at the supermarket checkout. A 2016 study from the University of Wollongong found that Australians were <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1747-0080.12171">paying up to 17% more for a gluten-free diet</a>. Current examples are easy to find. A <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/product/coles-white-bread-650g-4901345">white sandwich loaf at Coles</a> costs A$2.40 (or A$0.37 per 100g), whereas <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/product/coles-i'm-free-from-white-loaf-500g-3216673">the cheapest gluten-free option</a> costs $5.70 (or $1.14 per 100g). That’s over three times as much. Prices are closer comparing Coles Full Cream Milk at A$1.50 per litre with Coles Lactose Free Lite Milk at A$1.60, the exception that confirms the rule. So why are allergen-free products more expensive? <h2>Is it the ingredients?</h2> If manufacturers pay more for ingredients, this is usually reflected in the price of the final product. Regular and gluten-free bread share many common ingredients, but there is a substantial change where wheat flour is replaced by gluten-free flour. This ingredient may cost manufacturers around two times as much given the uniqueness of gluten-free grains, seeds, and nuts. These special ingredients are not as abundant or easy to process as wheat, and are also a bit more difficult to buy in very large scale. For a simple reference, compare <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/product/coles-white-plain-flour-1kg-5881232">regular</a> and <a href="https://www.coles.com.au/product/coles-i'm-free-from-plain-flour-gluten-free-500g-2478197">gluten-free flour</a> at Coles. Gluten, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jgh.13703">a complex mixture of hundreds of related but distinct proteins</a>, has unique properties. It is a binding agent that improves texture in recipes. Gluten-free bread therefore needs extra help to, literally, hold it together. Additional items such as thickeners, tapioca and maize starches are added to gluten-free recipes to improve viscosity and keep baked items in shape. That means a longer ingredient list and a slightly more complex manufacturing process. So, from an ingredient perspective, gluten-free bread costs more than regular bread. This applies for other allergen-free products as well. But with so many common ingredients, it is reasonable to say that this is not the main explanation. <h2>Is it manufacturing and transporting?</h2> A substantial part of price differences between regular and allergen-free foods comes from <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/economiesofscale.asp">economies of scale</a>. Regular products are manufactured in very large quantities, while allergen-free products involve much smaller volumes. Bulk buying from large suppliers gets you bigger discounts. The more machines in a factory, the cheaper it is to run them. Larger outputs coming from the same place mean smaller costs for each individual product. Given that you have fixed costs to pay anyway, size is king. You pay the same amount for a grain mill regardless of whether you grind one kilo or one tonne of grains a day. Sure, you spend more on electricity or gas, but those are <a href="https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/fixed-and-variable-costs/">variable costs</a>. Then, there is the need for rigorous quality control. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has a detailed <a href="https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/sh-proxy/en/?lnk=1&url=https%253A%252F%252Fworkspace.fao.org%252Fsites%252Fcodex%252FStandards%252FCXC%2B80-2020%252FCXC_080e.pdf">code of practice on food allergen management for food business operators</a>, covering harvesting, handling, storage, transportation, packaging, and more. The <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/food-standards-code">Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code</a> also sets specific standards. Deep cleaning machines, thoroughly checking that standards are met, and scrapping whole batches when they are not makes manufacturing allergen-free products more complex and expensive. The <a href="https://www.health.wa.gov.au/-/media/Files/Corporate/general-documents/food/PDF/DOHComplianceandEnforcementPolicyVersion3.pdf">implications for non-compliance</a> vary in severity, from a simple recall to a costly infringement notice, plus <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10574315/">reputational damage to consumer trust</a>. It is hard to exactly measure the impact of economies of scale and quality costs on the price of allergen-free products. Each manufacturer will have its own challenges and solutions. But it is reasonable to say a considerable chunk of the difference we see when comparing gluten-free bread with its regular counterpart comes from these factors. Transportation costs follow a similar rule. If it is easier and quicker to fill your trucks with regular products, while allergen-free products have a hard time making a full load, there are disadvantages in the latter. <h2>Is it the marketing strategy?</h2> The final consideration on allergen-free food prices has to do with competition and willingness to pay. A quick search on Coles’ website shows 276 results for “bread” once you remove the 42 items that are gluten-free. That means that there are many more brands and products competing for bread consumers than for gluten-free bread consumers. That’s over six to one! This means customers with dietary restrictions are at a disadvantage as they are beholden to the limited options on offer. As noted by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, “<a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/business/competition-and-exemptions/competition-and-anti-competitive-behaviour">competition leads to lower prices and more choice for consumers</a>”. Also, fewer allergen-free products make it to the “own brand” list. Australians are <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/costs/coles-woolworths-ownbrand-products-booming-on-back-of-costofliving-crisis/news-story/d0be8b8d6e98c0a6477959cd83da17ad">relying more on these when facing the cost-of-living crisis</a>. There is also the <a href="https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/willingness-to-pay">willingness to pay</a>, where consumers pay more for products deemed as having higher value. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.13525">Research</a> shows that on average consumers are willing to pay 30% more for food products that they perceive to be healthier. Manufacturers and retailers more often than not will capitalise on that, increasing their profit margins for allergen-free products. <h2>4 tips for saving money if you have allergies</h2> People with dietary requirements looking to ease the cost of their weekly grocery shop should use the same strategies as every savvy consumer: <ul> <li>research prices</li> <li>buy larger quantities where possible</li> <li>keep a keen eye on price reduction and items on sale</li> <li>consider replacing products tagged “allergen-free” with alternatives from other categories, such as going for rice instead of gluten-free pasta in a dish.</li> </ul> In the long run, if more customers choose allergen-free products it could lead to more volume and competition, bringing prices down. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223648/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/flavio-macau-998456">Flavio Macau</a>, Associate Dean - School of Business and Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-gluten-free-bread-so-expensive-a-food-supply-chain-expert-explains-223648">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

Should you be worried about the amount of coffee or tea you drink?

