WHAT'S IN HAWAIIAN PUNCH?
HAWAIIAN PUNCH — FAR FROM HOMEMADE™
Information updated January 2024
Once upon a time, Hawaiian Punch was positioned as “The Exotic Fruit Drink of the Tropics” and “The Thrilling Home Mixer” for adults.
Here’s an old ad for Hawaiian Punch which refers to the product as “the lavish gift of real fruit punch” and “wholesome” for children:
For years, famous entertainers Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond endorsed Hawaiian Punch:
THEN vs. NOW: Based on a can from 1955, Hawaiian Punch was primarily water, sugar and fruit juices + purées. The beverage did also include some Not In Kitchen™ ingredients such as Vegetable Gums, Natural Fruit Flavors, Artificial Color and Citric Acid from Fruit >> today, the majority of Citric Acid is Not from citrus, but is manufactured from Aspergillus Niger. (Sources: Historical Hawaiian Punch Can 1955; U.S. National Library of Medicine/National Institutes of Health )
Now, below right, Hawaiian Punch is owned by JAB Holding Company and is banned at Whole Foods for containing High Fructose Corn Syrup, Artificial Colors Red 40 and Blue 1, Artificial Flavors, Sucralose and Potassium Sorbate. (Source for banned ingredients: Whole Foods Web site 1/24; Source for Hawaiian Punch ingredients: JAB Holding Company Keurig Dr Pepper Hawaiian Punch Web site 1/24)
THREE CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES: Hawaiian Punch Juicy Red contains three Chemical Preservatives which are recognized by the U.S. FDA: Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid and Potassium Sorbate. (Source: U.S. FDA 2024)
Hawaiian Punch also contains something we would never have in our home kitchens: Sodium Hexametaphospahte which is a corrosion inhibitor.
There are multiple iterations of Hawaiian Punch, all of which are banned at Whole Foods. The main differences between the offerings is which artificial flavors and colors are added by owner, Keurig Dr Pepper << part of JAB Holding Company.
The top-selling Fruit Punch drinks in the U.S. all contain Added Flavor(s) and FDA-recognized Chemical Preservatives: Juicy Juice, Apple & Eve and Capri Sun. (Sources: Brand Web sites 1/24; U.S. FDA 2024)
CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE REAL FRUIT DRINKS: Here are a few Closest To Homemade® fruit drinks which contain no added Water, Flavors, Colors, Sugar or Chemical Preservatives. These include offerings from Lakewood Organic, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Co. and Evolution Fresh. (Sources: Brand Web sites 1/24)
Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list
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And we leave you with a few old images from Hawaiian Punch . . .
Hawaiian Punch once had a positioning based on positive attributes of the product:
