Lucozade is a soft drink manufactured by the Japanese company Suntory and marketed as a range of sports and energy drinks. Created as "Glucozade" in the UK in 1927 by a Newcastle pharmacist, William Walker Hunter (trading as W. Owen & Son), it was acquired by the British pharmaceutical company Beecham's in 1938 and sold as an energy drink for the sick as Lucozade. The company's advertising slogan was "Lucozade aids recovery".
A glucose-water solution, the product was sold until 1983 as a carbonated, slightly orange-flavoured drink in a glass bottle wrapped in yellow cellophane. Pharmacists sold it, children were given it when ill, and hospital visitors would regularly arrive with a bottle. It was rebranded it as a "pick me up" in 1978 and as a sports drink in 1983 to associate it with health rather than sickness. The company switched to a plastic bottle and introduced a range of flavours. As of 2016, a 500-ml bottle contained 62 g (15.5 cubes) of sugar, more than Coca-Cola. In 2017, to avoid sugar tax, the drink was reformulated to contain 4.5 g of sugar per 100 ml of liquid.
In 1989 the Beecham Group merged to form SmithKline Beecham, which in 2000 merged to form GlaxoSmithKline. In September 2013 GlaxoSmithKline sold Lucozade and another soft drink, Ribena, to the Japanese conglomerate Suntory for £1.35 billion.
Video Lucozade
History
"Glucozade" was invented by William Walker Hunter in 1927 in Newcastle; Hunter had taken over the business of pharmacist William Owen. Hunter sold the product to Beecham Group in 1938 and it was eventually renamed to Lucozade.
In 1953, a factory for the production of Lucozade products was opened in Brentford, England, which, until 2004, had an iconic sign seen on the side of the M4 motorway (now in Gunnersbury Park Museum).
Lucozade originally was available in only one variety, which was effervescent with a distinctive sweet citric flavour. It was sold in a glass bottle with a yellow cellophane wrap until 1983, when Lucozade was rebranded as an energy drink to shift the brand's associations away from illness. The slogan "Lucozade aids recovery" was replaced by "Lucozade replaces lost energy". The glass bottle was replaced by a plastic (polyethylene terephthalate, PET) one. After the rebranding, between 1984 and 1989 UK sales tripled to almost £75 million.
In 1989 the Beecham Group and SmithKline Beckman merged to form SmithKline Beecham, and in 2000 SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoWellcome merged to form GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). In 2013 GSK put Ribena and Lucozade up for sale. Suntory, a Japanese holding company, bought the brands in September for £1.35 billion. At the time of the sale, the product was manufactured in England at the Royal Forest Factory in Coleford, Gloucestershire, in the Forest of Dean.
Maps Lucozade
Purpose and effectiveness
A stated purpose of sports drinks, which provide many calories of energy from sugars, is to improve performance and endurance. In an analysis by Matthew Thompson and colleagues from the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, of 431 marketing claims of performance enhancement, most cited no evidence. 174 sources were cited for Lucozade; of them, Thompson found only three studies of high quality with a low risk of bias. The rigorous studies that did show improved endurance were "of limited relevance to most people because the tests were on elite athletes". Thompson said that for the vast majority of people drinking such products "could completely counteract exercising more, playing football more, going to the gym more".
The drinks are marketed as soft drinks; a soft drinks industry spokesman said in response "By helping people participating in sport to perform better and to recover more quickly, sports drinks can encourage people to exercise more".
Liverpool City Council started a campaign against sugary drinks in May 2016. The campaign was entitled "Is your child's sweet tooth harming their health?", named Lucozade as the worst offender, with 62 grams of sugar in a 500ml bottle, followed by Coca-Cola with 54 grams. Posters were displayed in doctors' surgeries and hospitals.
Due to its high sugar content, Lucozade has been recommended by UK diabetes charities as an immediate treatment for hypoglycemia in individuals who take insulin.
Composition
While the ingredients vary somewhat from one drink to another, the ingredients of the Lucozade Original Energy, were listed as follows in 2013: carbonated water, glucose syrup (25%), citric acid (E330), lactic acid (E270), flavouring (unspecified), preservatives (potassium sorbate, sodium bisulphite (E-222)), caffeine, antioxidant (ascorbic acid), colour (sunset yellow (E110), Ponceau 4R).
A warning is printed on the packaging that the colouring may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children. Nutritional information for 380 ml bottle: energy 1129 kjoules = 266 kCal; protein, fat and fibre nil; carbohydrates 65.4 g of which sugars 33.1 g of which 65.4 g glucose-based; and sodium trace. Packaging also warns that spilt Lucozade may stain. A 380 ml bottle of Lucozade contains 46 mg of caffeine, about as much as a cup of tea.
Lucozade contains 0.01% ethanol (alcohol), which kept observant Muslims from being allowed to drink it (Islam bans alcohol) until, in 2004, the Muslim Council of Britain ruled that they saw no harm in consuming Lucozade which contains traces of ethyl alcohol that does not bear its original qualities and does not change the taste, colour or smell. GlaxoSmithKline pointed out that fruit juices and bread could also contain the same or higher trace amounts of alcohol due to natural fermentation.
Sponsorships
Lucozade Sport is a major sponsor of events, teams and athletes in the UK and Ireland, including the Amateur Rowing Association (ARA), FA Premier League, FA Cup, England Rugby Football Union, England Football Team, the Republic Of Ireland Football Team, the London Marathon, Parkrun, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Damien Duff, Ronan O'Gara, Ben Wynne and the powerleague. From 2012, the McLaren Formula One team is also sponsored by Lucozade.
Notes
References
External links
- Lucozade.com
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