Before you reach for that cup of coffee or tea, have you ever thought about whether that caffeinated beverage is <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/body-and-mind/debunks-vices-coffee-caffeine/">good or bad for you</a>? <iframe title="Vices: Is coffee good or bad for you?" src="https://omny.fm/shows/debunks/vices-is-coffee-good-or-bad-for-you/embed?style=Cover" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0"></iframe> Most of us will drink coffee or tea each day. It helps keep us alert, especially in a world of the nine-to-five grind. Some workers rely on caffeine to get them through shift work and night shifts. Many, like me, would just collapse in a heap if it weren’t for that liquid black gold to keep us peppy in the morning. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What is caffeine?</h2> To get a better picture of how coffee or tea affects us, let’s examine the active ingredient: <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/podcast/huh-science-explained-stirring-the-science-of-caffeine/">caffeine</a>. Caffeine is a <a href="https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/caffeine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drug</a>. It’s a white, odourless substance known to chemists as 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine and is made up of 8 carbon, 10 hydrogen, 4 nitrogen and 2 oxygen atoms. Caffeine occurs naturally in coffee beans, cocoa beans, kola nuts, and tea leaves. It is an adenosine antagonist, blocking the A1, A2A, and A2B receptors in the brain and body to promote wakefulness. Normally, adenosine (a chemical compound with a similar 3D structure to caffeine) binds to its receptors, slowing neural activity and making you sleepy. When caffeine, instead, binds to the receptors, adenosine is blocked and brain activity speeds up, making you feel more alert. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">History lesson</h2> Tea and coffee are the most common way for humans to get their caffeine fix. Drinks made using coffee beans date back more than a thousand years to the coffee forests of the horn of Africa. Legend says that, around 800 CE, an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats were energetic and didn’t sleep when they ate the coffee beans. Coffee then spread eastward to the Arabian Peninsula, reaching Yemen in the 15th century, and Egypt, Syria, Persia and Turkey in the 1500s. From their it made it to Europe and eventually the whole world. But caffeine is also present in other beverages like tea, cola and even some foods like chocolate. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Is it bad for you?</h2> Given how prevalent the drug is, are there negative side effects we should be worried about? For one thing, it is an addictive substance. And the more you drink, the more you need. “Our body tends to adjust to a new level of consumption,” Kitty Pham, a PhD candidate at the University of South Australia and expert in nutritional and genetic epidemiology, tells Cosmos. “Your body does develop a tolerance to the caffeine. So, you start to need to drink more and more to feel the same effect as before.” Caffeine can also act as an anxiogenic – a substance that can trigger heightened levels of anxiety. Pham notes some risks associated with too much caffeine consumption over a long period of time. “Greater than 6 cups per day, we did see an increase in dementia risk,” she notes. “There’s also some research on how it might increase your cholesterol. There’s a substance in coffee called cafestol that can regulate your blood cholesterol. If you’re drinking too much coffee, it might be increasing your cholesterol. So, there are risks, but often they are at really high consumption.” <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What’s the limit?</h2> So, how much caffeine is too much according to science? “That’s, the million-dollar question, isn’t it?” Pham laughs. “There’s a lot of varying research on it. It’s hard to tell a definite limit. But generally, most studies really agree that one to two cups of coffee, or an equivalent of 100 to 200 milligrams of caffeine is safe and okay.” The average cup of coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine. On average, instant coffee with one teaspoon of powder contains about 70 mg of caffeine, while a coffee pod has 60–90 mg. Other drinks containing might have even more caffeine, making it important to monitor your consumption more carefully. A 355 mL can of Red Bull energy drink has more than 110 mg of caffeine. Meanwhile, an average bar of dark chocolate has about 70 mg of caffeine. Many people are moving away from coffee to drinks like tea and matcha which may have <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/flavonoids-black-tea/">additional</a> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/tea-drinkers-may-well-live-longer/">health</a> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/black-tea-mortality-risk/">benefits</a>. A 100-gram cup of black tea has only about 20 mg of caffeine, while matcha can have 140–170 mg of caffeine! “Looking at the US, they usually recommend less than 400 milligrams. So overall, moderation and keeping your consumption to one to two cups – that’s what I’d recommend.” Now that I’ve written about caffeine, I think I need another cuppa. It’s only my second of the day, I swear. Image credits: Getty Images <div> <h3><a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/JQ4R"><noscript data-spai="1"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-198773" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/ret_img/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Apple-Podcasts.svg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Subscribe to our podcasts" width="300" height="54" title="should you be worried about the amount of coffee or tea you drink? 2"></noscript></a><a href="https://link.cosmosmagazine.com/JQ4U"><noscript data-spai="1"><img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-198773" src="https://cdn.shortpixel.ai/spai/ret_img/cosmosmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Spotify.svg" data-spai-egr="1" alt="Subscribe to our podcasts" width="300" height="54" title="should you be worried about the amount of coffee or tea you drink? 3"></noscript></a></h3> </div>  <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/body-and-mind/coffee-tea-caffeine-debunks/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/evrim-yazgin/">Evrim Yazgin</a>.

Body

How is decaf coffee made? And is it really caffeine-free?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-ball-14718">Lauren Ball</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-burch-438717">Emily Burch</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a> Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and its high levels of caffeine are among the main reasons why. It’s a natural stimulant that provides an energy buzz, and we just can’t get enough. However, some people prefer to limit their caffeine intake <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12684194/">for health</a> or other reasons. Decaffeinated or “decaf” coffee is widely available, and its consumption is reported to be <a href="https://www.coffeebeanshop.com.au/coffee-blog/decaf-coffee-market-worth-2145-billion-by-2025-at-69">on the rise</a>. Here’s what you need to know about decaf coffee: how it’s made, the flavour, the benefits – and whether it’s actually caffeine-free. <h2>How is decaf made?</h2> Removing caffeine while keeping a coffee bean’s aroma and flavour intact isn’t a simple task. Decaf coffee is made by stripping green, unroasted coffee beans of their caffeine content and relies on the fact that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6318762/#:%7E:text=Caffeine%20(Figure%201a)%20being,(15%20g%2FL).">caffeine dissolves</a> in water. Three main methods are used for removing caffeine: chemical solvents, liquid carbon dioxide (CO₂), or plain water with special filters. The additional steps required in all of these processing methods are why decaf coffee is often more expensive. <h2>Solvent-based methods</h2> Most decaf coffee is made using <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/10408699991279231?needAccess=true">solvent-based</a> methods as it’s the cheapest process. This method breaks down into two further types: <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780123849472001835">direct and indirect</a>. The direct method involves steaming the coffee beans and then repeatedly soaking them in a chemical solvent (usually methylene chloride or ethyl acetate) which binds to the caffeine and extracts it from the beans. After a pre-determined time, the caffeine has been extracted and the coffee beans are steamed once more to remove any residual chemical solvent. The indirect method still uses a chemical solvent, but it doesn’t come into direct contact with the coffee beans. Instead, the beans are soaked in hot water, then the water is separated from the beans and treated with the chemical solvent. The caffeine bonds to the solvent in the water and is evaporated. The caffeine-free water is then returned to the beans to reabsorb the coffee flavours and aromas. The solvent chemicals (particularly methylene chloride) used in these processes are a source of controversy around decaf coffee. This is because <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/dichloromethane">methylene chloride</a> is suggested to be mildly carcinogenic in high doses. Methylene chloride and ethyl acetate are commonly used in paint stripper, nail polish removers and degreaser. However, both the <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/pages/default.aspx">Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code</a> and <a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=173.255">the United States Food and Drug Administration</a> permit the use of these solvents to process decaf. They also have strict limits on the amount of the chemicals that can still be present on the beans, and in reality <a href="https://www.chemicals.co.uk/blog/how-dangerous-is-methylene-chloride">practically no solvent</a> is left behind. <h2>Non-solvent-based methods</h2> Non-solvent-based methods that use liquid carbon dioxide or water are becoming increasingly popular as they don’t involve chemical solvents. In the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10408699991279231">CO₂ method</a>, liquid carbon dioxide is pumped into a high-pressure chamber with the beans, where it binds to the caffeine and is then removed through high pressure, leaving behind decaffeinated beans. The water method (also known as the Swiss water process) is exactly what it sounds like – it <a href="http://publication.eiar.gov.et:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/3234/ECSS%20Proceeding%20Final.pdf?sequence=1#page=294">involves extracting caffeine</a> from coffee beans using water. There are variations on this method, but the basic steps are as follows. For an initial batch, green coffee beans are soaked in hot water, creating an extract rich in caffeine and flavour compounds (the flavourless beans are then discarded). This green coffee extract is passed through activated charcoal filters, which trap the caffeine molecules while allowing the flavours to pass through. Once created in this way, the caffeine-free extract can be used to soak a new batch of green coffee beans – since the flavours are already saturating the extract, the only thing that will be dissolved from the beans is the caffeine. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8531vyP7Z5U?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Is caffeine fully removed from decaf?</h2> Switching to decaf may not be as caffeine free as you think. It is unlikely that 100% of the caffeine will be successfully <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8603790/">stripped from the coffee beans</a>. Just like the caffeine content of coffee can vary, some <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17132260/">small amounts</a> of caffeine are still present in decaf. However, the amount is quite modest. You would need to drink more than ten cups of decaf to reach the caffeine level typically present in <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jat/article/30/8/611/714415">one cup of caffeinated coffee</a>. Australia <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/Documents/1.1.2%20Definitions%20v157.pdf">does not require</a> coffee roasters or producers to detail the process used to create their decaf coffee. However, you might find this information on some producers’ websites if they have chosen to advertise it. <h2>Does decaf coffee taste different?</h2> Some people say decaf tastes different. Depending on how the beans are decaffeinated, some aromatic elements may be co-extracted with the caffeine <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23745606/">during the process</a>. Caffeine also contributes to the bitterness of coffee, so when the caffeine is removed, so is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8948847/">some of the bitterness</a>. <h2>Do caffeinated and decaf coffee have the same health benefits?</h2> The health benefits found for drinking decaf coffee are similar to that of caffeinated coffee, including a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, some cancers and overall <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5696634/">mortality</a>. More recently, coffee has been linked with improved weight management over time. Most of the health benefits have been shown by drinking <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5696634/">three cups</a> of decaf per day. Moderation is key, and remember that the greatest health benefits will come from having a <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-a-balanced-diet-anyway-72432">balanced diet</a>.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215546/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-ball-14718">Lauren Ball</a>, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-burch-438717">Emily Burch</a>, Dietitian, Researcher & Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-is-decaf-coffee-made-and-is-it-really-caffeine-free-215546">original article</a>.

