Many people associate caffeinated soda with the amount of caramel coloring in the soft drink, mistakenly thinking that sodas without caramel coloring are caffeine free. You may be surprised to learn that this isn’t true.
If you’re wondering does Sunkist soda have caffeine, the answer is YES! Sunkist Orange soda contains caffeine.
Sunkist soda contains less caffeine than many leading soda brands, but it still has a moderate amount of caffeine.
For more about Sunkist soda and caffeine (like how much caffeine it contains), keep reading.
In This Article
Does Sunkist Orange Soda Have Caffeine?
While orange soda does not typically contain caffeine, Sunkist Orange Soda is the exception to the rule. Regular Sunkist Orange Soda is a caffeinated orange soda. Sunkist Zero Sugar Orange Soda does not have sugar but still contains the same amount of caffeine.
Surprisingly, Sunkist’s early version of diet orange soda (sold as Sunkist Diet Orange) contained more than twice the amount of caffeine at 41 mg.
How Much Caffeine is in Sunkist Soda?
Sunkist Orange Soda has 19 mg of caffeine in a 12-ounce can. While their previous Diet Sunkist Orange Soda contained 41 mg of caffeine, their latest version of diet soda (Sunkist Zero Sugar) contains 19 mg of caffeine, the same amount of caffeine as the regular version.
Orange soda by other leading manufacturers is caffeine free.
What are the Ingredients in Sunkist Orange Soda?
According to Keurig Dr. Pepper’s Sunkist Product descriptions, regular Sunkist Orange Soda contains carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, sodium benzoate, natural flavors, modified food starch, ester gum, caffeine, and food dyes yellow #6 and red #4.
Sunkist Zero Sugar Orange soda contains carbonated water, citric acid, sodium benzoate, aspartame, malic acid, sodium citrate, natural flavors, acesulfame potassium, modified food starch, ester gum, caffeine, food dyes yellow #6 and red #40, and phenylalanine.
Does Diet Sunkist Have Caffeine?
Although some sources online claim that Sunkist Zero Sugar Orange soda is caffeine free, the product description and ingredient list provided by Keurig Dr. Pepper (the manufacturer of Sunkist beverages), Sunkist’s diet version of their orange soda contains 19 mg of caffeine per 12-ounce serving.
The amount of caffeine in Sunkist Zero Sugar Orange soda is the same as the amount of caffeine in regular Sunkist Orange soda.
How Much Caffeine is in Diet Sunkist?
Sunkist Zero Sugar Orange soda contains 19 mg of caffeine in a 12-ounce serving — the same amount of caffeine as their regular orange soda. It is reported that Sunkist’s previous Diet Orange Soda contained 41 mg of caffeine per serving but was lowered to 19 mg when the name (and formula) switched to Sunkist Zero Sugar Orange soda.
Caffeine in Other Sunkist Sodas
Sunkist is known for its orange soda, but it has other fruity flavors, too. Sunkist produces nine fruity soft drinks with a range of intriguing flavors, but Sunkist Orange soda is the only Sunkist soft drink that contains caffeine. So if you are looking for a caffeine-free option, check out the flavors below.
- Sunkist Orange: 19 milligrams of caffeine
- Sunkist Grape: zero milligrams of caffeine
- Sunkist Strawberry: zero milligrams of caffeine
- Sunkist Cherry Limeade: zero milligrams of caffeine
- Sunkist Pineapple: zero milligrams of caffeine
- Sunkist Peach: zero milligrams of caffeine
- Sunkist Fruit Punch: zero milligrams of caffeine
- Sunkist Berry Lemonade: 0 milligrams of caffeine
- Sunkist Mango Orange: 0 milligrams of caffeine
Frequently Asked Questions
Medical professionals frown on the overuse of any soft drink as many contain high amounts of sugar, sodium, and caffeine. While drinking them in moderation isn’t going to hurt you, it can lead to weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and tooth decay.
According to Medical News Today, diet or sugar-free soda poses the same risks.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that because Sunkist Orange soda is fruit-flavored, it will provide the health benefits of real fruits and juice.
Sunkist orange soda is not a substitute for orange juice and does not provide any health benefits.
According to the FDA, healthy adults can safely consume 400 mg of caffeine daily, while pregnant women should keep the amount under 200 mg daily.
Although you would need to drink 21 12-ounce servings of Sunkist Orange soda to reach the maximum caffeine limit for a day, consuming this much soda would add nearly 1000 grams of sugar (nearly 4000 calories) to your diet.
The USDA daily recommended amount of sugar is a mere 50 grams, based on a 2000-calorie-a-day diet. Clearly, one 12-ounce serving of Sunkist Orange soda(44 grams of sugar) a day nearly meets the total amount of sugar you should consume in a day.
Traditionally, orange soda is caffeine free. However, Sunkist is an exception to the rule and has been reported as the only caffeinated orange soda sold. There may be some small producers of caffeinated orange soda, but orange soda sold by major manufacturers is caffeine free.
All major brands of orange soda (other than Sunkist) are caffeine-free. However, some generic brands from independent suppliers may contain caffeine. Check the nutrition and ingredient labels to be sure.
- Sunkist Orange Soda 19mg
- Fanta Orange Soda 0mg
- Crush Orange Soda 0mg
- Fayo Orange Soda 0mg
- Solo Orange Soda 0mg
The amount of caffeine in soda ranges from about 20 mg to over 100 mg per serving, with many falling within the mid-range of 40 to 50 mg. Check out these lists to find out how each measures up.
Soda with the Highest Caffeine Content
- Bawls 102 mg
- Coca-Cola with Coffee 69 mg
- Pepsi Zero Sugar 69mg
- Ski Soda 69 mg
- Mountain Dew Zero Sugar 68 mg
Soda with the Lowest Caffeine Content
- Pepsi 35- 38 mg
- Coke 34 mg
- Barq’s Root Beer 22mg
- Sunkist Orange Soda 19mg
There is little information available about why Sunkist chose to put caffeine in their orange soda, but there are several theories.
- To improve marketing and competition. Because orange soda was the third highest-selling type of soda, adding caffeine may have been added to get an edge on the market as more consumers sought caffeinated soda.
- Satisfy Consumers: Customer demand likely played a role, too, as more people began seeking caffeinated drinks to keep up with their busy lifestyles.
- Enhance flavor: Coca-Cola claims that caffeine can enhance natural flavors in soft drinks and says they use it in colas for that reason. Perhaps, caffeine also enhances the flavor of natural orange flavoring in orange soda.
Does Sunkist Have Caffeine? Final Thoughts
If you want to reduce your caffeine intake without giving up soft drinks, Sunkist Orange Soda may be a good start, as it contains only moderate amounts of caffeine at 19 mg per serving.
Caffeine Content In Other Popular Drinks
Tom is a managing partner with Caffeine Gurus. He has been writing and researching coffee and caffeine for over 10 years.
