7 Up

For other uses, see 7 Up (disambiguation).
7 Up

7 Up logo used by PepsiCo outside of the U.S.

7 Up logo used in the U.S.
Type Lemon-lime soda
Manufacturer Dr Pepper Snapple Group (U.S.), PepsiCo (elsewhere)
Country of origin United States
Introduced
  • 1929 (1929) (as Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda)
  • 1936 (1936) (as 7 Up)
Colour Transparent
Pink (Cherry/Diet Cherry)
Variants
Related products Sprite, Sierra Mist
Website www.7up.com

7 Up is a brand of lemon-lime flavored, non-caffeinated soft drink. The rights to the brand are held by Dr Pepper Snapple Group in the United States, and PepsiCo (or its licensees) in the rest of the world. The U.S. version of the 7 Up logo includes a red cherry between the "7" and "Up"; this red cherry has been animated and used as a mascot for the brand as Cool Spot.

History

7 Up was created by Charles Leiper Grigg, who launched his St. Louis–based company The Howdy Corporation in 1920.[1] Grigg came up with the formula for a lemon-lime soft drink in 1929. The product, originally named "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda", was launched two weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929.[2] It contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug, until 1950.[3] It was one of a number of patent medicine products popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries.

Westinghouse bought 7 Up in 1969 and sold it in 1978 to Philip Morris, who then in 1986 sold it to a group led by the investment firm Hicks & Haas.[4] 7 Up merged with Dr Pepper in 1988; Cadbury Schweppes bought the combined company in 1995. The Dr Pepper Snapple Group was spun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008.

Formula

7 Up has been reformulated several times since its launch in 1929. In 2006, the version of the product sold in the U.S. was re-formulated so that it could be marketed as being "100% natural". This was achieved by eliminating the chelating-agent calcium disodium EDTA, and replacing sodium citrate with potassium citrate in order to reduce the beverage's sodium content.[5] This re-formulation contains no fruit juice and, in the U.S., is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The manufacturing process used in the production of HFCS has led some public health and advocacy groups to challenge the ad campaign's "natural" claims.[6] In 2007, after the Center for Science in the Public Interest threatened to sue 7 Up, it was announced that 7 Up would stop being marketed as "100% natural". Instead, It is now promoted as having "100% Natural Flavors". The controversy does not extend to other countries, such as the United Kingdom, where HFCS is not generally used in foods, including 7 Up. In 2011, 7 Up began test-marketing a formula, called 7 Up Retro, using sugar rather than HFCS. Container labels sport the caption, "Made With Real Sugar".

There exists a myth that the 7 Up name comes from the drink having a pH over 7. That would make it neutral or alkaline on the scale; however, this is not the case, as the 7 Up pH is close to 3.79, similar to other drinks of the type.[7] The real origin of the name is unclear,[8] though Britvic claims that the name comes from the seven main ingredients in the drink,[9] while others have claimed that the number was a coded reference to the lithium contained in the original recipe, which has an atomic mass of approximately 7. It has now been said that the lithium in the original drink raised the overall ph of the drink to above ph7, dependant on how liberally the lithium drug had been added.[10]