Food & Wine

Can coffee help you avoid weight gain? Here’s what the science says

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-ball-14718">Lauren Ball</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-burch-438717">Emily Burch</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a> Coffee is well recognised as having a positive impact on long-term health. Drinking the equivalent of three to four cups of instant coffee a day <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5696634/">reduces the risk</a> of many health conditions including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. Most people gain <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4984841/">small amounts of weight</a> each year as they age. But can coffee help prevent this gradual weight gain? A group of researchers examined whether drinking an extra cup of coffee a day – or adding sugar, cream or a non-dairy alternative – resulted in more or less weight gain than those who didn’t adjust their intake. Their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002916523661702">research</a> (currently a pre-proof, which means it has been peer reviewed but is yet to undergo the final formatting and copyediting) found a modest link between coffee and gaining less weight than expected. People who drank an extra cup of coffee a day gained 0.12 kg less weight than expected over four years. Adding sugar resulted in a fraction more (0.09 kg) weight gain than expected over four years. <h2>How was the study conducted? What did it find?</h2> Researchers combined data from three large studies from the United States: two <a href="https://nurseshealthstudy.org">Nurses’ Health Studies</a> from 1986 to 2010, and from 1991 to 2015, and a <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hpfs/about-the-study/">Health Professional Follow-up study</a> from 1991 to 2014. The Nurses’ Health Studies are two of the largest cohort studies, with more 230,000 participants, and investigates chronic disease risks for women. The Health Professional Follow-up study involves more than 50,000 male health professionals and investigates the relationship between diet and health outcomes. Participants in all three studies completed a baseline questionnaire, and another questionnaire every four years to assess their food and drink intake. Using the combined datasets, researchers analysed changes in coffee intake and changes in the participants’ self-reported weight at four-year intervals. The average four year weight-gains for the nurses’ studies were 1.2kg and 1.7kg, while participants in the health professionals study gained an average of 0.8kg. The researchers found that increasing unsweetened caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee intake by one cup a day was associated with a weight gain that was 0.12 kg less than expected over four years. Adding creamer (milk) or a non-dairy alternative did not significantly affect this weight change. However, adding sugar (one teaspoon) to coffee was associated with a weight gain that was 0.09 kg more than expected over four years. These associations were stronger in participants who were younger and had a higher body mass index at the beginning of the studies. <h2>What are the pros and cons of the study?</h2> This study is unique in two ways. It had a very large sample size and followed participants for many years. This adds confidence that the associations were real and can likely be applied to other populations. However, there are three reasons to be cautious. First, the findings represent an association, not causation. This means the study does not prove that coffee intake is the true reason for the weight change. Rather, it shows the two changes were observed together over time. Second, the findings around weight were very modest. The average four-year weight gain averted, based on one cup of coffee, was 0.12 kilograms, which is about 30 grams per year. This amount may not be a meaningful change for most people looking to manage weight. Finally, this analysis did not consider the variability in the amount of caffeine in coffee (which we <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17412475/">know can be high</a>), it just assumed a standard amount of caffeine per cup. <h2>How could coffee help with weight management?</h2> Caffeine is a natural stimulant which has been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763416300690">shown to</a> temporarily reduce appetite and increase alertness. This may help to feel less hungry for a short period, potentially leading to reduced energy intake. Some people consume coffee before exercise as a stimulant to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7777221/">improve their workout performance</a> – if a workout is more effective, more energy may be expended. However, the benefit is largely thought to be short-lived, rather than long-term. Caffeine has also been <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0271531720304449">shown to</a> speed up our metabolism, causing more energy to be burned while resting. However, this effect is relatively small and is not a suitable substitute for regular physical activity and a healthy diet. Finally, coffee has a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4725310/">mild diuretic effect</a>, which can lead to temporary water weight loss. This is water loss, not fat loss, and the weight is quickly regained when you re-hydrate. <h2>Is it worth trying coffee for weight loss?</h2> Losing weight can be influenced by various factors, so don’t get too enthusiastic about the coffee-weight link highlighted in this new study, or increase your coffee intake to unreasonable levels. Most adults can safely consume around <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/caffeine">400mg</a> of caffeine a day. That’s the equivalent of two espressos or four cups of instant coffee or eight cups of tea. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it is important to talk to your doctor before increasing your caffeine intake, because caffeine can be passed through to your growing baby. If you need individualised weight guidance, talk to your GP or visit an <a href="https://member.dietitiansaustralia.org.au/Portal/Portal/Search-Directories/Find-a-Dietitian.aspx">accredited practising dietitian</a>. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/214954/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lauren-ball-14718">Lauren Ball</a>, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-burch-438717">Emily Burch</a>, Dietitian, Researcher & Lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/southern-cross-university-1160">Southern Cross University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-coffee-help-you-avoid-weight-gain-heres-what-the-science-says-214954">original article</a>.

