Tidbits: Coulda had another V8

Coulda had another V8 It was only last fall that Mr. Tidbit mentioned the debut of V8 V-Fusion Smoothies. (V-Fusion is V8's combination fruit and vegetable juice, in many flavors; V-Fusion Smoothies add a noticeable amount of fruit purée). On that occasion he had the dubious pleasure of noting that V8 -- once available only as V8 -- had grown to 35 versions.

Not long after that, V8 introduced two products with added caffeine (from green tea extract): V8 V-Fusion Energy and V8 Energy Shots (the latter in itty-bitty 2.5-ounce bottles sold mostly at convenience stores). And now -- thank goodness; Mr. Tidbit can stop holding his breath -- there's a new one: Sparkling V-Fusion, in four-packs of single-serving 8.4-ounce cans.

Each 8.4-ounce can of the carbonated drink contains the same 1/4 cup of vegetables and 1/4 cup of fruit (one combined serving of fruit and vegetables) as all the V-Fusion drinks, but unlike all other V8 and V8 V-Fusion drinks, which have 100 percent or more of the daily value for vitamin C per serving, a can of Sparkling V-Fusion contains only 20 percent. The product is sweetened with Rebiana (stevia), so a can contains 60 calories.

Not counting the little Energy Shots, which Mr. Tidbit has not detected recently, the two flavors of V-Fusion Energy and the three of Sparking V-Fusion bring us to 40 kinds of V8.

At one discount supermarket, regular old V8-Fusion in 46-ounce (53/4 serving) bottles sells for $3.09; that's 54 cents per 8-ounce serving. That product is also available in six-packs of 8-ounce cans (48 ounces total), and V-Fusion Energy seems to come only that way. Those sell at that store for $3.99 (66 cents per 8-ounce serving).

V8-Fusion Smoothies sells for $3.04 -- but that's for only a 36-ounce bottle (41/2 servings), so it's 68 cents a serving. And the four-packs of 8.4-ounce cans of Sparkling V-Fusion (33.6 ounces total) go for $2.99. (That's 75 cents per can, but Mr. Tidbit must acknowledge that each is 0.4 ounces bigger than all the 8-ounce servings.)