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Ribena

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Ribena
Logo used since 2020
TypeSoft drink/fruit juice concentrate
ManufacturerSuntory
DistributorSuntory
Country of originEngland
Region of originBristol
Introduced1938;86 years ago(1938)(H.W. Carter & Co)
ColourPurple
FlavourBlackcurrant
Strawberry
Blueberry
Orange
Websitewww.ribena.co.uk
Ribena blackcurrant juice drink

Ribena(/raɪˈbiːnə/rye-BEE-nə) is a brand ofblackcurrant-basedsoft drink(both uncarbonated and carbonated), andfruit drink concentratedesigned to be mixed with water. It is available in bottles, cans and multi-packs. Originally ofEnglishorigin, it was produced by the pharmaceutical companyGlaxoSmithKline(GSK) until 2013, when the brand was sold to Japanese beverage conglomerateSuntory.

The brand originally had a strong reputation as a healthy product for children, stemming from its distribution to children as avitamin Csupplement duringWorld War IIby the British government.Beecham,a company that has been part of GSK since 2000, bought the brand in 1955 and developed manysoft drinkversions. A series of scandals in the 2000s, concerning vitamin C levels, sugar levels, and the amounts of actual fruit in some of the brands, damaged its reputation as a healthy product, and by 2013, the brand was widely regarded as a soft drink.[1]

In 2013, annual worldwide sales were around £500 million. That year, GSK sold Ribena and another consumer line,Lucozade,to the Japanese multinationalSuntoryfor £1.35 billion (equivalent to £1.95 billion in 2023).[2]In April 2018, in the United Kingdom, Ribena's longstanding recipe was changed by the addition of artificial sweeteners in response to the introduction of asugary drinks taxby the UK government.[3]

History

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Development

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Ribena was originally manufactured in England by theBristol-based food and drink company HW Carter as ablackcurrantsquash.[4]: 132–133 Development research into pure fruit syrups for the manufacture ofmilkshakeshad been done at theLong Ashton Agriculture and Horticulture Research StationinNorth Somersetusing apectinaseenzyme process; Ribena was developed by biochemist Audrey Green and Vernon Charley, a scientist at theUniversity of Bristol[5]in 1933.[6]The blackcurrant variety was found to contain high levels ofvitamin C.The drink was named Ribena (from the botanical name of the blackcurrant,Ribes nigrum), by Mr S. M. Lennox of Bristol in 1938.[5]

Second World War

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During theSecond World War,other fruits rich in vitamin C, likeoranges,became very difficult to obtain in the United Kingdom, due toGerman submarineattacks on cargo ships. Blackcurrant cultivation was encouraged by the government, and the yield of the nation's crop increased significantly.Rose hipswere also collected to make syrup.

The government started the Vitamin Welfare Scheme in December 1941. This provided blackcurrant syrup andcod liver oilfree of charge to children under the age of two. In April 1942, the blackcurrant syrup was replaced by orange juice which was then provided by the USLend-Leaseprogram.[7]

Post-war

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Production moved to the new Royal Forest Factory[8]atColefordin theForest of Deanin late 1947, where production takes place today.

Carters was bought out by theBeecham Groupin 1955.[1]In 1989, Beecham andSmithKline Beckmanmerged to form SmithKline Beecham,[9]and in 2000, SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoWellcome merged to formGlaxoSmithKline(GSK).[10]

Through the years GSK and its predecessors developed manysoft drinkversions of Ribena but it retained an image as a "healthy food" in the UK and other Commonwealth countries.[1][11]

In 2001, a formulation of the diluted Ribena cordial, sold as Ribena Toothkind (and endorsed by theBritish Dental Associationas being less damaging to teeth than other soft drinks), was judged by the United KingdomAdvertising Standards Authorityto have been advertised in a misleading manner, and claims that the drink did not encourage tooth decay should be removed from the packaging. The opinion was upheld by a hearing in the High Court.[12]In 2003, theFood Commissionin the United Kingdom criticised the sugar levels in regular Ribena as contributing tochildhood obesity.[13]

In 2004,Jenny Suoand a classmate in a New Zealand secondary school conducted a science experiment to determine the vitamin C levels of their favourite fruit drinks. They discovered that the "Ready to Drink Ribena" product they tested had undetectable levels of vitamin C, contrary to the brand's reputation and advertisements which said that "the blackcurrants in Ribena contain four times the vitamin C of oranges".[11]The television consumer affairs showFair Gobroadcast the story nationwide in October 2004.[11]Following further testing, in March 2007, theNew Zealand Commerce Commissionbrought 15 charges in the Auckland District Court against GlaxoSmithKline under theFair Trading Act.[14]In March 2007, GSK pleaded guilty and was fined NZ$217,500 (equivalent to NZ$285,180 in 2021)[15]by Auckland District Court for misleading consumers, and were ordered to run a series of corrective advertisements and place a statement on its website.[16]GSK maintained the issue only affects Australia and New Zealand, and Ribena products sold in other markets, such as the United Kingdom, contain the levels of vitamin C stated on the product label.[17]

