Weighing in on 100-calorie snack packs

By Bobby Hankinson, Globe Correspondent  |  September 12, 2007

There's an invasion taking place at the grocery store. It's a large-scale takeover of small-scale snacks.

In an attempt to assuage public concern about the obesity problem in this country, major snack brands are responding with 100-calorie packs of their most popular varieties. The concept is simple: Give folks wary about their waistlines a way to indulge in their favorite treats without going overboard. "It's a guilt-reduction technique," says Tom Vierhile, the director of Productscan Online, which reports the introduction of new packaged goods. "It's to make sure consumers don't completely rule these products out."

Vierhile says 92 different 100-calorie products were on the market as of July. That's up from 51 in 2006, 33 in 2005, and only 13 in 2004. While the trend reaches soda, pudding, and popcorn, conventional snacks, such as cookies and crackers, are where it's really taking hold.

But these treats are no dieting miracle. They cost more than their full-calorie counterparts, and, despite their figure-friendly philosophy, are not as nutrient-rich as other snacks.

"For people who spend their life eating two 100-calorie snack packs a day, and not eating fruits and vegetables . . . in the long run, it's not a good tool to give to the masses," says Dr. Caroline Apovian, director for nutrition and weight management at Boston Medical Center. "In general, this is a very 2007, very 21st-century invention that is putting a Band-Aid on what the problem is."

That's not stopping these snacks from multiplying on grocers' shelves and finding their way into lunch boxes. Still, even among the snack-food giants, the approach to creating 100-calorie packs varies greatly - from miniaturizing classics to totally reinventing snacking staples.

Kraft, whose line of 100-calorie packs jump-started the craze in 2004, now offers more than 30 products in the genre. It began with just five offerings, Oreo Thin Crisps, Chips Ahoy! Thin Crisps, Wheat Thins Minis, Kraft Cheese Nips Thin Crisps, and Nabisco Mixed Berry Fruit Snacks. While some varieties were merely packaged into smaller portions, others were transformed into lighter fare. The Oreo Thin Crisps, for example, are not the chocolate sandwich cookies most people recognize; instead, they are thin chocolate wafers.

"A majority are brand-new recipes developed specifically for the Nabisco 100-Calorie Packs line and were designed to mimic the taste and deliver a similar experience of beloved classics," Laurie Guzzinati, associate director of corporate affairs for Kraft Foods, writes in an e-mail. "By doing this, we were able to deliver not only on the piece count that consumers are looking for, but also remain a sensible, portion-controlled snacking option."

By the time Kellogg's entered the 100-calorie pack market with its Right Bites in June 2005, it had had time to learn from its predecessors. Dave Rhoades, brand marketing manager for Kellogg's, says that its products are different from competitors' because "[consumers] want snacks that taste like real cookies and crackers, not pressed cookie-like chips." Right Bites offer lower-calorie versions of Keebler Sandies cookies, Fudge Shoppe Mini Fudge Stripes cookies, and Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper Fudge Dipped Mint Cookies, among others.

But if it's savory snacks you crave, Frito-Lay has you covered. With varieties of Cheetos, Doritos, and SunChips available, the company provides all the salty treats without changing the recipes. It simply, without cost savings to the consumer, puts fewer chips in a smaller bag.

"It is the exact same product people love, but want a little help with portion control," says Aurora Gonzalez spokeswoman for Frito-Lay.

Hostess uses a combination of portion control, lower-calorie recipes, and added fiber. Some of the company's baked goods, such as carrot cake and frosted cupcakes, now come in smaller sizes to meet the 100-calorie cutoff. The brand's chocolate cupcakes, which come in packs of three miniature cakes about the circumference of a quarter, also offer five grams of fiber. Compare that to one gram in Keebler's Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper Fudge Dipped Mint Cookies.

"We knew fiber was important in consumers' diets," says Kevin Kaul, Hostess marketing director. "Having higher fiber content would allow us to have fewer points in the Weight Watchers system." (The chocolate cupcakes are only one point; most other 100-calorie snacks are two or more.)

But for serious dieters, Apovian, the nutritionist, says instead of reaching for a 100-calorie pack, opt for snacks such as carrots and hummus, celery and low-fat cream cheese, or fruit and yogurt.

Apovian says most of the people she's encountered embracing these 100-calorie pack products are younger, fit women looking to satisfy an occasional urge - and while that's fine in a pinch, because they contain so few nutrients, they should not be a regular part of a diet.

"There are some people who find this to be helpful, and that's OK as long as it's not a habit," she says.

But is it too late to stop the invasion of the calorie-snatchers? Only time - and tummies - will tell.