V8 (beverage)

V8 Vegetable Juice

Product type	Vegetable juice
Owner	Campbell Soup Company
Country	United States
Introduced	1933
Markets	United States United Kingdom Australia Canada Mexico
Website	http://www.v8juice.com/

V8 Vegetable Juice is a trademark name for beverage products sold worldwide and made from either eight vegetables or a mixture of vegetables and fruits. The brand is owned by the Campbell Soup Company.

The original V8 got its name from the fact that it contained the juices of eight different vegetables, as well as being a reference to the V8 engine.

V8 vegetable juice

The original V8 is made mainly from water and tomato concentrate, and reconstituted vegetable juice blend: water and concentrate of eight vegetables, specifically: beets, celery, carrots, lettuce, parsley, watercress, spinach, and tomato.^[1] Tomato juice makes up around 89% of the total drink.^[2] Campbell's has produced several varieties of the drink, such as Original, Spicy Hot, Lemon, Picante, Roasted Chicken, Low-Sodium, and Organic. Two spin-offs of the V8 brand, "V8 Splash", and "V8 V•Fusion", are blends of fruit and vegetable (specifically carrot) juices. V8 Splash is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup and Sucralose or just Splenda in Diet V8 Splash, while V•Fusion is made from 100% juice and contains a daily serving of both fruits and vegetables per 8 fl oz (240 mL) glass.

History

An American child during World War II purchases a can of V8, handing the grocer his ration book.

V8 Vegetable Juice was developed by W.G. Peacock (1896–1948), the founder of the New England Products Company, which manufactured individual vegetable juices under the brand name Vege-min. Having had only mediocre sales success, in 1933 Peacock began blending the Vege-min juices into one product and selling this new concoction as "Vege-min 8". A grocer in Evanston, Illinois, recommended that he shorten the name to simply "V-8". In 1948, the Campbell Soup Company acquired the brand, and has maintained continuous production of the beverage through the present day.

V8 was first available in Australia on 20th November, 1945 with its' Original blend.

Derivative beverages

A few cocktail drinks use V8, most famously the "bloody eight" or "eight ball", which is a Bloody Mary with V8 instead of tomato juice.^[3]

V8 fruit & vegetable juice

V8 Vegetable Juice

In countries such as the UK and Australia, Campbell's also makes V8 100% Fruit & Vegetable Juice, combining vegetable juice with fruit juices for one serving of vegetables and one serving of fruits. This is available elsewhere as V8 V-Fusion. They are also sold in "light" versions containing 50% juice (1/2 serving of vegetables and 1/2 serving of fruits) with added flavors to reduce calorie content.^[4][5] V8 V-Fusion + Tea was recently introduced. It contains a 1/2 serving of vegetables and a 1/2 serving of fruits.^[5]

Some varieties are composed of:

• Strawberry Banana: Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Carrots, Beets, White Grapes, Oranges, Apples, Strawberries, Bananas and Banana Puree.
• Pomegranate Blueberry: Sweet Potatoes, Purple Carrots, Tomatoes, Carrots, Apples, White Grapes.
• Tropical Orange: Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Yellow Tomatoes, Squash, White Grapes, Oranges, Pineapples.
• Peach Mango: Sweet Potatoes, Yellow Tomatoes, Squash, White Grapes, Oranges, Peaches, Mangoes.
• Acai Mixed Berry: Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Apples, White Grapes, Acai Berries, Blueberries, Limes.
• Cranberry Blackberry: Sweet Potatoes, Purple Carrots, Carrots, Apples, White Grapes, Cranberry, Blackberry, Lemon Juice.
• Goji Raspberry: Sweet Potatoes, Purple Carrots, Carrots, Apples, White Grapes, Cherries, Strawberries, Blackberry, Oranges, Goji, Red Raspberry, Lemon Juice.

The Australian flavour variants are Tropical, Melon Burst, Citrus Splash, Apple, Carrot & Ginger, and Apple Plum Fusion.

Other varieties include V8 Splash. , V8 Splash Diet, and V8 V-Fusion + Energy.

Nutrition

Example nutrition information for V8 Vegetable Juice:

Slogans

• Wow, It Sure Doesn't Taste like Tomato Juice! (1960s)
• Drink V8 & Keep Your Diet Straight! (1990s-present)
• Drink Smarter with V8. (2000-present –2005)
• Drink It. Feel It. (2003–2004)
• Should've Had a V8. (1980s, 2009–present) (Could've Had a V8 is used in tandem.)

See also

• List of juices

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to V8 (beverage).

• V8 Beverages site (US)
• V8 Beverages site (UK)
• V8 Campbell's site (Australia)
• Detailed nutritional data at NutritionData.com for the low-sodium version
• V8 Beverages site (Mexico)
• V8 Juice from PracticallyEdible.com