Variations

7 Up Ten 
Introduced in 2013, along with "Ten" variations for most of the major Dr. Pepper/Seven-Up brands, this contains 10 calories. It is a blend using high fructose corn syrup along with aspartame and Acesulfame potassium to sweeten it.[11]
Tropical 7 Up 
Introduced in 2014 for a limited time, as well as a return in 2015 with newer branding, this is a pineapple/mango-flavored 7 Up.
7 Up Retro 
This 2011 formulation uses sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup as its sweetener. Introduced on the 2011 season finale of The Apprentice, packaging in 12 oz. cans features either the 1970s disco mirrorball themed logo or the 1980s logo. It is also available in 12 oz. glass bottles with a label inspired by 7 Up's original logo.[12]
Diet 7 Up 
This diet soda was originally introduced in 1963 as Like[13][14] (not to be confused with 7 Up's Like Cola from the 1980s), it was discontinued in 1969 due to the U.S. government ban of cyclamate sweetener. After reformulation, it was reintroduced as Diet 7 Up in 1970.[15] It was renamed Sugar Free 7 Up in 1973 then back to Diet 7 Up in 1979.[16] Diet 7 Up was reformulated and advertised as being sweetened with Splenda (sucralose); the formula has been re-tooled and listed the following ingredients: filtered carbonated water, natural flavors, citric acid, potassium citrate, potassium benzoate, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, calcium disodium EDTA.[17] The ingredients for Diet 7 Up with Splenda are: filtered carbonated water, natural flavors, citric acid, potassium citrate, potassium benzoate, calcium disodium EDTA, acesulfame potassium, sucralose.[18] The 7 Up Company claims they switched back to aspartame because they conducted a nationwide study showing that people preferred the taste with aspartame instead of with Splenda.

Cherry 7 Up 
A pink-colored, cherry flavored variant introduced in 1987.[19] Cherry7 Up flavor, with these ingredients listed: Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, potassium benzoate, red 40. One known ingredient among the "natural and artificial flavors" is apple juice. It was renamed and reformulated as Cherry 7 Up Antioxidant in January 2009. Contains 10% of U.S. daily recommended Vitamin E dosage per 8 fl oz serving (4.2% per 100 ml).[20] On November 8, 2012, Dr Pepper Snapple Group said they will pull 7Up with antioxidants off the shelves to reformulate them by 2013. They also said that its decision was not related to the lawsuit, but because of consistency across the board.[21][22]
Diet Cherry 7 Up 
Diet Cherry 7 Up has recently been re-introduced due to popular demand after having been missing due to the existence of 7 Up Plus Cherry flavor.[23] Ingredients are: filtered carbonated water and contains 2% or less of each of the following: citric acid, natural and artificial flavors, potassium benzoate (protects flavor), aspartame, potassium citrate, acesulfame potassium, red 40. Phenylketonurics: Contains phenylalanine.[24]
Orange 7 Up 
This flavor was available for a short time in Norway during the mid-1990s. It was released at the same time as Raspberry 7 Up. It was a clear colored lemon, lime and orange flavored soft drink. It was pulled off the market after 2–3 years. Today 7 Up Orange can still be bought in Austria.[25] As of 2014, it is available in the Netherlands.[26]
Raspberry 7 Up 
This flavor was available for a short time in Norway, Denmark (and possibly other European countries) during the late 80s. It was released at the same time as Orange 7 Up. It was a clear colored lemon, lime and raspberry flavoured soft-drink. It was pulled off the European market after 2–3 years, but can still be found in several Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore.
7 Up Free 
7 Up Free is sold in the UK, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Argentina, Iceland, Finland, UAE, Uruguay, Pakistan, and the Netherlands.[27] It contains no caffeine, sugar, colorings or preservatives and is marketed as "Natural Lemon and Lime flavour" similar to the "100% natural" American version. It contains a combination of artificial sugars, and for eight years was the only variety on the Norwegian market. The lack of the usual light or zero-label is confusing to Norwegian consumers, who often buy it not knowing they are buying a product with artificial sugars.. In the UK, 7 Up Free has been sold in a 600 ml, rather than 500 ml bottle since early 2010. This is part of 7-Up's UK manufacturer Britvic's healthy living push whereby sugar free product versions are sold in a larger bottle.
7 Up Light 
In International markets, Pepsico sells 7 Up Light as the diet version of 7 Up.
7 Up Lime 
7 Up Lime is sold in the U.S. and in Argentina. In the U.S. it is not as strong and is less carbonated. In Argentina it is much more carbonated and is 5% lime juice.
7 Up Cherry  
7 Up Cherry is a variant currently available in the UK. It is a different drink from Cherry 7 Up and uses a different recipe.

