Chewing Gum Brands Now Offer More Than Fresh Breath And Fewer Cavities

Taking a leaf from the marketing book of energy drinks and breakfast cereals, some chewing gum makers have begun adding healthy-sounding ingredients like vitamin C and ginseng to their products. Stride and Trident from Cadbury promise greater alertness or wellness. Stride Spark, for example, says it provides 25 percent of the RDA of vitamins B-6 and B-12, while creating a tingling sensation in the mouth. Vitality, a sub-brand of gum market-leading Trident, offers flavors that contain vitamin C, ginseng and mint and white tea but, except for the vitamin C, does not claim to provide health benefits. A blogger who reviews chewing gum said the Vitality Awaken brand was “easy on the taste buds,” but the ginseng ingredient is a “gum gimmick, pure and simple.”