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Tic Tac (candy)
Encyclopedia
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
s manufactured by the Italian confectioner Ferrero
Ferrero SpA
Ferrero SpA is an Italian manufacturer of chocolate and other confectionery products, founded by confectioner Pietro Ferrero in 1946 and based in Alba, Piedmont, Italy. The company achieved success headed by Pietro's son Michele Ferrero, then Michele's son Pietro , who oversaw global business...
. The individual candy pieces are commonly called Tic Tacs themselves.
Tic Tacs were first produced in 1969. They are usually sold in small transparent plastic boxes with a flip-action living hinge
Living hinge
A living hinge is a thin flexible hinge made from plastic that joins two rigid plastic parts together, allowing them to bend along the line of the hinge...
lid
Lid (container)
A lid, also known as a cap, is part of a container, and serves as the cover or seal, usually one that completely closes the object.-History:...
. Originally, Tic Tacs were dyed specific colors for different flavors. Now, in many countries, the transparent plastic boxes are colored but the actual Tic Tac piece are white.
History
Tic Tacs were first introduced in 1969. Besides the original Fresh mint flavor, several new varieties were added including: cinnamon (or "Winter Warmer"), orange (in 1976), spearmint, peppermint, mandarin, wintergreen, orange and lime together (from 2005 to 2009), cherry, passion fruit (in 2007), pomegranate (in 2010), and lime. The grape flavor was eliminated in 1976 because of health concerns about the red dye amaranthAmaranth (dye)
Amaranth, FD&C Red No. 2, E123, C.I. Food Red 9, Acid Red 27, Azorubin S, or C.I. 16185, is a dark red to purple azo dye once used as a food dye and to color cosmetics, but since 1976 it has been banned in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration as it is a suspected carcinogen. It...
(FD&C Red #2), a suspected carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
. Orange Tic Tacs continued on their own without the Grape. In 2005 a limited edition flavor of lemon was introduced.
Other innovations have included holiday gift packs for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, St Patricks Day, and Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
.
Since 1980, the tag line has been "The 1½ Calorie Breath Mint." This has changed since the size of each individual piece was increased and the caloric value increased to 1.9 calories.
During the 1990s, "double packs" were introduced, featuring a regular Tic Tac container with two flavors inside. Available combinations included Tangerine and Lime, Orange and Grape, and Berry and Cherry.
In the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
Tic Tacs are noted as being less than two kilocalories with the slogan "Two hours of Tic Tac freshness in less than two calories". A more recent, humorous TV advertising campaign encourages potential purchasers in the UK to "Shake your Tic Tacs". The most recent advertising campaign features the slogan "refreshing little lifts".
In Canada, New Zealand and Australia, the Tic Tac slogan is 'it's not just a mint, it's a tic tac'.
In India, the Tic Tac slogan is 'Refreshment to be shared.'
In 2006, Tic Tac introduced a Bold edition with more intense flavors. With 1.9 Calories per mint (advertised as having "less than two Calories") it comes in two flavors, Mint and Fruit.
The orange Tic Tacs featured in the 2007 film Juno
Juno (film)
Juno is a 2007 comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Ellen Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting an unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her. Michael Cera, Olivia Thirlby, J. K....
are in an orange box because the movie was filmed in Canada and Tic Tacs there are in colored packaging with white color candies. In the USA the candies are orange and the packaging is clear. Film promoters distributed boxes of the mints prior to the film's release.
In 2008, Tic Tac introduced Tic Tac Chill, which are slightly larger than ordinary Tic Tacs and come in a dual-opening packaging, using the traditional living hinge
Living hinge
A living hinge is a thin flexible hinge made from plastic that joins two rigid plastic parts together, allowing them to bend along the line of the hinge...
or a sliding opening on the front of the case. These come in three flavors, Exotic Cherry, Berry Blast, and Paradise Mint. Tic Tac Chill mints are also sugar-free, the Exotic Cherry ones instead being sweetened with xylitol
Xylitol
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol sweetener used as a naturally occurring sugar substitute. It is found in the fibers of many fruits and vegetables, and can be extracted from various berries, oats, and mushrooms, as well as fibrous material such as corn husks and sugar cane bagasse, and birch...
and the Paradise Mint ones being sweetened with aspartame
Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it...
.
Flavours
Tic Tacs come in many flavours:- Passion Fruit (also called Maracuja) (Summer edition, 2007, Italy, France; Netherlands; Australia, Latvia, Brazil, Belgium, Poland, United Kingdom and New Zealand)
- MangoMangoThe mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
(Summer edition, 2007, Australia, France, Hong Kong and Netherlands. Introduced in Singapore, 2009) - Melon Mix (2008/2009) (Summer edition 2008 - Serbia/2009 - Italy, United Kingdom])
- Tropical AcerolaAcerolaMalpighia emarginata is a tropical fruit-bearing shrub or small tree in the family Malpighiaceae. Common names include acerola, Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crapemyrtle....
(Summer edition, 2007, France; Italy, Australia, Netherlands, Latvia from 2008, Summer 2009 Germany, Poland) - Pink GrapefruitGrapefruitThe grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...
(Summer edition, 2007, France and Australia) - CinnamonCinnamonCinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods...
(first alternative flavour from 1970s, "limited edition" in UK called Winter Warmer; discontinued in the U.S. in 2010; Still available in Brazil) - TangerineTangerine__notoc__The tangerine is an orange-colored citrus fruit which is closely related to the Mandarin orange . Taxonomically, it should probably be formally named as a subspecies or variety of Citrus reticulata; further work seems to be required to ascertain its correct scientific name...
