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]
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