Too Big to Chug: How Our Sodas Got So Huge

     Our love affair with soda has led to outrageously
     supersized drink sizes.

By Azeen Ghorayshi

June 25, 2012

For lots of great charts and graphics included go to the article at:  
http://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/06/supersize-biggest-sodas-mcdonalds-big-gulp-chart

When McDonald's execs first struck up their lucrative
business partnership with the Coca-Cola Company in 1955,
they were thinking small-literally. At the time, the
only size of the beverage available for purchase was a
measly 7-ounce cup. But by 1994, America's classic
burger joint was offering a fountain drink size six
times bigger.

And that's not even the worst of it. Franchises like 7-
Eleven, Arco, and the unfortunately named Midwestern
chain Kum & Go have all offered drinks upwards of 85
ounces. (To put this in perspective, this is around
three times the capacity of a normal human stomach.)
Studies have shown that consumers have a hard time
gauging sizes properly, so as fountain drinks continue
to get bigger and bigger, it's less and less likely that
we're able to make informed choices. But how did this
problem get so big in the first place? Here's a look at
how super sizes became the status quo.

1767: Joseph Priestley invents carbonated water
      after suspending a bowl of water above a beer vat.
      In 1772 Priestley publishes a paper on his
      findings entitled "Directions for Impregnating
      Water with Fixed Air."

1819: Samuel Fahnenstock files a patent for the
      first ever soda fountain.

1886: John S. Pemberton, a pharmacist in Atlanta,
      invents Coca-Cola. That year, he sells an average
      of nine drinks a day-today, the Coca-Cola Company
      sells around 1.7 billion beverages daily.

1955: McDonald's forms an official partnership
      with Coca-Cola, offering just a single 7-ounce
      size fountain drink (PDF).

1955: The Coca-Cola Company introduces the first
      king-size bottles in the United States. In
      addition to the standard 6.5-ounce bottles,
      shoppers can now buy Coke in 10-, 12-, 16-, and
      26-ounce bottles.

1980: 7-Eleven starts selling the 32-ounce Big
      Gulp. Ads run the slogan, "7-Eleven's Big Gulp
      gives you another kind of freedom: freedom of
      choice."

1986: 7-Eleven follows up its success with a 44-
      ounce Super Big Gulp fountain drink.

1988: McDonald's launches its Super Summer Size
      meals, available for a limited time only.

1989: 7-Eleven rolls out the Double Gulp, a
      staggering 64 ounces of soda.

1993: McDonald's launches another summer Super
      Size exclusive, this time called Dino Size as a
      tie-in to the film release of Jurassic Park.
      "Catch 'em quick-before they're extinct!"

1994: Mickey D's gives Super Size meals a
      permanent spot on its menu. The fries are three
      times the size of the original 1950s serving,
      while the drink is six times bigger than its
      predecessor.

1995: Wendy's introduces its version of super
      sizing with the 42-ounce Great Biggie, described
      as a "river of icy cold enjoyment."

2001: Burger King introduces "King size" fries and
      42-ounce sodas as part of its new Value Meals.

2003: In the first suit of its kind, Pelman vs.
      McDonald's Corp. alleges that the fast-food chain
      knowingly failed to warn consumers that its
      products lead to obesity, and that it deceptively
      marketed food products "that were physically and
      psychologically addictive." The plaintiffs are two
      girls aged 19 and 14, who weigh 270 and 170
      pounds, respectively. The Manhattan District Court
      judge tosses the case, citing individual
      responsibility. This spurs a new class of
      litigation dubbed "McLawsuits."

2004: Spurred by the Pelman case, Morgan Spurlock
      films Super Size Me. Spurlock eats and drinks at
      McDonald's three times a day for a 30-day period,
      making sure to order everything on the menu at
      least once. He gains 25 pounds and developed
      serious health issues.

2004: Due to intensifying public scrutiny over
      fast food chains, McDonald's drops the 42-ounce
      Super Size fountain drink as part of its new
      "healthy lifestyle initiative."

2006: Wendy's does away with its Biggie and Great
      Biggie portions, but in name only-instead, the 32
      and 42 ounce drinks are the new medium and large.

2006: 7-Eleven releases its Team Gulp, a gallon
      jug for soda.

2007: After a huge public-relations sweep (and a
      resulting quadrupling of stock prices), McDonald's
      again offers a summertime-only promotional jumbo
      drink. Staying away from the Super Size trademark,
      the new 42-ounce drink is called the Hugo.

2011: KFC introduces a drink so big that it has a
      bucket handle to carry it. In what can only be a
      cruel joke on humankind, for every Mega Jug
      purchased, KFC promises it will donate $1 to the
      Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

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