Product type Drink mix Introduced 1963 | Owner Mondelēz International Markets Worldwide | |
Previous owners General Foods
Kraft Foods | ||
Tang is a fruit-flavored drink. Originally formulated by General Foods Corporation food scientist William A. Mitchell in 1957, it was first marketed in powdered form in 1959. The Tang brand is owned by Mondelēz International.
Contents
Sales of Tang were poor until NASA used it on John Glenn's Mercury flight in February 1962, and subsequent Gemini missions. Since then, it was closely associated with the U.S. manned spaceflight program, leading to the misconception that Tang was invented for the space program.
History
Tang was used by early NASA manned space flights. In 1962, when Mercury astronaut John Glenn conducted eating experiments in orbit, Tang was selected for the menu; it was also used during some Gemini flights. In 2013 Buzz Aldrin said: "Tang sucks."
The creator of Tang, William A. Mitchell, also invented Pop Rocks, Cool Whip, a form of instant-set Jell-O, and other convenience foods.
Original Tang
Tang is sold both in powdered and ready-to-drink form; they have similar tastes. The recommended usage of original powdered Tang is two tablespoons per 8 US fluid ounces (240 ml) of water. A single 8 US fl oz (240 ml) serving of Tang provides 9 grams (0.32 oz) of sugar; 40 calories (167 kJ); 100% RDA of vitamin C; 10% RDA of vitamin A, calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B6, and no caffeine.
A sugar-free version of Tang, containing aspartame, which comes in individually measured packets, was introduced in March 1985.
Other versions
In 2007, Kraft introduced a new version of Tang which replaced half of the sugar with artificial sweeteners. The new packaging advertises "1/2 the sugar of 100% juice". The artificial sweeteners used in the new formulation are sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and neotame. The new formula is more concentrated and distributed in smaller containers, with a 12.3 US fl oz (360 ml) (348 g (12.3 oz)) making 8 US quarts (7,600 ml).
The recommended usage is two and one-half teaspoons per 8 US fluid ounces (240 ml) of water. The lid on the new smaller plastic container acts as a measuring cup which may be used to make one or two quart quantities, the same as the original Tang.
As of December 2009, the 12.3 US fl oz (360 ml) lower calorie Tang has been discontinued and is no longer available from Kraft.
In 2009, another version of Tang emerged in 20 US fl oz (590 ml) containers making only 6 US quarts (5,700 ml).