Counting Calories by the Hundreds

Mintel is reporting  that the numbers for the once-popular 100-calorie snack packs are tanking along with the economy. That’s not a big shock to someone who still stuffs nibbles into plastic bags for the kids’ lunches or snacktime. (Let’s see: a buck for 50 bags, 10 or 15 servings per $2 bag, vs. 8 servings prepackaged for $4…hmmm.)

I’m not sure how many of the 190 products introduced last year and 68 and counting this year, were “new” from a product development standpoint, ala Nabisco’s Oreo Crisps. But companies that merely miniaturized or even portioned out 100 calories worth of standard products aren’t offering much other than 60 seconds or so or convenience for the up charge. That tradeoff doesn’t make economic sense for many this year and the market numbers reflect that: According to a  story in  Adweek, dollar sales of the 100-calorie Oreo Thin Crisps, fell 30.5% $16.7 million. And that’s a product only available in the calorie-counting packaging category.

In addition to the economics, Adweek points out other factors such as taste (Big surprise: Diet food doesn’t taste as good as gooey, sugary, fatty regular food!) and that chronic overeaters would devour more calories by eating multiple packages.

Good try, though, food industry. But if the 100-calorie packs go the way of McDonalds short-lived reduced-fat McLean Deluxe, are we still going to hear that companies aren’t doing anything to address the obesity problem?  

 -Lynn A. Kuntz