Body

Here’s what would happen to your body if you didn’t have your morning coffee

What happens when you skip coffee entirely? Coffee is a morning constant for many, as reliable as the sunrise or the tides. Miss it, and you can feel dazed, confused and even risk a pounding headache. There’s a good reason for that: Caffeine produces some reliable physical changes in your body upon which you can easily become dependent. With that first sip of coffee, caffeine enters your bloodstream and begins making its way to your brain where it blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine, according to the National Academy of Sciences. That, in turn, sets off the release of feel-good hormones like dopamine and serotonin, causing a stimulant effect. Coffee’s so-called half-life – meaning the amount of time it takes for the amount of caffeine in the body to be reduced by 50 per cent – is about five hours on average. That explains why the average energy drink or coffee buzz lasts about that long. But how quickly caffeine leaves your system depends on a number of things, including age, medical conditions, drug interactions and lifestyle habits (like smoking). A shock to the system So, no surprise, when you’re deprived of your morning coffee, you don’t just suffer due to routine alteration. You suffer chemically, too. As anybody who’s kicked their coffee habit will tell you: The side effects can be pretty noticeable and jarring. Some of the more common symptoms of caffeine withdrawal stem from the inherent perks of those multi cups of Joe. Minus the kickstart to your metabolism, you’ll feel tired, sluggish, foggy-headed, and physically delayed, according to a review of studies published in 2020 in StatPearls. Researchers found that the more caffeine you consume, the more severe the withdrawal; but abstinence from even small amounts – we’re talking one cup of coffee per day – also produced symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. They kick in 12 to 24 hours after your last caffeine fix and may last up to nine days, says Dr Sherry A Ross, women’s health expert, author of She-ology: The She-quel. “Caffeine is a stimulating drug that some people can easily become addicted to,” she explains. “Depending on the quantity and type of caffeine you are consuming daily, your body type and frequency of consumption can set you up for a caffeine addiction.” Coffee's not all bad Just because you can develop a dependence on your morning jolt doesn’t mean that cup of java belongs on the do-not-consume list. Just the opposite, in fact. A large review of studies published in 2017 in the journal BMJ found that coffee consumption is not only safe for most people (except pregnant women and women who are at an increased risk of fracture), it also provides a number of health benefits, especially for people with chronic liver disease. The review also showed that participants who consistently drank at least three cups of coffee per day had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, gallstone disease, cancer (including melanoma, leukaemia and prostate, endometrial, oral, and liver cancer), as well as cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke as compared with coffee abstainers. The trick, of course, is practicing portion control. The researchers found that the health benefits of coffee top out at three to four cups a day (as compared to none). That echoes the larger caffeine recommendation from the US Food and Drug Administration, which suggests no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day; that’s the amount in about four cups of coffee, 10 cans of cola, or two energy drinks. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/heres-what-would-happen-to-your-body-if-you-didnt-have-your-morning-coffee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

Food & Wine

Pizza chain's delightfully devilish scheme lets you pay when you die

A delightfully devilish pizza chain is taking the 'buy now, pay later' scheme to the next level, giving customers the chance to pay for their pizza when they die. HELL Pizza is inviting pizza fans to apply for the trial scheme, which involves amending their wills to have their total cost included. The chain has one store in Brisbane, with the rest of its stores located around New Zealand, with customers from both countries able to apply for the scheme, which involves no late fees or penalties. The restaurant will select 666 applicants from each country, who will be invited to sign a real amendment to their wills allowing the cost of their pizza to be collected upon death. According to HELL Pizza CEO Ben Cumming, pizza is one of the simple joys of life, and AfterLife Pay means diners can get their fix without having to dip into the bank account immediately. The scheme emerged after the business was approached by popular 'buy now, pay later' providers who wanted HELL Pizza to offer the service to its customers. The pizza chain's unique AfterLife Pay came as a direct response to this proposal, as a statement against “schemes trapping a growing number of Aussies in spirals of debt”, Cumming said. “We’re seeing a growing number of people using the schemes to buy essential items like food, and we think it’s taking it a step too far when you’ve got quick service restaurants like ours being asked to offer BNPL for what is considered a treat,” he said. “Especially when you consider people are falling behind in their payments and 10.5 percent of loans are in arrears." “AfterLife Pay is a light-hearted campaign that reinforces HELL’s stance on BNPL schemes - you can have your pizza and eat it too without any pesky late fees or penalties.” Applicants can apply for the scheme <a href="https://afterlife.hellpizza.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online</a>, with the chain's restaurant assuring that you will you won't pay anything for your order until "you're resting six feet under". Image credits: HELL Pizza

Food & Wine

Maccas hit the road with a coffee lovers dream giveaway

McDonald’s are celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the world’s first McCafé - right at home in Melbourne - in style, offering up a special treat for caffeine lovers all along the east coast of Australia. With the McCafé van tour, the party hit the road, and the second stop of the trip gives Sydneysiders a chance to get in on the fun, and to enjoy the benefits of their very own free coffee - all they have to do is swing by Mrs Macquarie’s Chair in the Royal Botanic Garden on Tuesday 30 May between the hours of 5:30am to 2:00pm. And for those who don’t fancy the early start - or simply crave something a little sweeter - have no fear, because McCafé’s all over are introducing the<a href="https://mcdonalds.com.au/menu/birthday-cake-flavoured-latte"> limited-time Birthday Cake flavoured latte</a>. The delicious new treat can be enjoyed both hot and cold to delight all taste buds, and boasts McCafé’s “signature smooth and rich blend combined with delicious cake flavours”. And if there’s one thing McCafé knows, it’s how to make a good coffee, with 1,026 establishments across Australia, and a further 4,000 in 60 other countries. All of which work together to serve more than 230 million cups of coffee - barista made, of course - and other hot drinks each year, with a staggering one in every four coffees sold in Australia coming from none other than a McCafé. “One of the innovations we’re most proud of at McDonald’s Australia is McCafé,” Lancy Huynh - Group Brand Manager for McDonald’s Australia - explained, “a homegrown idea that has turned into a global success. “McCafé changed McDonald’s approach to coffee across the world – inventing a new way of serving our customers and defining what it means to offer great-quality, barista-made coffee in our restaurants. “With over 1,000 locations in Australia, McCafé is now one of the largest coffee retailers in the country, representing an impressive one in every four coffees sold in Australia. “It’s a brand that was created by coffee lovers for coffee lovers, so we are extremely proud to celebrate this milestone with the experts that helped shape it – our customers right here in Australia.” And Sydney isn’t the only city blessed with the opportunity to snag one of those impressive blends during this milestone celebration, with <a href="https://mcdonalds.com.au/sites/mcdonalds.com.au/files/230522_McCafe%CC%81%20celebrates%2030%20years_FINAL%20%281%29.pdf">the van tour set to swing by Brisbane and Townsville in the coming weeks</a>, having already completed its Melbourne run. “We are excited to hit the road and celebrate McCafé’s 30th anniversary with the coffee lovers that helped shape it – our customers right here in Australia,” Lancy Huynh explained. “Over the next few weeks, the McCafé coffee van will give away free coffee … to thank our customers for their loyalty and support over the last 30 years. “We look forward to meeting our customers across the east coast and fuelling them up with our great quality, barista-made coffee.” Images: McDonald’s [supplied]