- OrangeOrange (fruit)An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
(added after the Tangerine was popular in the double pack) - WintergreenWintergreenWintergreen is a group of plants. Wintergreen once commonly referred to plants that continue photosynthesis throughout the winter...
(added in 1980s) - Cool Cherry (UK - added in 2008)
- SpearmintSpearmintMentha spicata syn. M. cordifolia is a species of mint native to much of Europe and southwest Asia, though its exact natural range is uncertain due to extensive early cultivation. It grows in wet soils...
(added in 1980s; discontinued in 2010 - Still available in the United Kingdom) - LimeLime (fruit)Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...
(added in 1990s) - Fresh mintMenthaMentha is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae . The species are not clearly distinct and estimates of the number of species varies from 13 to 18. Hybridization between some of the species occurs naturally...
(EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
/US); PeppermintPeppermintPeppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
(AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) - Fresh Melons (Germany)
- Fruit Festival (limited edition)
- Canadian Longwood (Select areas of Manitoba only)
- Citrus Twist (limited edition; discontinued in 2010)
- Melon Mango
- Pink (To support the fight against breast cancer)
- Tropical Twist (UK - passion fruit)
- Extra Mint CherryCherryThe cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
(Brazil) - Australia, Delhi 2010
- Peach Passion UK summer edition
- Grape and Lychee UK summer edition
- Holiday Twist
- Extra Strong
- Green Apple (added in 2010)
- ChocolateChocolateChocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
- Carnaval (Brazil)
- RaspberryRaspberryThe raspberry or hindberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus; the name also applies to these plants themselves...
- Lemon Mint (Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Hong Kong and Poland)
- EucalyptusEucalyptusEucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
(Winter edition, 2007, Poland and Slovakia) - Paradise Mint Chill (2008)
- StrawberryStrawberryFragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
(2008) (Christmas Edition) - CherryCherryThe cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
(2008) (Summer edition, 2008, France, Poland, Brazil) - Up! (flavors like Passion Fruit and Acerola, with vitamin C) (Brazil)
- Alpine Mint (Germany)
- Cherry Passion (combo of cherry and passion fruit flavors) (Brazil)
- Citrus Punch (Limited Edition Big Box, triple flavour: Orange, lemon and grapefruit).
- Coconut and Pineapple ("Goût Coco Ananas", 2009, France, Poland)
- Piña Colada
- Fruity Limited Edition (Orange and Cherry) 2010 (World Cup Edition) (England)
- Aniseed (discontinued)
- Taste Melons ("Gout Melons", France)
- Exotic Cherry Chill
- Powermint (added in 2010)
- Arctic Rush
- Grape & Lychee Twist
- Cherry Passion
- Peach Passion
- Peach Fusion
ITV advert break
An advertisement for tic-tacs in January 2009 gained worldwide fame when ITV cut to the advert just as Everton's Dan GoslingDan Gosling
Daniel "Dan" Gosling is an English footballer who plays for Premier League club Newcastle United as a centre midfielder, right midfielder or right fullback. Gosling is a versatile player, having operated as a box-to-box midfielder on several occasions and occasionally deputised at right back to...
scored the winning goal against deadly rivals Liverpool after 119 minutes of TV coverage without a goal. ITV received a warning for that incident.
Nutritional information
Per 100 g - Energy 1658 kJ (390 kcal), Protein 0 g, Carbohydrate 97.5 g, Fat 0 g.Per Tic Tac - Energy 8.5 kJ (2 kcal), Protein 0 g, Carbohydrate 0.5 g, Fat 0 g.
Ingredients
SugarSugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
, Maltodextrin
Maltodextrin
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopic spraydried powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or...
, Tartaric acid
Tartaric acid
Tartaric acid is a white crystalline diprotic organic acid. It occurs naturally in many plants, particularly grapes, bananas, and tamarinds; is commonly combined with baking soda to function as a leavening agent in recipes, and is one of the main acids found in wine. It is added to other foods to...
, natural and artificial flavors, rice starch, Gum arabic
Gum arabic
220px|thumb|right|Acacia gumGum arabic, also known as acacia gum, chaar gund, char goond, or meska, is a natural gum made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal...
, Filling Agent (Magnesium stearate
Magnesium stearate
Magnesium stearate, also called octadecanoic acid, magnesium salt, is a white substance which is solid at room temperature. It has the chemical formula . It is a salt containing two equivalents of stearate and one magnesium cation...
), Artificial colors, Glazing Agent (Carnauba wax
Carnauba wax
Carnauba , also called Brazil wax and palm wax, is a wax of the leaves of the palm Copernicia prunifera, a plant native to and grown only in the northeastern Brazilian states of Piauí, Ceará, and Rio Grande do Norte. It is known as "queen of waxes" and usually comes in the form of hard yellow-brown...
).
Each pack weighs 15-18 g and contains about 36 Tic Tacs. New packs in Australia weigh 24 g and contain 50 Tic Tacs, and the Tic Tac "Big Box" weighs 49 g and contains 100 Tic Tacs. The "Big Pack" weighs 29 grams (1 ounce) and contains 60 pieces.
Each Tic Tac weighs just under 0.5 g. Since US federal regulations state that if a single serving contains less than 0.5 g of sugars it is allowable to express the amount of sugar in a serving as zero, and since a single serving of Tic Tacs is a single Tic Tac, Tic Tacs are labeled in the US as containing zero sugar.