Throwback (drink)

Retro-themed design on a 12-ounce can of Pepsi Throwback from 2010. Current cans no longer say "limited time only".

Retro-themed design on a 12-ounce can of Mountain Dew Throwback from 2010. Current cans no longer say "limited time only".

The Throwback line is a brand of soft drink sold by PepsiCo in the United States and Canada for its flagship Pepsi and Mountain Dew brands. The drinks, called Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback, are named as such because they are flavored with natural sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, which soft drink companies used to replace sugar in the 1980s.^[1] In addition, these drinks use retro packaging.

Development

The cost of sugar in the US started to rise in the late 1970s and into the 1980s due to government imposed tariffs, prompting soft drink manufacturers to switch to high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a cheaper alternative to sugar. (Diet drinks were not included, because they have long been flavored with artificial sweeteners; the switch from saccharin to aspartame around the same time was an unrelated move.) By the mid 1980s, all of the major soft drink brands switched to HFCS, with the original formula of Coca-Cola being one of the last holdouts.

However, by the late 2000s, many soft drink fans wanted a return of sugar in the drinks, citing a slightly sweeter taste, controversies over negative health effects of HFCS, increases in the cost of corn syrup due to increased use of the product for ethanol production, as well as the cost of sugar having since dropped in that time.

In early 2009, PepsiCo announced plans to release versions of Pepsi and Mountain Dew with pure cane sugar as its main sweetener, and without the citric acid found in regular Pepsi, on a limited time basis.^[1] The original shipment went on sale in April 2009, and ended in June. Sales were strong for both, prompting PepsiCo to release a 2nd limited batch for December 2009–February 2010.

The second batch version of Mountain Dew Throwback from December 2009 differed slightly in its formula from the first batch from April 2009, in that it now included concentrated orange juice as one of its ingredients, giving it a slightly different flavor more in common with Mountain Dew presently available.

A third batch was released on July 31, 2010, again as a five week limited release.^[2]

On October 12, Consumerist.com reported that Pepsi has decided to continue offering the Throwback line as long as people continue to buy it. ^[3]

A fourth batch started to appear in stores in late December 2010, removing the limited time only logo from the case packaging. At the same time, Sierra Mist, a drink that debuted in 1999 and had always been made with high fructose corn syrup, also had a sugar-based formula released under the name "Sierra Mist Natural." Sierra Mist Natural has since replaced the HFCS-based Sierra Mist as the primary Sierra Mist formula.

In January 2011, Pepsi Throwback began appearing in 12 pack 355ml cans as well as 591mL bottles across Canada.^[1]

On March 11, 2011, PepsiCo announced that both Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback would become permanent additions to the Pepsi and Mountain Dew product lines.^[4]

Packaging

Both editions have used retro packaging as part of the "throwback" theme. The first release featured the 1940s Pepsi-Cola script in royal blue on a modern navy blue background with the word "throwback" written in the modern font, while the 1973–1996 Mountain Dew logo was featured on a modern green background.

With the second release in December 2009, more accurate retro packaging was used. Pepsi used the exact replica of the 1973–1987 logo, while Mountain Dew used its original hillbilly theme. The use of Mountain Dew's original theme is a stark reversal of Pepsi's decision to distance the drink from its Appalachia origins, as well as a stark contrast from the drink's current male, extreme sports demographic.

All subsequent releases of the Throwback drinks have used the second release's packaging.

Nutritional comparison

	Pepsi	Pepsi Throwback	Mountain Dew	Mountain Dew Throwback
Serving Size	12 oz	12 oz	12 oz	12 oz
Calories	150	150	170	170
Total Fat	0g	0g	0g	0g
Sodium	30 mg	20 mg	65 mg	65 mg
Total Carb.	41g	40g	46g	44g
Sugars	41g	40g	46g	44g
Protein	0g	0g	0g	0g
Caffeine Content	38 mg	38 mg	54 mg	54 mg
Ingredients	Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Sugar, Phosphoric Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor	Carbonated Water, Sugar, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Caffeine, Natural Flavor	Carbonated Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Concentrated Orange Juice, Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Sodium Benzoate, Caffeine, Sodium Citrate, Erythorbic Acid, Gum Arabic, Calcium Disodium Edta, Brominated Vegetable Oil, Yellow 5	Carbonated Water, Sugar, Orange Juice Concentrate, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Sodium Benzoate, Caffeine, Sodium Citrate, Gum Arabic, Erythorbic Acid, Calcium Disodium Edta, Brominated Vegetable Oil, Yellow 5

^[5]

Similar competing drinks

Dr Pepper started selling "Heritage Dr Pepper" in response in November 2009. Sugar-sweetened Dr Pepper has always been available from a single bottling plant in Texas (see Dublin Dr Pepper).

In a rare move of no competition within the Cola Wars, Coca-Cola has no plans to release a sugar-sweetened version of Coca-Cola on a regular basis. Aside from Kosher Coca-Cola (which it sells only for the Jewish holiday of Passover) and Mexican Coke (which is sold via import in the United States), the last time Coca-Cola was sold with real sugar was in the 1980s, just before the introduction of the now-infamous New Coke.

See also

• Sierra Mist — currently formulated with real sugar

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Pepsi Throwback: the EYE WEEKLY office taste test". Eyeweekly.com. 2011-02-14. http://www.eyeweekly.com/food/crumbs/article/110781. Retrieved 2011-03-07. 
2. ^ "Pepsi, Dew Throwback to return for 3rd run in August for 5 weeks » Mountain Dew and Pepsi Cola with sugar". BevReview.com. http://www.bevreview.com/2010/06/16/throwback-thirds-pepsi-dew-throwback-to-return-for-3rd-run-in-august-for-5-weeks. Retrieved 2011-03-07. 
3. ^ Morran, Chris (2010-10-12). "Pepsi Throwback Is Here To Stay... For Now". The Consumerist. http://consumerist.com/2010/10/pepsi-throwback-is-here-to-stay-for-now.html. Retrieved 2011-03-07. 
4. ^ Horovitz, Bruce (2011-03-11). "Pepsi, Frito-Lay capitalize on fond thoughts of the good ol' days". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2011-03-12. http://www.webcitation.org/5x7inYB8y. Retrieved 2011-03-12. 
5. ^ "The Official Site for Pepsi Product information". Pepsiproductfacts.com. http://pepsiproductfacts.com/. Retrieved 2011-03-07.