A red version of Mountain Dew, a soft drink second in caffeine content only to Jolt, openly marketed to the urban, minority community. The desire to penetrate minority markets was so prominent that Pepsi largely chose the drink's flavor in order to do so. At first, the company toyed with the idea of coloring the new soda blue and sticking "arctic" in the name. But conventional wisdom in the soft drink business states that people from minority groups favor sweet, fruity flavors. So, the company's researchers regrouped and came up with Wild Cherry Mountain Dew. The taste was right, but the name was too tame. Enter Code Red."

This new soft drink was originally going to be called something along the lines of, "Cherry Red Mountain Dew." It was decided that this name wouldn't really appeal to minorities anymore than the name Mountain Dew had in the past. Thus, the name Code Red.

This drink has also stirred (pardon the pun) up some controversy over its caffeine content. Code Red features a whopping 4.6 milligrams, far more than typical soft drinks (often weighing in on average at 2 milligrams, less than half as much as Code Red). Although this stays well within US FDA regulations (no knowledge of Mountain Dew's foreign exploits), that require soft drinks stay under 6 milligrams, several scientists have been questioning whether caffeine's only role in the drink is taste. A group of researchers conducted a taste test using unlabled drinks, some of which contained caffeine, and others that didn't. Taste testers were unable to tell the difference between the drinks. Although, the marketing center for Mountain Dew is quick to note that at higher levels of caffeine the researchers say the testers could tell, but fail to mention at exactly what level that was.

Military slang for a severe form of non-judicial peer pressure, manifest physically, as described in A Few Good Men. Lance Corporal Harold Dawson explains it in the stage play and film:

KAFFEE
Harold, what's a Code Red?

DAWSON
Sir, a Code Red is a disciplinary engagement.

KAFFEE
What does that mean, exactly?

DAWSON
Sir, a marine falls out of line, it's up to the men in his unit to get him back on track.

KAFFEE
What's a garden variety Code Red?

DAWSON
Sir?

KAFFEE
Harold, you say sir and I turn around and look for my father. Danny--Daniel-- Kaffee. Garden variety; typical. What's a basic Code Red?

DAWSON
Sir, a marine has refused to bathe on a regular basis. The men in his squad would give him a G.I. shower.

KAFFEE
What's that?

DAWSON
Scrub brushes, brillo pads, steel wool ...

SAM
Beautiful.


A code red can occur in any teamwork situation where one member of the team is not pulling his weight. Another canonical example is the sock party the squad treats Private "Pyle" to in Full Metal Jacket. Even though the term originated in the Marines, it can be found throughout the military, on sports teams, in boarding schools, or anywhere else the fate of the group, regardless of the efforts of the others, can be ruined by one ate up individual.

In health care, code red means fire. This is used to prevent panic (imagine what would happen if they announced Fire on Wing 100 over the speakers).

Indeed, most health care facilities use some modification of code red to hide it even from visitors who know what code red means. This modification is known only to the employees of that facility.

My favorite modification was one I saw in an instructional video when I worked as a certified nursing assistant. In this video they had fire on a wing, but instead of announcing Code Red on Wing 100, they said over the speaker system Doctor Red, please come to Wing 100.

A now defunct sub-label of the Swedish monotrack label Drumcode. Ran by Adam Beyer.
Code Red was started in 1997, and released its last record in October 1999. The music was similar to the monotone techno on Drumcode, but often slightly more experimental. The records were limited editions of approximately 500 copies (on the first releases at least).


Discography:

CR01
Thomas Krome - Wood Carver
2 x 12"

CR02
Joel Mull - Safety Session
12" red

CR03
Adam Beyer - Remainings EP
12"

CR04
Cari Lekebusch - C-Theories
12"

CR05
Joel Mull
12"

CR06
Adam Beyer - This Is Code Red
12"

CR07
Adam Beyer - Remainings II
2 x 12"

CR08
Adam Beyer
12"

CR09
Conceiled Project - Second Coming
12"

CR10LP
V/A - Stand Down
3 x 12"

CRCD01
V/A - Stand Down
CD


I recommend especially the two first releases for the uninitiated. Thomas Krome never fails, and Safety Session is a nice smooth alternative to Drumcode's usual percussive onslaught.

This is a new version of the original citrus Mountain Dew that we all know and love. The classic yellow color has been replaced by a bright shade of crimson (thanks to Red 40).
Also, the flavor has been changed, and the bottle now boasts to have a "rush of cherry flavor." I must say that when I first found a bottle in the local convience store, I was both shocked and frightened. I had not seen any advertisements for this product, and I wondered if maybe this were a genetic freak that the Mountain Dew company had accidently created.
Its flavor can best be described as "a Shirley Temple with a kick." In taste it greatly resembeles Cherry 7-UP, but it still has the massive quantities of caffeine that were found in the original formula.
I drank one glass of this stuff at 5:00 p.m. and afterwards was only able to get four hours of sleep. This soda is a delicious new source of caffeine. So if you are interested in a soda that is bad for your mind, body and soul, you need look no further than that bright red can.

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