Metrecal

Metrecal was a brand of low-calorie, powdered diet foods (to be mixed with water as a beverage) "containing the essential nutrients of protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamins and minerals" introduced in the early 1960s by the Mead Johnson company, with the first variety going on the market on October 6, 1959, the same day as another Mead Johnson product, Enfamil.^[1] Though the initial Metrecal products were criticized for their taste, which newer varieties of flavor tried to improve upon, it attained a niche in the popular culture of the time. Created and marketed initially by C. Joseph Genster of Mead Johnson & Company, it was eventually replaced in the market by competitors such as SlimFast and lost popularity.

^ "Mead Introduces 2 New Items", The Evansville (IN) Press, October 1, 1959, p. 8-A. Accessed October 30, 2023, cia Newspapers.com. "Two new Mead Johnson and Company products will go on the market Monday — one of them a 'painless' weight control product, the other a low protein duplication of mother's milk."

[1] "Mead Introduces 2 New Items", The Evansville (IN) Press, October 1, 1959, p. 8-A. Accessed October 30, 2023, cia Newspapers.com. "Two new Mead Johnson and Company products will go on the market Monday — one of them a 'painless' weight control product, the other a low protein duplication of mother's milk."

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