Dunkin' pitches to fitness crowd

It seems like an unlikely pairing -- Dunkin' Donuts and fitness buffs.

The Canton chain beloved for its diet-wrecking fare has a new beverage called Latte Lite, and it's looking to health clubs for help promoting it. Roughly 200 clubs in the Northeast will distribute free Latte Lite coupons to members starting after the new year.

Getting a coupon at a gym sends a message that Dunkin' is about more than doughnuts; it says Dunkin' also offers ''health-conscious" choices, suggested vice president John Gilbert. He expects health club members will be surprised to get a Dunkin' Donuts coupon. Surprise, he said, ''helps build awareness."

Dunkin' boasts that Latte Lite is ''100 percent taste and 0 percent fat." Weighing in at 70 calories, as compared with 120 calories for a conventional Dunkin' latte, a Latte Lite is made with espresso, skim milk, and Splenda, an artificial sweetener. Latte Lites can be served hot or iced.

Dunkin's promotional partner for Latte Lites is the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, a not-for-profit trade group that worked with McDonald's to promote a new salad in 2004. Dunkin' previously did a health club promotion for bagels, noted Chuck Leve, an executive with the trade group.

Clubs often promote such products as nutrition bars and bottled water, said Gary Klencheski, president of Fitcorp, a chain that will be part of the Latte Lite promotion. As for the Latte Lite's 70 calories, joggers can burn that off in six minutes, Klencheski said.

The 50-calorie difference between a latte and a Latte Lite is ''a nice calorie savings," said Larry Lindner, former executive editor of the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter. ''People should drink coffee if they like it," he said, ''but not for fitness reasons."

Chris Reidy can be reached at reidy@globe.com.