What do you think of when you hear the word tang? For many, it’s the 2001 film Pootie Tang. But the less fun portion of the population thinks of a sugary, orange, powdered drink concoction that has been inextricably linked to the American space program for decades. And some people may not even know what the heck tang is. It isn’t exactly at the forefront of popular culture these days. What is tang, exactly? What is in tang? Do they still make tang? Hold onto your butts as we countdown then liftoff to get some tang country to get some answers.
What is Tang?
Tang is a sugary drink mix sold in both powdered and liquid concentrate forms. Tang is best remembered as a powdered orange drink from the ‘60s. Yes, years before kids would push away the purple stuff in the fridge to reach their Sunny D, Tang was there to satisfy our orange drink needs. Tang was first sold in 1959 and although it was not invented expressly for NASA, it soon became associated with it. Because of its simple, shelf stable form, Tang went into orbit alongside John Glenn on his famous 1962 Mercury mission. Tang’s owner at the time, General Foods, quickly went all out in advertising Tang as the drink of choice for space travel. However, things weren’t always peachy between tang and NASA’s astronauts. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin sent shockwaves throughout the tang community when he declared, “Tang sucks.”
What is in Tang?
So, what exactly goes in tang? Sugar. Lots and lots of sugar. At least, that’s what went into the Tang original formula. There are new Tang flavors that include sugar-free and low sugar options. A typical serving of orange flavored Tang contains sugar, fructose, citric acid, natural flavor, vitamin C, maltodextrin, calcium phosphate, guar, and xanthan gums, sodium acid pyrophosphate, artificial color, yellow 5, and yellow 6. While that doesn’t exactly scream “natural,” Tang was originally advertised as a healthy orange drink option. What kind of genius mind could concoct such a drink? Tang was invented by William A. Mitchell, who also invented Cool Whip, Pop Rocks, and Jell-O. That guy was probably great at potlucks.
Is Tang still made?
Tang seems like a relic from another time. Is it still made and sold? Does anyone actually still drink Tang? Of course they do! See, there’s this concept that some Americans are not familiar with called “the rest of the world.” While Tang’s popularity in the U.S. may have nosedived alongside NASA’s manned flight program, Tang is still enjoyed in many places. Tang was originally made by General Foods which eventually merged into Kraft. Kraft Heinz sells Tang in North America and one of its spinoff companies Mondelēz International distributes Tang to the rest of the world.
Tang is sold in about 35 countries and it’s most popular in Brazil, the Philippines, and Argentina. Tang is also popular in the Middle East and does most of its sales there in the six weeks around Ramadan. We do not know if other planets enjoy Tang or if any astronauts left tang floating in space as a gift to any orange loving aliens that could come across it.