Lucozade facts for kids
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Lucozade Caribbean Crush
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| Type | Soft drink |
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| Manufacturer | Suntory |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Region of origin | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Introduced | 1927 |
Lucozade is a popular British brand of drinks. It makes both soft drinks and energy drinks. A Japanese company called Suntory now makes and sells Lucozade.
Lucozade was first made in the UK in 1927. A pharmacist named William Walker Hunter in Newcastle upon Tyne created it. It was first called "Glucozade." In 1938, a company called Beecham's bought it. They renamed it Lucozade and sold it as an energy drink for people who were sick. Its old slogan was "Lucozade aids recovery." For many years, you could mostly buy it in pharmacies. But in the 1980s, it became available in many shops as a sports drink.
Lucozade was originally a fizzy, slightly orange-flavored drink. It came in a glass bottle wrapped in cellophane. People often gave it to children when they were sick. Hospital visitors also brought bottles of Lucozade. In 1978, it was advertised as a "pick me up." Then, in 1983, it was changed to be a sports drink. This helped people think of it as healthy, not just for sickness. The company also started using plastic bottles and made many new flavors.
In 2016, a 500 ml bottle of Lucozade had a lot of sugar. To avoid a special "sugar tax" in 2017, the drink was changed. It now has less sugar and uses artificial sweeteners like aspartame and acesulfame K. In 2023, it was changed again. It still has the same amount of sugar, but sucralose replaced aspartame. Lucozade is a top energy drink in the UK. It is also sold in Asia and Australia.
Contents
The Story of Lucozade
How Lucozade Began
William Walker Hunter invented "Glucozade" in 1927 in Newcastle upon Tyne. He later sold his business to the Beecham Group in 1938. They eventually changed the name to Lucozade.
For a long time, Lucozade only came in one fizzy, sweet, orange flavor. It was sold in a glass bottle with yellow cellophane. In 1983, it was rebranded as an energy drink. This helped it move away from being seen as a drink just for sick people. The old slogan "Lucozade aids recovery" was changed to "Lucozade replaces lost energy." The glass bottles were replaced with plastic ones. After this change, sales in the UK grew very quickly.
Who Owns Lucozade Now?
Over the years, the company that owned Lucozade changed. In 1989, the Beecham Group joined with SmithKline. Then, in 2000, SmithKline Beecham joined with GlaxoWellcome to form GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). In 2013, GSK decided to sell Lucozade and another drink called Ribena. A Japanese company named Suntory bought both brands for a lot of money. At that time, Lucozade was made in England at a factory in Coleford, Gloucestershire.
Lucozade in Commercials
After Lucozade became a sports drink, many famous athletes helped advertise it. They appeared in TV commercials. The first was Olympic champion Daley Thompson in 1983. Other sports stars like Linford Christie, John Barnes, Alan Shearer, and Jonny Wilkinson also promoted it. Even the video game character Lara Croft appeared in ads.
What Lucozade Does and How Well It Works
Energy for Athletes
Sports drinks like Lucozade give you energy from sugars. They are meant to help athletes perform better and last longer. Some studies have looked at how well these drinks work. A review by Matthew Thompson and his team found that many claims about sports drinks didn't have strong proof. The studies that did show improved performance were often done on top athletes. This means the results might not apply to most people. One study on professional cyclists found no positive effect on performance after drinking Lucozade before a bike ride. Thompson said that for most people, drinking these products might cancel out the benefits of exercising.
Lucozade comes as a liquid in cans or plastic bottles. You can also find it as tablets. The tablets come in orange or the original flavor.
Sugar Content and Health Advice
In May 2016, Liverpool City Council started a campaign about sugary drinks. They said Lucozade was "the worst offender" because a 500 ml bottle had 62 grams of sugar. Coca-Cola had 54 grams. Posters for this campaign were put up in hospitals for a while.
Before Lucozade changed its recipe, it had a lot of sugar. Because of this, UK charities for diabetes used to recommend it. They suggested it as a quick way to treat hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) for people who take insulin. But since Lucozade now uses artificial sweeteners, it is no longer recommended for treating low blood sugar in this way.
What's Inside Lucozade
The ingredients in Lucozade drinks can be a bit different for each type. In 2013, Lucozade Original Energy contained carbonated water, glucose syrup, citric acid, lactic acid, flavorings, and preservatives. It also had caffeine, an antioxidant, and colors. After changes in 2017 and 2023 to lower the sugar, Lucozade Original now includes sweeteners like sucralose and acesulfame K.
A warning on the packaging says that some of the coloring might affect children's activity and attention. A 380 ml bottle of Lucozade has about 46 mg of caffeine. This is similar to the amount in a cup of tea. The packaging also warns that spilled Lucozade might stain.
Lucozade contains a very tiny amount of ethanol (alcohol), about 0.01%. In 2004, the Muslim Council of Britain said that this small amount was not harmful for observant Muslims. This is because it doesn't change the drink's taste, color, or smell. GlaxoSmithKline explained that many fruit juices and even bread can have similar small amounts of alcohol from natural processes.
Different Kinds of Lucozade
Lucozade Energy
- Original
- Orange
- Wild Cherry
- Wild Berry
- Pink Lemonade
- Apple Blast
- Lemon
- Cloudy Lemon
- Tropical
- Mixed Berry
- Strawberry
- Raspberry Ripple
- Watermelon & Strawberry
- Melonade
- Caribbean Crush
- Brazilian Mango & Mandarin
- Citrus Chill
- Citrus Clear
- Grafruitti
- Pineapple Punch
- Tropical Fusion
- Black Edition Cola
- Blackcurrant
- Blue Burst
Lucozade Zero
- Original
- Orange
- Pink Lemonade
- Tropical
Lucozade Sport
- Orange
- Caribbean Burst
- Brazilian Guava
- Raspberry
- Cherry
- Mango & Passion Fruit
- Fruit Punch (AJ Edition)
- Low Cal - Orange
- Low Cal - Lemon & Lime
- Blue Force
- Ice Kick (Jude Bellingham Edition)
Lucozade Alert
- Original
- Tropical Burst
- Cherry Blast
- Blue Rush
Lucozade Sponsorships
Lucozade Sport sponsors many events, teams, and athletes in the UK and Ireland. This includes the FA Premier League, the FA Cup, and the London Marathon. They also sponsor the England national football team and the Republic of Ireland national football team. Famous athletes like Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, and Damien Duff have also been sponsored by Lucozade.
The McLaren Formula One racing team was also sponsored by Lucozade. The brand has sponsored Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell since 2005.
Lucozade also sponsored the video game Superfrog, which came out in 1993. In the game, bottles of Lucozade are power-ups that give the main character special abilities.
Collaborations with Other Brands
In 2017, Lucozade Zero worked with a British fashion company called Missguided. They set up booths in busy areas. People who got special coded cans could get discounts on Missguided products.