Food & Wine

“Coffee that makes people cry”: Sydney cafe charges $1500 for a single brew

For most people, forking out $5 for a cup of coffee is to be expected, even threatening a daily budget in the midst of Australia’s cost of living crisis. But for one Western Sydney cafe and its wealthier clientele, that $5 has shot to $1500. Penrith’s Brew Lab Cafe is the place to be for coffee lovers seeking Australia’s “rarest coffee” in a unique after-hours experience that’s available by appointment only. As for why the beans set customers back so much, they’re apparently found growing at the base of a Panamanian volcano that’s 1700 metres above sea level, rating well above a 90 - which apparently signifies that they’re some of the best when it comes to coffee beans. And to top it all off, they fly first class. There’s a precise formula behind brewing the coffee, too, with pre-dampened filter paper, water boiled to 94 degrees, and carefully timed “pour over” sessions. It’s intended to be served black, with no additional sweeteners or flavours. “We order it once the customer has,” the cafe’s owner and barista Mitch Johnson told 9News. “We then get in contact with the guys in Panama, they’ll roast the order individually, and then they’ll send it over on their private jet.” However, for those hoping for a hit of coffee flavour from their brew, they may find themselves a little disappointed. As Johnson explained, “most people when they drink it, say their first impression is that it's more like a tea than a coffee.” Unsurprisingly, they don’t see an awful lot of people flocking in to hand over $1500, but apparently do get “quite a few coming in once a week to try our $100 or $200 coffees. "It's not rare for us at all. There is an underground coffee scene in Sydney that is actively pursuing exotic brews such as this.” When speaking to The Daily Telegraph about their offering, Johnson added that it wasn’t just about the coffee itself, noting that “this is an after-hours experience, only served one-on-one where we close the doors and talk the person through the process. “This particular coffee, you drink it as it cools down and the flavours change and evolve, giving way to tastes of peach, strawberry, lemonade, rose and juniper. “It’s an exceptional coffee, the kind of coffee that makes people cry, I know that sounds crazy but it’s happened, it’s brought them to tears.” Images: 9News / Nine

Domestic Travel

13 unusual uses for coffee filters

If you enjoy a cup of the caffeinated stuff of a morning, chances are good you probably have a packet or two of coffee filters knocking around in the pantry. While essential for creating the perfect brew, the simple shape and lint-free design of this beverage essential makes them useful in plenty of other places around the house. <ol> <li>Use them to protect your dishes – Protect your favourite plates or good china from chipping and scratches by slipping a single filter in between each when stacking.</li> <li>Savvy snacking – If you’re serving up something greasy or even a finger food snack, a coffee filter makes the perfect snack bowl. Added bonus? No washing up!</li> <li>Sparkling windows and mirrors – The lint-free design of coffee filters make them perfect for cleaning fragile surfaces.</li> <li>In the garden – When filling up pots with soil, place a filter in the bottom, over the water hole. This allows water to filter through but stops soil seeping out.</li> <li>Smart storage – Lots of loose odds and ends floating around? Corral them all together by using a filter to group similar objects.</li> <li>Clean your screens – Dusty TV or computer screen? A coffee filter is great for grabbing dust and grime from smooth surfaces.</li> <li>The key to micro-sieving – If you’re baking and need a super fine sieve, line your standard utensil with a filter to catch even the smallest particles of food.</li> <li>Ice block savior- Stop sticky fingers in the grandkids by snipping a hole in the centre of a filter and pushing the stick through to create a little “drip dish”.</li> <li>Grease your baking utensils – Ensure a lint free, well-greased surface by using a filter to grease your baking tins or trays.</li> <li>Create spotless glassware – Prevent unsightly streaks by using a filter to dry your glassware.</li> <li>Keep your microwave clean – Use a filter when heating leftovers in the microwave to prevent splatter.</li> <li>Absorb oil – Cooking bacon? Pop the finished product onto a filter to drain away excess oil.</li> <li>Streak free stainless steel – Filters work like magic on stainless steel appliances like your toaster as well as taps and fixtures.</li> </ol> Image credits: Getty Images

Home & Garden

“It tastes like rich”: Hotel sells $32 coffee with gold sprinkles

At the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, you can treat yourself to a cappuccino for a whopping $32AUD, although you’re not really paying for the coffee alone. The cappuccino, which is found at the hotel’s Le Cafe by the Fountain comes with 23-karat gold sprinkled on top and it has been named the Emirates Palace Golden Cappuccino. The pricey cap is not the only item on the menu that is embellished with gold, with the hotel advertising a camel milk vanilla or chocolate ice cream with a 23-karat gold leaf for $29. In the mood for a cold drink? The Emirates Palace has got you covered with their Hawaiian Candy Colada, a mocktail topped with 23-karat gold flakes for $26. Tourists have shared videos on social media, with one showing a barista shaking a can of gold flakes over a row of cappuccinos, much like one would with the average cocoa powder topping. Another video posted by a worker shows her adding gold flakes with a spoon. One TikToker who got to try the luxurious coffee wrote, “The gold cappuccino was 8/10 but the vibes were 100/10.” One user wrote, “It tastes like rich.” Another agreed, writing “It tastes expensive.” A Canadian coffee content creator, Brodie Vissers, better known as The Nomad Barista online reviewed the hotel’s cappuccino on YouTube. “Our drinks have arrived, I’m a little bit nervous. It used to be 24-karat, now they’ve reduced it to 23-karat but it is still gold sprinkled on this coffee,” he said. “I don’t even know what to expect from this drink,” he said before trying the luxurious drink. “It’s actually not bad. Of course the foam on the latte is not like a perfect flat white or anything. It’s actually not as sweet as I expected. It’s got a nice balance to it. It’s an interesting drink. “We cannot forget about the dates. Having dates with coffee is a very traditional thing here in the Middle East. “Let’s see how that pairs with the latte. Wow, that is so good. I recommend it if you’re around. It’s a kind of unique opportunity here in (Emirates) Palace. What better place to drink coffee with gold on top.” Image credit: Instagram

Food & Wine

3 surprising health and beauty benefits of coffee beans

Ah, coffee - who doesn't love to start the day without a cup! You'll be delighted to hear that coffee beans also have a plethora of beneficial uses. For starters, coffee beans can also improve hair and skin. Hello bright eyes These days, lots of trageted eye creams contain caffeine for its ability to decrease puffiness. Failing buying a new cream, why not try and little beauty DIY. Simply soak a cotton pad, ball or some clean gauze in some cool coffee water and relax with it on your eyes for at least 10 minutes but no more than half an hour. Wake up skin Not only can coffee brighten your comlexion, because of antioxidants and acids it has also been shown to diminish fine lines and tighten skin. Combine filtered warm water, coffee grounds, 2 teaspoons of Epsom salts and a bowl and allow to soak for a little while. Then simply wash you face - not only will you get a brightening clean, but the ground will give you a gentle exofliation too. Colour boost This is one for those with brunette hair. To add shine to your hair, make a paste from mixing coffee grounds with water. Simply apply to damp, clean hair and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing. Image credits: Getty Images

