The drink Irn-Bru will be discontinued because of the desire to pass the anti sugary drink bill in the UK. In reaction to this, Irn-Bru tried to come up with a solution to make the drink less sugary, but reducing the sugar content “from 8.5 tablespoons to 4” isn’t really going to make a huge difference since it’s only reduced from 1/2 cup to 1/4 cup. It will impact the taste, which might disturb some of the loyal fans in its native Scotland.
“Nevertheless, people are suitably outraged about the change and a petition to save ‘real’ Irn-Bru has even been set up, approaching 50,000 signatures. Here’s their campaign message:
I understand that soft drink manufacturers are coming under mounting pressure from government to lower the sugar content of their drinks and that they intend on introducing a “sugar tax” that would apply to the sales of sugary drinks […]
I would far rather pay more for a bottle than have an altered recipe version.
Although we are being made more aware of the health effects of too much sugar in our diet it also has to be said that Aspartame (the substance that will replace the sugar in Irn-Bru) has often been the subject of studies and intense debate.
[Aspartame] is believed, by some researchers and activists, to have links to a multitude of ailments including cancer,seizures,headaches,depression, ADHD,weight gain and birth defects.”
This drink has been around since its first production by the Maas & Waldstein chemicals company of New York in 1889 under the name IRONBREW, but the official launch date for Barr’s Iron Brew was given as 1901. Hard to give up on something so iconic and full of history- but I guess some things are meant to change.
If you are feeling like you are looking for something different to try in lieu of Irn-Bru being discontinued, try pickle soda– it is definitely something unusual.