In January 2007, a study conducted by theAustralian Consumers' AssociationforChoicemagazine reported that blackcurrant juice (from concentrate) only constituted 5% of the Ribena fruit drink product.[18]

By 2013, the brand had annual worldwide sales of about £500 million.[1]In April 2013, GSK put Ribena, along withLucozade,up for sale to focus on its pharmaceutical business.[1][19]The eventual sale to Japanese companySuntoryfor £1.35 billion was announced in September 2013.[20]

A sparkling version released in 2011 but discontinued in 2014. It was brought back to supermarket shelves in 2020, launching in two flavours, blackcurrant and raspberry. This was in response to growth in the flavoured carbonate market that year.[21]

In 2022, as part of a promotion withHasbro,a Ribena themed Monopoly edition was created. This set was distributed to 10,000 customers through an online competition.[22]

See also

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  • Tango– similarly bought by Beecham in the 1950s but sold in 1986
  • Vimto– British soft drink
  • Ramune– Japanese soft drink
  • Lucozade– British soft drink
  • Cola– Carbonated soft drink
  • J2O– Fruit juice based still soft drink

References

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  1. ^abcde"We have Frank and Vernon to thank for Ribena".The Bristol Post.17 September 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 18 April 2015.
  2. ^UKRetail Price Indexinflation figures are based on data fromClark, Gregory (2017)."The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)".MeasuringWorth.Retrieved7 May2024.
  3. ^"Sugar tax revolt: Meet the Ribena stockpilers".BBC News.27 April 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2019.Retrieved13 January2019.
  4. ^Ashurst, Philip R., ed. (2013).Production and Packaging of Non-Carbonated Fruit Juices and Fruit Beverages.Springer Science & Business Media.ISBN9781475762969.Archivedfrom the original on 11 December 2017.Retrieved10 September2017.
  5. ^ab"Bristol Scientist creates Ribena".Bristol: University of Bristol. 27 March 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 10 August 2019.Retrieved4 September2011.Dr Vernon Charley, a scientist at the University's Long Ashton Agriculture and Horticulture Research, develops Ribena. It was given its name by a Mr S. M. Lennox of Bristol in 1938 and comes from the Latin name for blackcurrant, Ribes Negrum. The now-famous blackcurrant drink provided an important alternative source of vitamin C during the war years when oranges were in scarce supply and it was produced for free distribution to children by the Ministry of Food
  6. ^"Brand Profile: Ribena".Promotional Marketing.21 September 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 29 April 2014.Retrieved5 July2011.
  7. ^Dewey, Peter (11 September 2014).War and Progress: Britain 1914-1945.Routledge. p. 314.ISBN978-1-317-90014-6.
  8. ^"Old Photos of Coleford and district — H W Carter".Sungreen.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 3 April 2009.Retrieved31 August2009.
  9. ^"Profile: SmithKline Beecham".BBC.18 December 2000.Archivedfrom the original on 14 July 2018.Retrieved11 November2017.
  10. ^"The Glaxo SmithKline merger".BBC News.17 January 2000.Archivedfrom the original on 12 November 2017.Retrieved11 November2017.
  11. ^abcJaques, Tony (2008)."When an Icon Stumbles – The Ribena Issue Mismanaged"(PDF).Corporate Communications.13(4): 394–406.doi:10.1108/13563280810914829.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 March 2016.Retrieved18 April2015..
  12. ^"Court rules against Ribena".BBC News.17 January 2001.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2009.Retrieved31 August2009.
  13. ^"Soft drinks or liquid candy?".The Food Commission. 29 January 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2007.
  14. ^Eames, David (24 March 2007)."Schoolgirls' study nabs food giant".The New Zealand Herald.Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2007.Retrieved24 March2007.
  15. ^1850-2017:"Consumer Price Index, Annual Growth".Data1850.New Zealand Institute of Economic Research.2018-2021:"Consumers Price Index".Infoshare.StatsNZ.
  16. ^"Ribena maker fined $192,000".The Age.March 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 30 October 2007.Retrieved27 March2007.
  17. ^Vasagar, Jeevan (27 March 2007)."Schoolgirls rumble Ribena vitamin claims".The Guardian.London.Archivedfrom the original on 12 July 2023.Retrieved22 May2010.
  18. ^"Foods that make kids fatter faster".Choice.January 2007. Archived from the original on 5 October 2009.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. ^Neate, Rupert (24 April 2013)."Lucozade and Ribena up for sale".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2019.Retrieved13 December2016..
  20. ^Monaghan, Angela (9 September 2013)."Ribena and Lucozade sold to Japanese drinks giant".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 1 February 2021.Retrieved13 December2016..
  21. ^"Ribena gets busy with the fizzy".Convenience Store.22 September 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 1 November 2020.Retrieved17 November2020.
  22. ^"Ribena Monopoly – Limited Edition".Rich Uncle Pennybags.27 July 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 27 July 2022.Retrieved2 August2022.
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