Beauty & Style

Nespresso launches limited-edition festive collection

Nespresso and world-renowned pastry chef and chocolatier Pierre Hermé are thrilled to join forces and announce a limited-edition capsule collection to kick off the festive season. The exclusive coffees and accessories are a celebration of refined tastes and indulgence, representing the best when it comes to tasting pleasures. The limited-edition collaboration builds upon Pierre Hermé’s extensive background as an expert of flavour, bringing to life a collection that focuses on shared moments with friends and family over the festive period. Of all the festive scenes in the world, Parisian design and culinary science is the pinnacle - the lights, the Christmas markets, the extravagant art, the city’s infectious energy - all these make Paris during Christmas a dream. Australians have long looked to Europe for inspiration when it comes to Christmas and with this new collection, Aussies will have the chance to experience Parisian finesse without leaving the country. From the creator of the Haute Pâtisserie, Pierre Hermé’s pastries are at the apex of avant-garde design, skilled technique and refined flavours. Decades of experience beginning with an apprenticeship at age 14 for Gaston Lenôtre, widely considered the father of modern pastry, led to Pierre Hermé being crowned the prestigious title of World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2016. With namesake boutiques and cafés all over the globe, Pierre Hermé’s creativity and sophistication in gastronomy is unparalleled. His unmistakably modern imagination pairs with technique to craft the ultimate coffee for the most discerning of palates – foodies will delight in the complex flavours while rejoicing in the ease of use, all from the comfort of home. If you're a devote Nespresso fan make sure you pick up the limited edition advent calendar. Containing 24 coffees and a surprise gift for the last day. The coffees are a mix of favourites from Nespresso’s permanent range and Pierre Hermé’s co-created limited edition collection. All presented in an exquisite box designed to be reused afterwards. In addition to the limited edition coffee pods, Nespresso have come out with three limited edition coffee machines including: <img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/Coffee-machines-new.jpg" alt="" width="835" height="414" /> The Nespresso | The Pierre Hermé collection is available now in Nespresso boutiques worldwide and online. As with all shared moments, the collection is available for a limited time only and while supplies last. You can check out the beautiful new collection here: Images: Supplied

Food & Wine

7 signs you’re drinking too much coffee

<h2>You feel anxious</h2> Ruminating about an upcoming event or deadline can fuel your desire to grab a comforting mug of coffee. Yet, the National Institute of Mental Health in the US recommends that people who suffer from anxiety avoid caffeine. Why? Drinking too much coffee can actually worsen the effects of anxiety, either by robbing you of proper sleep or triggering your flight or fight response. In a 1990 study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, 25 men were given a moderate dose of caffeine or a placebo before a stressful task. The men, who were all regular coffee drinkers, had higher blood pressure, stress hormones, and about double the reported stress level with the caffeine compared with the placebo. <h2>Your stomach hurts</h2> You may associate stomach pains with spoiled food or PMS cramps. You should add your morning cuppa to that list as well. In 2017, European scientists found that certain compounds in coffee stimulate the secretion of stomach acid by your stomach cells. Taking an over-counter medication like Tums can neutralise the acid short-term, but if you suspect drinking too much coffee is making your stomach hurt, think about changing your coffee consumption habits. <h2>Your heart is racing</h2> The feeling that your heart is beating too fast can be frightening. It may feel like your heart is trying to escape from your ribcage. These heart palpitations can be caused by the consumption of too much coffee and caffeine, nicotine, and even alcohol. In some cases, a racing heart can lead to dizziness and even fainting spells. According to a 2017 study in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, 94 per cent of doctors recommend patients experiencing the fluttering heart beats stop consuming caffeine. <h2>You have diarrhoea</h2> Most people know that coffee can help keep you regular, thanks to its laxative properties. Drink more than two or three cups a day, though, and you might get diarrhoea, according to the International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders. If you find your bathroom issues become unmanageable, the IFFGD recommends gradual withdrawal from caffeine. <h2>You can’t sleep</h2> Insomnia can be a telltale sign of too much coffee. Even if you swear coffee doesn’t have any effect on you, this tasty drink can still wreak havoc on your sleep cycle. Coffee’s half-life is five hours, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. That means it can take several more hours for the stimulant to completely leave your system. This can increase the number of times you wake up during the night, and decrease overall time asleep. To solve this problem, try to drink that last cup of coffee no later than noon. <h2>You’ve got the jitters</h2> Coffee makes you feel more alert, but sometimes that feeling turns into too much of a good thing. This is where the jitters come in. Caffeine speeds up your central nervous system, causing you to feel jumpy. Skip that fourth cup and stop the shakes. <h2>You get headaches</h2> A moderate amount of caffeine helps relieve a headache, by helping pain-relief medications work better, according to a study in The Journal of Headache and Pain. That’s why you’ll find caffeine as an ingredient in many over-the-counter headache drugs. However, if you drink too much coffee for a sustained amount of time (getting a daily excess of 500 mg of caffeine, or the equivalent of five cups of coffee), you can go through caffeine withdrawal. The symptoms include headaches and fatigue, found Johns Hopkins researchers. Slowly decrease your caffeine intake – and look at all the possible sources in your diet, including coffee, headache drugs, tea, soft drink, and energy drinks. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/7-signs-youre-drinking-too-much-coffee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Mapping the labour and slavery risks in fashion supply chains

