Nope, Bug Juice Isn't Discontinued. It's Actually Still A Thing

If you grew up in the late '90s or early 2000s, you may remember drinking something called Bug Juice. It came in what looked like a mini plastic water bottle and was available in fruity flavors like "Lemony Lime" and "Fruity Punch." Given what a staple it was in many people's childhoods, it is often brought up as a forgotten food from the '90s or in conversations about 2000s nostalgia on Reddit and TikTok. But contrary to popular belief, Bug Juice isn't one of the nostalgic foods making a comeback ... because it was never discontinued.

Marketed specifically for children, the brightly colored beverage was first released in 1991 by Joseph Norton and was popular for many years. At its peak, it was the nation's top-selling fruit-flavored juice drink in convenience stores, generating $84 million in sales in 2009. Many people seem to believe that Bug Juice isn't around anymore or that it was rebranded as Tum-E Yummies or Kid's Koolers, which are similarly packaged products. But the beverage is still sold in certain areas, it just isn't as popular as it used to be.

If the fact that Bug Juice is still available comes as a surprise to you — particularly because it actually contains bugs — chances are it's because it isn't sold anywhere near you. Though it was once available nationwide, it seems that is no longer the case. Judging by the comments on one TikTok, you can still find them in certain places in various parts of the country, including Ohio, Florida, New York, and Vermont.

Much like when it was in its prime, Bug Juice is available primarily at gas stations and convenience stores. According to fans on a Reddit thread, you'll have the most luck finding it at smaller, local gas stations. If you live in a state where Bug Juice is no longer sold, you can purchase cases of 24 on the Bug Juice website, which is still up and running despite its outdated design. Bottles of Bug Juice are also available on Amazon through various resellers.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly when Bug Juice stopped being popular since it never reached the point of discontinuation. However, circa 2005, a notable shift in consumer preferences began impacting the food and beverage industry. This shift saw a decline in soda sales and a rise in sparkling water purchases as consumers became more health-conscious and held higher standards for food products, particularly those given to children. Some school districts went on to ban sugary drinks, and by 2013, ads on the radio and TV were actively discouraging the consumption of them.

It didn't happen overnight, but this shift likely had an impact on the demand for Bug Juice. Despite its packaging promoting health benefits like 100% of your daily vitamin C, Bug Juice failed to meet some parents' expectations — hello, 29 grams of sugar — as seen in the comments of a blog post from 2009 on Junk Food Betty. Despite efforts by Bug Juice to maintain relevance — such as introducing a new drink in 2016 called Bug Sport, captioned on Facebook as "better for your children than Gatorade" — these did not resonate strongly with consumers. Nevertheless, while Bug Juice no longer enjoys its former high demand, ongoing sales have allowed it to remain on the market in some areas.