This iconic astronaut snack now contains THC

By Nicolas Jose Rodriguez

Space Food Sticks, the delicious cylindrical protein snacks that caught the public imagination in the 1970s, are back with an extraordinary twist: THC.

The release of Infused Space Food Sticks marks the first time a classic American brand has entered the booming recreational cannabis edibles market.

Photo courtesy of The Vivid Team / Facebook

Fifty years ago Pillsbury developed Space Food Sticks for Apollo 11 astronauts that can be eaten with helmets on. A commercial spin-off was billed as the world’s first “astro snack” and became a lunch box favorite, becoming a cult following before disappearing from grocery store shelves in the 1970s.

The new iteration of Space Food Sticks is a joint venture between The Vivid Team of Denver, Colorado (a company that makes and sells food, beverage, cosmetic, and cannabis products) and Retrofuture Products, a Brooklyn-based specialty food company. You are reintroducing old brands into the emerging cannabis edibles market.

“I wanted to bring back an iconic snack from the space age,” said Eric Lefcowitz, owner of Retrofuture Products, in a press release. “Space food sticks have a really unique story.”

The Brooklyn entrepreneur marketed a non-psychoactive version of the chews before venturing into the uncharted territory of cannabis branding.

“Very few brands of cannabis have established themselves as trustworthy. And we have a track record of being trustworthy with decades of experience developing mainstream CPGs. So we took the chance to apply this to space food sticks, ”added Steffen Weck, Co-President together with Jessica Cristadoro from the Vivid team.

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“We take calls from all over the country. It’s a result of brand equity and a growing public interest in healthier alternatives to edibles, and that’s what we offer, ”said Cristadoro.

Now marketed as The Original Buzz and available at both recreational and medical pharmacies in Colorado, Space Food Sticks will soon be available nationwide in legal states.

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Interest in everything space related has increased thanks to Elon Musk’s Space X, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Horizons, and Richard Branson’s Virgin Intergalactic. “We hope they will be served as snacks on board,” Lefcowitz concluded.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.