Barbecue sauces and marinades

In 2007, Cadbury Schweppes entered into a licensing partnership with Vita Food Products to produce a line of barbecue sauces and marinades flavored with Dr Pepper, 7 Up and A&W Root Beer.[28]

Discontinued

7 Up Gold 
7 Up Gold was marketed for a short time in 1988 as a spice-flavored beverage, similar to Vernor's Ginger Ale. Even though 7 Up's marketing slogan at that time was Never Had It, Never Will (referring to caffeine), 7 Up Gold did list caffeine as one of its ingredients. It was introduced by 7 Up in the hopes of capturing 1% of the cola market. However, it only captured one-tenth of one percent of the cola market apparently because people were confused by 7 Up marketing a soft drink with caffeine, and therefore it was discontinued. The 7 Up Gold recipe was actually an unused Dr Pepper invention.[29]
7 Up Ice Cola 
Introduced in 1995 by Pepsi for the International market. It was a clear cola. It was not as popular as hoped and was discontinued.
dnL / 7 Upside Down 
dnL was the name of a soft drink produced by Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages in the United States. It was part of the 7 Up family of soft drinks, and was introduced in September 2002. It was launched in the same year as other attempts to extend soft drink brand names with new variations, including Pepsi Blue, Dr Pepper Red Fusion and Vanilla Coke. It was arguably poorly marketed, and, while it remained listed as an official product of the company in late 2005, it was scheduled to be discontinued for 2006 in favor of the "7 Up Plus" brand.[30]
The product's name came from the fact that the "dnL" logo is the "7 Up" logo turned upside-down. The product itself was also, in many ways, the opposite of 7 Up: while 7 Up is caffeine-free, colorless, and comes in a green bottle, dnL contained caffeine and was an unusual shade of green (vaguely similar to the green of 7 Up's bottle) in a clear bottle. And while 7 Up has a fairly standard lemon-lime flavor, the "citrus" flavor of dnL is that of lime-lemon, (primarily lime flavored with a hint of lemon).[31]
7 Up Citrus Splash 
Available in Canada from Pepsico, citrus and lemon-lime.[32]
7 Up Lemon Squeeze 
Available in Canada from Pepsico.. Similar to Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze.[33]
7 Up Tropical 
Available in France from Pepsico.
7 Up Tropical Splash 
Available in Canada from Pepsico in the early 2000s.[34]
7 Up Plus 
7 Up Plus was a family of fruit-flavored soft drinks, produced by Cadbury-Schweppes. Touted as a healthy alternative, it contained no caffeine and has 2 grams of carbohydrates per serving, as well as 5% apple juice, which is uncommon among American market carbonated beverages.[35] It is sweetened with Splenda, and the original flavor, Mixed Berry, was released in summer 2004. Two additional flavors have been added to the line: Cherry and Island Fruit. In Ireland in 2007, 7 Up launched a range of flavored water.
7 Up Pomegranate 
Available in the US for one year during the holidays
7 Up Frootaz 
Tropical flavor variant available in the Philippines marketed by Pepsico for a short time in the 2000s, and then discontinued.
7 Up Yerbabuena 
just for a límited time only in Colombia, 2013

Slogans and advertising campaigns

7 Up sponsored the Jordan Formula One team in their first year, the 1991 season.
Fresh-Up Freddie.

The television cartoon character Fido Dido was used as a mascot from the late 1980s through the early 1990s, and was re-introduced in international markets in the early 2000s.[37]

