Fisherman's Friend

  Fisherman's Friend are strong menthol lozenges produced in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England.

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Fisherman's Friend were originally developed by a young pharmacist called James Lofthouse in 1865 to relieve various respiratory problems suffered by fishermen working in the extreme conditions of the Icelandic deep-sea fishing grounds. Originally developed as an extremely strong liquid remedy containing menthol and eucalyptus oil, Lofthouse made this liquid into small lozenges which were easier to transport and to administer. According to the manufacturer, the fishermen soon began to refer to the lozenges as their "friends", hence the name. The lozenges exist in their current form relatively unchanged since their creation. The lozenges still come in their famous paper packets, although these are now foil-lined.

Fisherman's Friend are now available in over a hundred countries, in a variety of flavours, some of which are only available in certain countries. Lofthouse do provide a mail order service allowing UK residents to obtain some of the more exotic or difficult to find flavours. Some flavours are sugar-free, for which the bags are striped:

• Original Extra Strong
• Aniseed
• Super Strong Mint
• Sugar-free (using sorbitol)
  • Original
  • Citrus
  • Lemon
  • Mint
  • Apple and Cinnamon
  • Strong Salmiak (Selected European Markets)
  • Cherry
  • Spicy Mandarin
  • Cool Cassis

The manufacturers have won the Queen's Award to Industry for Export Achievement three times. Fisherman's Friend lozenges are also suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

See also

• Altoids
• Victory V
• List of breath mints