Tang (drink mix)

For other uses, see Tang. Not to be confused with Ting (drink).

Tang
Product typeArtificially flavored drink mix
OwnerMondelēz International (except North America)
Kraft Heinz (North America)
CountryU.S.
Introduced1957; 67 years ago (1957)
MarketsWorldwide
Previous ownersGeneral Foods
Kraft Foods Inc.
Websitewww.mondelezinternational.com/our-brands/tang/

Tang is an American drink mix brand that was formulated by General Foods Corporation food scientist William A. Mitchell[1] and chemist William Bruce James[2] in 1957, and first marketed in powdered form in 1959.[3][4] The Tang brand is currently owned in most countries by Mondelēz International, a North American company spun off from Kraft Foods in 2012. Kraft Heinz owns the Tang brand in North America.

Sales of Tang were poor until NASA used it on John Glenn's Mercury flight in February 1962,[5] and on subsequent Gemini missions.[6] Since then it has been closely associated with the U.S. human spaceflight program, which created the misconception that Tang was invented for the space program.[7][8] Tang continues to be used on NASA missions in the present day, over 50 years after its introduction.[9]

  1. ^ Steyn, Mark (November 2004). "Tastemaker With a Sweet Tooth". Atlantic Monthly.
  2. ^ Lippman, Laura (July 19, 1999). "A match made in heavens; Consumers: Products linked to the 1960s Apollo missions saw over-the- moon sales and in turn helped promote the space program. An exhibit has landed at the Enoch Pratt Free Library". Baltimore Sun.
  3. ^ "Spinoff Frequently Asked Questions". NASA.gov. Archived from the original on October 3, 2006.
  4. ^ "Tang breakfast drink". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). (advertisement). February 12, 1960. p. 27.
  5. ^ Courter, Barry (May 13, 2007). "Boomers collect artifacts, memories of NASA's heyday". Times Free Press. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011.
  6. ^ "From Gemini to Apollo-Soyuz". Washington Afro-American. (advertisement). August 9, 1975. p. 7.
  7. ^ Olver, Lynne (2000). "Food Timeline : popular American foods by decade : Tang, The "Space Age" Drink". The Food Timeline.
  8. ^ Pearlman, Robert Z. (November 23, 2006). "Space Food: From Squeeze Tubes To Celebrity Chefs". Space.com.
  9. ^ "Space Food Systems - NASA". March 16, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2024.