Caffeine-Free Pepsi

Caffeine-Free Pepsi is a version of Pepsi that omits the caffeine that is customarily part of a cola. The drink has been marketed by PepsiCo since 1982. A sugar-free variant, Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi, also exists. Caffeine-Free Pepsi is marketed and distincted with a gold colored brand and packaging.^[1]

Caffeine Free Pepsi

Can of Caffeine-Free diet Pepsi with the 2005 design
Type	Cola
Manufacturer	Pepsi
Origin	United States
Introduced	1982; 43 years ago (1982)
Related products	Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola
Website	pepsi.com/caffeine-free

History

The product was introduced under the brand name Pepsi Free in 1982.^[2] It was claimed by PepsiCo to be 99.7 percent caffeine free.^[3] Diet Pepsi Free, a version based on Diet Pepsi, was also launched.^[4][5] The "Pepsi Free" name was phased out by 1987^{[citation needed]} and both were rebranded to their present names. As of 1994, it ranked as the 10th most sold soft drink in the United States.^[6]

In popular culture

Pepsi Free (as it was then known) was the subject of a scene in the 1985 blockbuster film Back to the Future. Upon entering a café in 1955, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) asks for a Tab (Coca-Cola's first version of a sugar-free soft drink, which was not available until 1963) and is told that he cannot have a "tab," unless he orders something. He then asks for a Pepsi Free and is told, "If you want a Pepsi, pal, you're gonna pay for it!" ("Free" is here being mistaken for gratis.).^[7][8]