Fresh-Up Freddie was the rooster mascot for 7 Up in the 1950s. He gave viewers lessons about how to plan successful parties and picnics by having a plenty of 7 Up on hand. The commercials were produced by Disney, giving the character the specific Disney look of the time.[38] Freddie was a crossover between Panchito rooster from The Three Caballeros and zany Aracuan Bird from the same film. Fresh-Up Freddie often was dressed in human clothes. Freddie also appeared in Zorro 1957 series commercial intermissions. Here, he was put against Pete the Cat. Fresh-Up Freddie also had a minor merchandise of his own. He was voiced by Paul Frees.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "7 Up - The Making of a Legend". Cadbury-Schweppes. 2006. Archived from the original on 30 April 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Bellis, Mary (21 December 2013). "The History of 7up - Charles Leiper Grigg". Inventors.about.com. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  3. ↑ Tiekink, Edward R.T.; Gielen, Marcel (2005). Metallotherapeutic Drugs and Metal-based Diagnostic Agents : The Use of Metals in Medicine. Chichester: John Wiley and Sons. p. 3. ISBN 0470864036.
  4. ↑ "Seven-Up Sale Set at $240 Million". New York Times. 4 October 1986.
  5. ↑ "7UP". Discover our Products. Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "CSPI to Sue Cadbury Schweppes over “All Natural” 7UP". Center for Science in the Public Interest. 11 May 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  7. ↑ ZeKKi (8 April 2010). "El ph de la Seven UP NO ES DE 7!!!". Mancia.org (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  8. ↑ Mikkelson, Barbara (13 January 2010). "7Up". snopes.com. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  9. ↑ britvic.co.uk. Accessed January 16, 2014
  10. ↑ Fels, Anna (13 September 2014). "Should We All Take a Bit of Lithium?". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "7UP.com · Products". 7UP.com.
  12. ↑ "Photo of 7 Up Bottles". Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  13. 1 2 "7Up Timeline and History". Twoop.com. August 29, 2005. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  14. ↑ Weide, C.A. "Image of glass bottle of 7Up-like beverage". ca-yd.com. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Cadbury Global :: Our Brands :: History of our Brands". Cadbury.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". Web.archive.org. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Diet 7 Up Nutritional Facts". 7up.com.
  18. ↑ "Diet 7 Up with Splenda Nutritional Facts". 7up.com.
  19. ↑ "Our Brands – 7Up". Dr Pepper Snapple Group. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  20. ↑ "7UP Gives Consumers New Cherry 7UP Antioxidant". Bevnet.com. February 2, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  21. ↑ "7Up with antioxidants to be taken off the market". Tulsa World. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  22. ↑ "7Up with antioxidants to be discontinued amid health claims lawsuit". CBS News. November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  23. ↑ "The Slug.com." The Slug: Rejoice! Diet Cherry 7 Up to Return to Us!.
  24. ↑ "Diet Cherry 7 Up Nutritional Facts". 7up.com.
  25. ↑ ottakringer shop - party & bier at the Wayback Machine (archived March 1, 2005)
  26. ↑ http://www.7up.nl/
  27. ↑ egils.is
  28. ↑ "Vita Foods and Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages Get Cooking With the Introduction of Dr Pepper, 7UP and A&W Root Beer Branded Sauces and Marinades". PR Newswire. May 7, 2007. Retrieved March 14, 2011. Press release
  29. ↑ McGill, Douglas C. (February 11, 1989). "7-UP Gold: The failure of a can't-lose plan". New York Times.
  30. ↑ "DNP for 7 Up's dnL". bevnet.com. July 27, 2005. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  31. ↑ "7 Up With Estrogen Announced". Fizzledout.com. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  32. ↑ "7-Up Citrus Splash". sodafinder.com.
  33. ↑ "7-Up Lemon Squeeze". sodafinder.com.
  34. ↑ "7-Up Tropical Splash". sodafinder.com.
  35. ↑ "Review: 7Up Plus: Island Fruit". Bevreview.com. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
  36. ↑ "VINTAGE 80'S CHERRY 7UP ISN'T IT COOL IN PINK? COMMERCIAL W MATT LEBLANC". Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Fido Dido returns as face of 7 Up" at B&T,
  38. ↑ "Fresh-Up Freddie character profile on Don Markstein's Toonopedia". Toonopedia.com. Retrieved July 28, 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 7 Up.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, February 12, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.