The Major Difference Between UK And US Red Bull Cans

When you think of Red Bull, you're likely to think of the energy boost giving you special powers to pull an all-nighter, or maybe just a racing heart. While Red Bull GmbH, an Austrian company, was first created in 1984, the drink mimics "Krating Daeng," a Thai energy drink that has been around since 1976 and was made by the late Chaleo Yoovidhya, a pharmacist. His target market? People in the workforce and students. The late Dietrich Mateschitz was an Austrian billionaire who discovered the drink while on a trip to Thailand. According to Startup Talky, he was amazed when the drink "cured his jet lag" and then began working with Daeng to develop a drink that "would suit the taste of Westerners."

The name Red Bull is a translation of the Thai drink's name ("Daeng" for "Red" and "Krating" for "Bull"). More than 35 years ago, Red Bull came to Austria, and in 1994, the U.K. and Germany got a taste of what the beverage is like. It finally entered the U.S. in 1997. While the U.K. may have come to the Red Bull party before the U.S., today, one major difference between cans of Red Bull in the U.S. versus the U.K. suggests that Americans may be even more eager to take advantage of the drink's energy burst.       

Insider's "Food Wars" video series recently aired an episode called "US vs UK Food Wars: Red Bull." Insider's Harry Kersh, the managing producer and co-host of "Food Wars," reported that the U.K. sells three different sizes of Red Bull: cans that are 8.45 fluid ounces, 12 fluid ounces, and 15.99 fluid ounces. Joe Avella, a senior video producer for Food Insider Los Angeles and the co-host of "UK vs. US Food Wars," retorted that in the U.S., Red Bull cans come in four sizes: 8.45 fluid ounces, 12 fluid ounces, 15.99 fluid ounces, and 19.98 fluid ounces. In a country where bigger often equates to the perception of better, you may not be surprised that the U.S. just had to one-up the U.K. when it comes to size. Avella added, "That means our U.S. largest size is 30% bigger than the U.K.'s." 

While the U.S. may have won the "size war," Kersh and Avella noted that both countries sell Red Bull products that can't be found in the other country. Kersh said, "We have the normal one, we have the sugar-free one, we have the zero one, red, green, yellow, orange, and white." He added that there are some other sugar-free variations as well. Avella reported that the three flavors exclusive to the U.S. are a blueberry-flavored, peach-flavored, and a seasonal fig apple-flavored drink. 

There are some cost variations between Red Bull in the U.S. versus the U.K. too, and in this sense, the U.K. appears to have won the "food war." Insider's Harry Kersh reported that in the U.K., a can containing 8.45 fluid ounces costs the equivalent of $1.80 at a Tesco Supermarket. Insider's Joe Avella said that in the U.S., the cost of the same-sized can at Walmart is $2.18. Kersh described Red Bull's ingredients in the U.K. as "water, sucrose, glucose, acidifier citric acid, taurine (0.4%), sodium carbonates, magnesium carbonate, caffeine (0.3%), niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, flavorings, colors, including caramel and riboflavin, and carbon dioxide." Avella noted that Americans essentially use the same ingredients, though some vitamins just have different names. 

Kersh then explained that the ingredient "taurine" has been falsely linked online to "bull semen." Avella pointed out that the name is derived from taurine's initial source being taken from "ox bile." He said, "The good news is there's no ox spit in Red Bull, as food producers have used a synthetic version of taurine that isn't derived from animals. It also means that Red Bull is suitable for vegans." With U.S. residents having access to larger cans, they may feel more prepared to escape jetlag. However, U.K. residents who get a better bang for their buck (or British pound) on Red Bull may be laughing from across the pond.