<div class="copy"> How did your clothes get to you, and who was properly paid for them in the process? The garment industry is notorious for worker exploitation and complicated, unclear supply chains. Both within and without the fashion industry, forced labour, and modern slavery, is on the rise. According to the new <a href="https://publications.iom.int/books/global-estimates-modern-slavery-forced-labour-and-forced-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Global Estimates of Modern Slavery</a> report, there were 50 million people around the world living in modern slavery: 28 million in forced labour, and 22 million in forced marriages. This is an increase of 10 million from when the report was done in 2016 – among other things, the number has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and armed conflicts. What does the garment supply chain look like? Cosmos investigates. <h2>The shape of the garment industry: four tiers (sort of)</h2> “In a broad sense, when retailers talk about their supply chains, they tend to talk with tiers zero to four,” explains Dr Alice Payne, an associate professor in fashion at Queensland University of Technology. Tier 0 is the company’s direct operations: retail, offices, and distribution centres, for instance. Each additional tier is a layer removed from them. “Tier 1 is the people and the organizations constructing the garments for them – so assembling and manufacturing,” says Payne. Tier 2 is fabric production, while Tier 3 is the production of the yarn that makes the fabric. “Tier 4 is raw materials,” says Payne. “Natural fibres like cotton and wool, that’s all the way back to the farm, or the forests that the trees come from that are then processed into viscose material. And the petrochemical industry, which is the feedstock for polyester, nylons, acrylics and so on.” In reality, there aren’t clear lines between these tiers – particularly further up the supply chain. Even something as ubiquitous as cotton has a very complicated history. “You’ve got the seed inputs to grow the cotton on the farm, the cotton has to be ginned – the seed and the lint separated – and then from the ginning, it’s shipped to a spinner to make it into a yarn. “Then the yarn producer will ship it often to other countries to be manufactured into a cloth. At any point along the chain, it might be dyed,” says Payne. “They can span the world over in terms of geographic location and can be really complex,” says Abigail Munroe, a modern slavery research and policy analyst at human rights group Walk Free, which compiled the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery report with the United Nation’s International Labour Organization and the International Organisation for Migration. <h2>The labour distribution along the supply chain</h2> Workers aren’t distributed evenly across these tiers. Spindles and looms are both highly mechanised processes, making the middle tiers less labour-intensive. The raw materials in Tier 4 can be equally mechanised, or labour-intensive to make, depending on the fibre. Assembling garments in Tier 1, however, demands a huge workforce. “It’s part of the nature of cloth – it’s fluid and malleable,” says Payne. “In the robotics space, they talk about how it might take months to teach a machine to fold a t -shirt because it’s just such a such a very difficult thing to manoeuvre and manipulate cloth.” Each seam on your clothes needs to be guided manually through a sewing machine – which is something of a boon for poorer countries wanting to bring in more industry. “The textile industry is often the first rung on the ladder for a country that’s industrialising,” says Payne. “What’s an industry to bring into a country when you’ve got a large labour force? Well, often garment assembly, because it’s fairly light machinery.” But this also comes with risks. <h2>Who gets paid</h2> According to the <a href="https://cleanclothes.org/poverty-wages" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Clean Clothes Campaign</a>, a T-shirt which sells for €29 (A$43) sends €0.18 (A$0.27) back to the Bangladeshi garment worker who sewed it. Walk Free’s <a href="https://www.walkfree.org/reports/beyond-compliance-in-the-garment-industry/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beyond Compliance in the Garment Industry</a> report has found similar levels of low payment across the supply chain. “In our assessment, workers would need to be earning almost 40% more to have their basic needs met,” says Munroe. Exploitation may be worse in the more distant tiers. “In general, across any kind of industry, workers further down the supply chains tend to face increased modern slavery risks,” says Munroe. “That can be for a number of reasons – some of these being that they’re more likely to work in the informal economy, and they’re more likely to be invisible to policies designed to protect them.” <iframe title="Huh? Science Explained" src="https://omny.fm/shows/huh-science-explained/playlists/podcast/embed?selectedClip=c7003c2f-954f-4ebf-b826-af090009d3ac&style=cover&autoplay=0&list=0" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0"></iframe> <h2>Tracing slavery</h2> Governments have taken steps to make companies monitor these supply chains, but there are still gaps in the legislation. In Australia, for instance, the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018A00153" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2018 Modern Slavery Act</a> requires companies with an annual revenue over A$100 million to produce annual reports on their supply chains and modern slavery risks within those chains. The UK has <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/30/contents/enacted" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">similar legislation</a>. Walk Free’s annual Beyond Compliance reports, track these disclosures and so far, they’ve looked at the hospitality, finance, and garment industries. While most of the garment companies in this year’s analysis had statements addressing modern slavery (an improvement on the hospitality and finance industries), 33% still didn’t meet minimum requirements set out by the acts. Over a quarter of companies didn’t produce any supply chain disclosure at all, while among those that did disclose, only 35% went beyond Tier 1. “There’s actually no penalties for companies that are within the threshold of the act, but don’t actually produce a statement,” says Munroe. And, even if those requirements are met, there’s little motivation to improve on reports. “We certainly see statements that are clearly being used as a box ticking activity,” says Munroe. “For both of those acts, even the Australian act which has more involved requirements, it’s completely disclosure-based. So simply reporting that the company needs to do more in relation to supply chain mapping or risk assessment – that’s enough.” Stricter legislation, such as the regulations <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/european-union-releases-draft-mandatory-human-rights-and-environmental-due-diligence" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">currently being proposed by the EU</a>, might include financial penalties for failing to comply, alongside obligations to prevent and mitigate human rights abuses right through the supply chain. The Australian government is <a href="https://consultations.ag.gov.au/crime/modern-slavery-act-review/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">currently reviewing</a> its modern slavery act, with a consultation period closing in just over a month. Future changes to the act might increase compliance – but for now, most of the places you buy clothes from aren’t making it clear where the garments have come from – or who’s being properly paid to make them. Image credits: Getty Images  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=213724&title=Mapping+the+labour+and+slavery+risks+in+fashion+supply+chains" width="1" height="1" /> </div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/garment-supply-chain-slavery/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian. </div>

Beauty & Style

Mixed messages: Is coffee good or bad for us?

Coffee is good for you. Or it’s not. Maybe it is, then it isn’t, then it is again. If you drink coffee, and follow the news, then perhaps you’ve noticed this pattern. A recent study showed that coffee, even sweetened, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/article-beck-coffee-delivers-health-perks-even-with-some-sugar-new-study/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was associated with health benefits</a>. But other studies <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/is-coffee-good-or-bad-for-your-health/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have come to more mixed conclusions</a>. What’s driving these pendulum swings in the health status of coffee? Like a good cup of coffee, the answer is complex, but seems to boil down to human nature and scientific practice. <h2>Wishful optimism</h2> Globally, we consume about <a href="https://britishcoffeeassociation.org/coffee-consumption/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two billion cups of coffee each day</a>. That’s a lot of coffee, and many of those who imbibe want to know what that coffee is doing to us, in addition to waking us up. As a species, we are often <a href="https://grist.org/article/80-percent-of-humans-are-delusionally-optimistic-says-science/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">delusionally optimistic</a>. We want the world to be better, maybe simpler, than it is. We squint at our morning cup through those same rosy glasses: We really want coffee to bring us health, not just a sunny disposition. But is that likely? In drinking coffee, we’re ingesting a complex brew that includes literally thousands of chemicals, including one that evolved to dissuade herbivores from munching on the coffee plant: caffeine. <h2>Coffee for the caffeine</h2> Our morning kickstart comes from a plant toxin. The possible health benefits of coffee are generally attributed to other molecules in the brew, often antioxidants including polyphenols, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-019-03388-9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a group that are found in substantial concentrations in coffee</a>. But they, and other antioxidants, are also found <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/antioxidants/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in many plants like broccoli or blueberries, and in higher concentrations</a>. We drink coffee for the caffeine, not the antioxidants. The best we can realistically hope for is that we aren’t harming ourselves by drinking coffee. With any luck, coffee isn’t killing us nearly as quickly as other things that we’re doing to our bodies. I’m looking at you <a href="https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sluggish-start-the-5-worst-breakfast-foods/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">doughnuts</a>, <a href="https://www.verywellhealth.com/microwave-popcorn-and-cancer-5085309" target="_blank" rel="noopener">microwave popcorn</a> and <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/expert-answers/cigar-smoking/faq-20057787" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebratory cigars</a>. The dynamic nature of science also drives our on-again, off-again medical love affair with coffee. Scientists like to study coffee almost as much as we like to drink it; there are almost three and a half million scientific articles focused on coffee (thanks Google Scholar). Even the number of cups we consume is surprisingly contentious, with many aspects <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjnph-2018-000013" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being subject to scrutiny, study and debate</a>. <h2>Changing research findings</h2> The dizzying swings in coffee’s health status highlight a fundamental challenge in modern science. Research is an ongoing process, and our understanding of the world around us changes as we explore and learn. We question, examine and make decisions based on the best information we have. Those decisions can, and should, change as we get new information. In 1981, a high profile New York Times opinion piece loudly proclaimed that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/14/opinion/coffee-and-cancer.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our morning cup was driving us to an early grave</a>. The writers wrung their hands as they swore off coffee and faced the grey reality of their post-coffee world. Their passionate convictions were driven by a then-recent study in which researchers clearly linked even moderate coffee consumption with a substantial rise in premature death. Three years later the study was refuted by some of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM198608283150918" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the same scientists</a>, and the editors were, presumably, back in their coffee cups – if they had ever actually stepped away. The initial study was well done, included more than 1,000 patients from almost a dozen hospitals and five reputable scientists. The results were clear and the conclusions seemed justified. But a follow-up study failed to replicate the, admittedly shocking, conclusions: the authors found no link between drinking coffee and premature death. What went wrong? One thing may have been the researchers’ reliance on a common measure of statistical significance, the p value. The value was developed as a way to explore data, but is often treated as a magic bullet that identifies significant results. But there simply isn’t a foolproof, objective or irrefutable way to identify or quantify the significance of a result. We can reach reasonable conclusions in which we have some kind of confidence, but that is about as good as it is going to get. We need to question conclusions that seem to be too good to be true, like the idea that consuming a plant toxin could make us live longer, that <a href="https://theconversation.com/hoping-to-get-in-shape-for-summer-ditch-the-fads-in-favour-of-a-diet-more-likely-to-stick-122648" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only eating a fictional caveman diet will make us healthier</a>, <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-covid-19-pandemic-not-over/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acting as though the COVID-19 pandemic is over</a>, even in the face of daily evidence that it isn’t, will make it go away, or that <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nilsrokke/2022/04/07/why-we-cant-ignore-the-latest-un-climate-change-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">simply ignoring massive fluctuations in weather will make global climate change disappear</a>. Common sense can go a long way. <h2>Health benefits</h2> Is coffee good for you? Yes, in the sense that it will wake you up, brighten your mood, maybe even give you an excuse to get out of the house and chat with friends at a local coffee house. Will drinking coffee make you healthier or help you live longer? Probably not. Sure, the antioxidants in our morning cup could actually be helping our bodies, but there are far better ways to boost your antioxidant intake. So, wake up with a strong cup of coffee, <a href="https://theconversation.com/food-variety-is-important-for-our-health-but-the-definition-of-a-balanced-diet-is-often-murky-149126" target="_blank" rel="noopener">but stay healthy with a complex and varied diet</a>. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/mixed-messages-is-coffee-good-or-bad-for-us-it-might-help-but-it-doesnt-enhance-health-187343" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Body

