Remember Fizzies? - the Sparkling, Fizzy Drink!

Growing up in the 1950's and 60's, one of my favorite drinks was called Fizzies®. This was a small tablet, that when dropped into a plain cold glass of water produced a sweet flavored colored drink with bubbles and was reminiscent of drinking a carbonated drink or "soda pop". It was so popular at our house that consisted of eight children; we would actually beg to do chores if the reward was a Fizzies® tablet. As a young pre-teen and as much as I loathed to wash dishes by hand, it was worth doing that hateful chore in order to make a Fizzies drink. It is odd to remember now, almost 45 years later how often I would have to fight, even with my brothers, to get that extra treat.

Originally offered in seven flavors, Fizzies drink tablets came in cherry, grape, berry, lemon-lime, punch, orange and root beer. The original formula used a combination of fruit flavoring, citric acid, sweetener, cyclamate and sodium bicarbonate. My absolute favorite flavors were root beer and lemon-lime; however, one day, it suddenly disappeared. It was not until I was an adult that I found out why it did.

One of the primary ingredients of the Fizzies formula was cyclamate, a sugar substitute. Cyclamate is a calcium salt of cyclamic acid (cyclohexanesulfamic acid). Thirty times sweeter than sucrose (derived from sugar cane or sugar beets), it was approved for use in food and beverages because it was more stable in heat and cold and extended the shelf life of many products. Unfortunately, in 1969, some animal studies indicated that cyclamate was a carcinogenic substance and the US FDA banned it on October 18, 1969. The Emerson Drug Company (now part of Pfizer), was located in Baltimore, Maryland, (and who also made Bromo Seltzer), and which had developed the original Fizzies were forced to quit making it.

Later studies found that cyclamate was not carcinogenic and it has been in use in 100 different countries around the world including Europe, Mexico and Canada. The only exception at this time is the United States. There is a petition currently undergoing review to re-approve cyclamate as a sugar substitute for foodstuffs and beverages.

In 1990, Fizzies came back on the market, this time substituting NutriSweet as the sugar substitute. Unfortunately, that company also went out of business by 2001 and Fizzies disappeared from the stores. It was another five years before Fizzies came back in 2006, this time hopefully to stay. Now offered in Blue Raspberry, Cherry, Lemon Lime, Orange, Root Beer, and Sour Apple with a recommended daily dose of vitamin C, Fizzies is a wonderful alternative to other kids drinks or to drinking carbonated sodas. Now available in some stores and on many online sites, it is worth taking a trip down memory lane to enjoy one of the most memorable things from my childhood.

Source:

Fizzies®.com

Emerson Drug Company

Cyclamate Definition