That scary news about Ribena concentrate getting recalled from the supermarkets of both Singapore and Malaysia has made all those who drink Ribena just a little more concerned than ever before.

Nonetheless, don’t fret! Singapore is always safe when it comes to the food we eat and drink. Let’s look at other facts about Ribena instead.

Ribena was invented by a scientist
Ribena was invented by a guy called Vernon Charley, a scientist at the University of Bristol in 1933. It is not something that was “found” though. The university had been working on turning pure fruit syrups into milkshakes, and Ribena was born through that research.

Ribena was originally owned by a British company named HW Carter & Co.
Ribena was launched in 1938 by the company HW Carter & Co as a healthy drink as the blackcurrant variety used was found to contain high levels of vitamin C.

Ribena was given free to children during World War 2
During WW2, other vitamin C rich fruits like oranges were impossible to obtain, so blackcurrants became the saviour of the British kids in the form of free Ribena drink. Of course, these drinks were distributed without the Ribena brand.

Ribena changed hands to Beecham Group in 1955
Carters was bought out by the Beecham Group in 1955 and the Beecham Group was itself merged with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) sometime later.

GSK developed a lot of soft drink versions of Ribena
Unknown to us in Asia, GSK actually released a lot of soft drink versions of Ribena in the UK and commonwealth countries. Due to its reputation as a “health drink”, these soft drink versions of Ribena continued to be seen as healthy and consumed by children.

GSK got into trouble with the law in 2001
In 2001, GSK got into trouble with a formulation of its diluted Ribena cordial, sold as Ribena Toothkind was called out by the United Kingdom Advertising Standards Authority for misleading the general public with its advertisement.

The Food Commission in the United Kingdom also had something to say in 2003
In 2003, the Food Commission commented that the sugar levels in regular Ribena was contributing to childhood obesity, leading to another round of investigation that did not go well with GSK.

GSK fell to the curiosity of 2 high school students in New Zealand in 2004
The 2 high school students conducted a science experiment to determine the vitamin C level in some of their favourite fruit drinks. It was found that the “ready-to-drink” Ribena has undetectable levels of vitamin C. GSK ignored their questions, to their regret. The kids’ discovery was picked up by the television consumer affairs show Fair Go, which started investigations.

GSK was fined for misrepresentation in March 2007
Due to the investigations, GSK was found guilty of 15 charges for misrepresentation under the Fair Trading Act in New Zealand, and was fined NZ$217,500 by the Auckland District Court.

GSK sold Ribena and Lucozade in 2013
By 2013, GSK decided to sell Ribena. Lucozade was put up for sale together. Japan’s Suntory bought the 2 brands for £1.35 billion. It also marks the start of a whole new journey for Ribena.

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This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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