Battler fruit and veg market owner slams big chains for profit chasing

A local grocer has been hailed a hero after calling out Woolies and Coles for unnecessarily increasing the price of fruit and vegetables. Johnny Kapiris owns St Bernards Fruit and Veg Market in Rostrevor, Adelaide. He recorded an angry video of himself slamming the big chains for their ridiculous price hikes. "Every f**ker in Australia is using inflation for an excuse to jack their f**king prices up," he said. "You know why? Because they're money-hungry f**ks". Johnny went on to show the prices of some of his products he selling with mandarins for just 99 cents a kilo, bananas for 99 cents a kilo and a punnet of strawberries for $4.99 The prices of these products at a Coles or Woolies supermarket go for $2.80 a kilo, $3.50 a kilo and $6.50 a punnet respectively. Johnny admitted that inflation is being factored into the increased prices, as well as expensive fuel and the recent flooding. But he argues that the big supermarkets can afford to lower their prices and accept a lower profit just as he has done instead of keeping their shareholders happy. "Inflation is real but some people are playing on it,” he said. “There's plenty of specials you can put on to bring the basket spend down, which I believe they [supermarket chains] are not doing." "There are only a handful of us who are really interested in our customers." Despite accepting less profits, Johnny is being rewarded in a way that no other person can be - by having loyal customers coming back. "We're a family owned business and we're hands-on in the shop. I know my customers by name and I know what they want,” he said. "It's that tight community feeling." "There are a lot of pensioners here and how can they afford $12 for a lettuce? That's just unheard of." Warning: Expletives used throughout <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=922530765808223" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video</a>. Images: Facebook

Food & Wine

Your morning cup of coffee could help you live longer

While coffee helps us function, it could also potentially be an elixir to a longer life. Drinking 1.5 to 3.5 cups of coffee per day, even with sugar, could help you live longer. An international team of scientists (and fellow coffee lovers) spent seven years looking at the caffeinated drinking habits of 171,000 participants from the UK, all of whom had no known heart disease or cancer. The authors found that participants who drank any amount of unsweetened coffee were 16% to 21% less likely to die within that seven-year period, compared to those who did not drink coffee. They also found that participants who liked their coffee sweet, drinking it with one teaspoon of sugar, had a 29% to 31% lower chance of passing away. Results were inconclusive for those who drank coffee with artificial sweetener. The researchers caution that for maximum benefits, coffee drinkers should consume no more than 3.5 cups per day, and limit the amount of sugar with each coffee. Based on this data, there is no need for most coffee drinkers to eliminate that cup of joe from their diet, but they should be cautious about ordering calorie-laden frappacinos! The study was published in Annals of Internal Medicine. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/coffee-help-live-longer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Qamariya Nasrullah.

Body

Maccas to launch a new menu item for Aussies only

McDonald’s have announced the launch of a new menu item exclusively for Australians – and some of us will be able to try it for free. The fast-food giant has tapped into our love of coffee, creating a new beverage dubbed the “Australiano” that adds a flavour combination of native wattleseed and chai to McCafe’s locally-roasted coffee beans. It has been deliberately designed to rival the classic Americano, with McDonald’s Australia saying the drink had been more than a year in the making. “The goal here for us is to create a coffee flavour that Aussies can call their own,” Lancy Huynh, McDonald’s Australia’s group brand manager said. “We look forward to hearing what our customers think of this unique mix of flavours.” Available for a limited time from May the 25th at McCafés around the country, the Australiano has been described by Macca’s as a “treat for coffee aficionados” that can be served hot or iced. “Australia is a nation of coffee aficionados. What better way to celebrate them than to create a coffee they can call their own?” Lancey added. “As a champion for Aussie coffee culture, McCafé wanted to right this wrong and craft a blend that Aussies can proudly put their name to. Lancy went on to claim the new brew, which costs $4.75 but pricing can vary, was a coffee Australians “can proudly put their name to”. Image: McDonald's Australia

Food & Wine

“Sick beyond belief”: Burger chain slammed for Maddy McCann Mother’s Day ad

The Otley Burger Company in the UK has been met with a furious response after posting an ad to social media that made light of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann ahead of Mother’s Day – although the owner of the company has defended the post, claiming it was “just a meme”. Shared to social media by the Leeds-based chain, the ads depict McCann and her mother, along with a small edited image of a masked man escaping with the child, plus a caption: “With burgers this good, you’ll leave your kids at home. What’s the worst that could happen?”. The ad then concludes with the phrase “Happy Mother’s Day to all the mums out there”. Such was the fury the ads were met with that they were quickly banned by Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority, which deemed the posts likely to cause offence and distress after several complaints were made. The ASA stated that the ads made light of the circumstances surrounding McCann’s disappearance. “Any reference to a missing child was likely to be distressing, and that in the context of an ad promoting a burger company, the distress caused was unjustified,” the statement read. The ASA then asked Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to remove the posts and suspend the account pending investigation. Meta said it had reviewed the Instagram post and removed it for violating policies, while Twitter said the post had also been deleted. The burger company’s takeaway service page was quickly flooded with furious comments over the “disgusting” behaviour. “Sick beyond belief, I hope the company goes broke,” one person wrote. “Hang your heads in shame,” wrote another. Owner Joe Scholey, 29, told Metro UK: “I’m not taking the mick out of a missing toddler. I’m basically putting, ‘Happy Mother’s Day’ to all the mums,” he said. “She [Kate McCann] is a mum. Not the world’s greatest mum and not the world’s worst. She’s a mum, there’s one there.” Image: Otley Burger Company

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