Capri Sun, the iconic brand that helps unleash peak kid with every poke, is expanding its portfolio with Capri Sun Hydrate – one of the first-to-market drinks with electrolytes designed specifically for kids. Rolling out to major retailers in the US, Capri Sun Hydrate delivers an essential blend of electrolytes and Vitamin E, with 50 percent less sugar than the leading regular sports drinks^* and no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. Available in three thirst-quenching flavours – Fruit Punch, Tropical Punch and all-new Lemon Lime, Capri Sun Hydrate is designed to support kids’ hydration from little league sports to outdoor play and fits seamlessly into the everyday rhythms of today’s families.

As parents increasingly look for hydrating, lower-sugar beverage options for their kids, current offerings are aimed at adults and either don’t taste great to kids, are too high in sugar or contain artificial ingredients. Capri Sun Hydrate is designed to answer those frustrations, bringing together what families have been missing in the aisle: a flavourful, kid-friendly hydration option that delivers the functional benefits parents want without compromising on the taste kids love. Launching just in time for summer, Capri Sun Hydrate arrives at a moment when demand for lower-sugar beverages with benefits is surging.

“Today’s parents are looking for beverage options that keep up with their kids’ active lifestyles, without the sugar and extra ingredients they don’t feel good about serving,” said Kristina Hannant, Director, Ready to Drink Marketing. “With Capri Sun Hydrate, we saw an opportunity to bring something brand new to the kids beverage aisle – a beverage made specifically for kids that delivers the fun and flavor kids love with the functional benefits parents are looking for.”

With 94 percent of Capri Sun households already purchasing sports drinks,¹ and with hydration among the fastest-growing segments in beverages,² the brand is uniquely positioned to expand into hydration with functional benefits. The launch also builds on the brand’s broader portfolio expansion following the first-ever multi-serve format and the subsequent rollout of Capri Sun single-serve bottles, which expanded Capri Sun into convenience and on-the-go channels.

Capri Sun Hydrate also reflects Kraft Heinz’s broader commitment to investing in innovation that meets evolving consumer needs. Capri Sun Hydrate underscores how Kraft Heinz is building superior consumer experiences across its portfolio through product innovation grounded in convenience, new occasions and nutrition.

Capri Sun Hydrate will roll out to major retailers in the US including Walmart, Target, Amazon and more.

^*Per 12fl oz of Capri Sun Hydrate 10g total sugars, leading regular sports drink 20g total sugars
¹Numerator OmniPanel L52-FMCG 8/26/25
²Mintel, Functional Drinks 2004, Refreshment Category Growth Story, Kids’ Impact on HH Decisions – US, 2022, Ipsos Concept Results – January 2025

Contrary to concerns – oft repeated on social media – that the manufacturing process destroys the nutritional value of shop bought 100 % orange juice, researchers from leading universities in Spain and Italy have found levels of polyphenols – valuable bioactive compounds linked to health – are similar in home-squeezed and shop-bought juice.

The study, published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition*, compared the most popular shop bought orange juices in the UK, Germany, France and Spain against freshly squeezed ‘Navelina’ oranges. It found that while home squeezed juice contains more vitamin C than shop-bought equivalents, this degrades significantly over time and is expected to reach shop bought juice levels after a week.

The study also established that shop bought orange juice contains 94 % of European recommendations for daily vitamin C intakes – set at 90 mg for men and 80 mg for women – meaning only a minor impact on consumers from a nutritional standpoint.

Vitamin C, found in fruits and vegetables, is essential for human health since it can’t be synthesised by the body and is involved in many biochemical functions including immunity, neutralising free radicals, iron absorption, bone formation and synthesis of collagen. Low intakes can be noticed as poor wound healing and gum inflammation.

Lead scientist in the study, Dr Cristina Viguera from the Department of Food Science and Technology at CEBAS-CSIC, said: “Our research indicates that there’s limited nutritional advantage to spending time home squeezing oranges when you can obtain similar levels of polyphenols and most of the vitamin C you need from a good quality shop bought version.

“We also found that shop bought orange juices preserve their bioactive compounds during storage and the brand, country or manufacturing process made little difference to the polyphenols or vitamin C. Overall, orange juice is still a rich source of vitamin C whether it’s freshly squeezed or purchased”.

*Salar et al. (2024) Comparison of vitamin C and flavanones between freshly squeezed orange juices and commercial 100 % orange juices from four European countries. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38230429/.