Stacks of snacks

Prepared Foods, March, 2004 by William A. Roberts, Jr.

* Frito-Lay adds a healthful banner

* Low-carb hit snacks

* Flavors evolve

A noteworthy event for snack formulators in 2003 may have had more impact had it occurred several years ago. The FDA lifted its health warning on Procter & Gamble's (Cincinnati) zero-calorie fat replacer, olestra. The warning had been required of products containing the ingredient since its approval in 1996. Derived from plant-based materials, olestra passes through the body undigested, but the FDA sought to warn consumers that the ingredient might cause cramps and diarrhea.

Since implementing the warning, the agency received 20,000 reports of gastrointestinal complaints from olestra consumers but, this year, concluded that olestra's effects were mild and rare. FDA based the decision on a study that monitored 3,000 consumers over a six-week period after eating snacks containing olestra or snacks that the consumer believed contained the ingredient but, in fact, did not. Negligible differences were found.

Look for the Label

One of the earliest adopters of olestra, Frito-Lay (Piano, Texas), launched a health initiative this year to tout its most-healthful products. The Smart Snack ribbon label debuted on Baked! Lay's Potato Crisps, highlighting some of the product's nutrition information on the front of the package. It informs consumers that the product had 0g of trans fats, no cholesterol and 1.5g of fat per serving.

Kenneth Cooper, M.D., an expert on health, nutrition and exercise, created the nutritional guidelines that Frito-Lay products must meet to be eligible for the Smart Snack ribbon label. Among them are 150 or fewer calories; less than 35% of calories from fat (usually 5g or less), less than 7% of calories from saturated fat (usually 1g or less), 0g of trans fats and 240mg of sodium or less per 1oz.-serving. The new label follows Frito-Lay's elimination of partially hydrogenated cooking oils from its Doritos, Tostitos and Cheetos brands. These, along with Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, were produced with trans fat-free oils.

Kellogg's (Battle Creek, Mich.) made a similar move on some of its products. A change in formula for the Keebler cookies reduced the products' fat content.

Furthering the healthful cause in the snacks aisle, Smart Balance from GFA Brands (Cresskill, N.J.) took its cholesterol-lowering, heart-healthful products into a new realm. Smart Balance Popcorn has no hydrogenated oil or trans fatty acids and contains a patented oil blend that promises to improve cholesterol. It can be found in two varieties--Movie Palace Extra Butter and Light Butter.

Of course, no discussion of healthful new products in 2003 would be complete without mentioning low-carbohydrate offerings. Hain-Celestial Group's (Uniondale, N.Y.) Carb Fit line was co-branded with some of the company's more established brands, such as Hain Pure, DeBoles and Health Valley, none of which contain trans fats or hydrogenated oils. The Carb Fit Hain Pure line features Snax Twirls and Snax Soy Nuts. The former is a crispy soy snack in two flavors--nacho and ranch, each containing 5g of net carbs per serving. The latter has 6g of net carbs per serving of its two flavors--salted and red hot. Hain-Celestial expects to offer new varieties in 2004.

A pair of nutrition bars has gone the low-carb route, as well. CarboLite Foods (Evansville, Ind.) has added cereal bars boasting no sugar and only 3g of net effective carbs per serving. Similarly, NBTY (Bohemia, N.Y.) launched CarbWise Low-Carb Nutrition Bars in July, followed shortly thereafter by a "super-premium," yet low-carbohydrate ice cream offered in conjunction with Cool Brands (Toronto).

Accentuate the Positive

Rather than touting the lack of carbohydrates, some snack bar makers took a more positive approach to lure the same audience, by highlighting the high-protein content of their offerings. Nature's Plus (Melville, N.Y.) supports low-carb, high-protein dieters with KetoSlim High Protein Bars in chocolate raspberry crisp or luscious lemon crisp flavors, while Carb Minders from American Health (Holbrook, N.Y.) claims to add crispiness to the category with its High Protein Bars--in such varieties as crispy raspberry, crispy chocolate s'mores, crispy chocolate peanut and crispy lemon yogurt.

Demonstrating the circle of life in the low-carb area, GeniSoy (Fairfield, Calif.) entered other snack arenas this year. Better known for its line of Soy Protein Nutrition Bars, the company added Low Carb Tortilla Chips, with fiesta salsa, nacho cheese, zesty habanero and lightly salted offerings.

Given the growth and expectations for tortilla sales, GeniSoy's launch made perfect sense. The Tortilla Industry Association (Eagan, Minn.) predicts sales of tortillas will hit $6.1 billion in 2004, and the International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (Madison, Wis.) said sales already surpass the combined sales total of bagels, pita breads and English muffins. Indeed, for consumers preferring tortillas as wraps, Tumaro's (Los Angeles) extended its Lowfat Tortilla Wraps in such flavorful varieties as pesto & roasted garlic, jalapeno & cilantro, and southwestern chipotle chili & peppers.