Out of all the food trends we
heard about back in December and
January, there was one that is clearly becoming a big deal on th packaged food scene: miniature packaging, aka 100-calorie packs. "100
calories!" seems to be the hot new slogan on food products these days. The past three years have seen the market
for portion-controlled packets go from 0 to more than 25 different foods. USA Today reports
that 18 of the new products were introduced in 2005 alone. With more coming along this year, there is no indication
that this trend is slowing.
Some of the newer products include 100-calorie sodas from brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Shasta. These sodas have a mere 8-ounces per can, fewer than the more standard 12-ounces, and are marketed as being more portable than their full-sized counterparts. Coco-Cola says that they're marketed at consumers who wish to "improve their snacking and drinking opportunities."
There are also new 100-calorie packs of Kraft's Ritz Chips, Wheat Thins Multigrain Chips and Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish crackers. Frito-Lay just released 100-calorie packs, dubbed "Mini Bites" by the company, of Doritos and Cheetos, with a pack of Sunchips coming soon. In the non-chip realm, Yoplait has 100-calorie containers of their Light Thick & Creamy Yogurt, too.
I don't think that this prepacked portion control is where a lot of the people in the food industry thought that this year was going to take consumers, but it seems to be a positive trend nevertheless. Consumers obviously like to know that they have move control over the amount they eat because everything is clearly measured. And as we all know, being more aware of how much you eat is the first step in having a healthier lifestyle - even if you're just switching to prepacked Doritos from digging into a larger bag.
[Image USA Today]
4-14-2006 @7:40AM Hawk said... I'm a firm believer that a vast number of people are not very in-control of their own eating, drinking, sleeping, excercise habits. The ways to improve your life are obvious, and take personal willpower, and some people don't have that. They just can't do it themselves.
If a company can make money from one of these people by promoting unhealthy things at them which they will crave ("nobody can eat just one", "I think I need a bigger box", "What you crave", etc), a company can also make money by catering to people's desire to better themselves in light of their inability to control themselves, by offering external solutions.
Hence we have the diet industry, the (maybe burgeoning?) 'good snack' industry, the quit-smoking industry, the "[this comment involves gross and indecent spam email subject and cannot be printed]" / genital enlargement industry, etc
In a capitalist sense, this is probably a good thing. Making money of people's desire to be h ealthy is a viable market. However, the trick is, it better be healthy for real.
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4-14-2006 @9:08AM deb said... I've been thrilled to see what I hope is a turning back of the trend towards more and more enormously packaged foods, and an understanding of portion control. It was getting impossible not to buy 20oz of soda at a time. It was like manufacturers forgot that not everyone wants Super-Sized meals.
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4-14-2006 @10:05AM Deborah Petit said... As a member of Weight Watchers who has lost over 100 pounds so far, I am constantly in the market for variety in my snack choices. I am much more inclined to choose those products that are marketed as 100 calorie packages. I know that each snack will be 2 points in my points plan.
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4-14-2006 @10:44AM Annie said... It's in all the magazines the rise to look thinner and eat healthier more and more women and men are worried about cholesterol and saturated fats. "Eat-Right" but, how many american's fight obese every year because of not having self control do to stress, depression, frustration of diets failing and not looking like the "Super Model." INSTANTLY. So, they run to comfort foods and over eat large quanity of junk food and lots of soda's and the children follow the examples of the parents. I believe if we can control our portions with products that are pre-serving sized. We can better educate the difference of serving size's and beaware of the actual food we consume just sitting watching TV. It's amazing four tablespoons is one serving size and 8 oz of soda. But,no one wants to count calories.
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4-14-2006 @11:52AM Heidi said... I agree that this is one of the greatest trends the diet industry has produced. First, low fat or low carb, or whatever the theme of the year, can always be abused and misleading to consumers. I get so frustrated by opening a snack package and flipping it over to read 2.5 servings. What an arbitrary number! I am obviously going to eat the whole package. I am happy the industry has responded by making snacks 1 portion and I think the 100-calorie portion push is a great way for people to learn exactly what one portion looks like.
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4-14-2006 @12:00PM mtt said... I think the 8oz cans are great. I'm not a teenager any more, I don't care for (or need!) near so much soda, so an 8oz of Coke or Mountain Dew is plenty. (I hate the taste of diet drinks)
I often feel this way going out also... I can eat a whole meal from any restaurant, but I don't need it. I am tempted to ask if I could buy a Senior Citizen size meal.
Giant size items and servings (with the corresponding increase in price, even if it is a better "value") are not a good thing, and I look forward to more companies following this small-portion trend.
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4-14-2006 @4:47PM gunnar rieger said... Everything that goes around...
Nothing new here except the can. Coke used to be sold in 8oz bottles.
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4-16-2006 @10:55AM Jayney said... I think it's a great trend, I use these "snack packs" all the time...handy, quick, easy way to tote a snack along and avoid exactly what a previous post said the 2.5 serving trap. Who came up with that one anyway, it's so annoying.
I think the use of these indicates less an ability to control oneself, but an effort to go against the long standing super-sized trend, which is awful. At least the food industry is catching up with consumer demand, and it's just nice to get away from the "good carb bad carb" mantra!
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