Nestle trials of LC Kit-Kats and "Rolos"
 

Sunday Herald - 04 July 2004
Now it’s Atkins friendly chocolate
Food manufacturers launch high-price, low-carb range
By Jenifer Johnston

Leading sweet manufacturers are preparing to cash in on the growing popularity of Atkins-inspired diets by introducing low-carbohydrate versions of their leading brands.

Nestlé is currently trialling low-carb versions of Rolos and Kit Kats across Scotland – and other popular chocolate bars will follow.

New research revealed to the Sunday Herald shows that more than half of Britons have now experimented with a low-carbohydrate diet, explaining why companies are gearing up for a market onslaught of low-sugar, low-wheat products.

Low-carb products are a huge opportunity for food companies who can charge up to three times as much for reduced carb versions of foods such as chocolate, crisps and pasta.

The research, from Reuters Business Insight (RBI), reveals how far the low-carb diet has penetrated the UK, with 57% of UK consumers admitting to trying a low-carb diet. However, 32% of the survey sample admitted the average diet they tried lasted less than a week.

The study also highlighted that, of 513 British, European and American food and drink manufacturers, 25% were developing low-carb products as a priority. Of these, most said they would be launching such products “in the near future”.

At £1.89 for the Rolos, and 89p for a two-finger Kit Kat, brand manager Claire Hebron admits the products are not cheap.

“They are more expensive, because sugar substitute is three times more expensive than sugar. People will pay more for something that helps their lifestyle. In supermarkets we’ll be placing the Rolos and Kit Kats away from other confectionery because people on low-carb diets avoid the confectionery aisle like the plague – they will be sold alongside health foods.”

The cost to consumers of following a low-carb lifestyle, or becoming “carb-conscious” as nutrition experts call the phenomenon, is considerable. The average single person’s weekly shop costs £32.17. On the Atkins regime with specialist products and more meat and fish products than normal the bill tops £54.40.

RBI’s research shows that companies such as Nestlé, Unilever and Coca-Cola are increasingly looking at the opportunities low-carb can bring, even if development costs are high and it takes years to get new products on shelves.

Further findings from the research show that 63% of the companies are confident that the low-carb lifestyle is here to stay and will permanently alter the UK food industry. Almost two thirds (65%) believe supermarket chains should support low-carb lifestyles by stocking more reduced-carbohydrate products.

Professor David Hughes, an expert in food marketing at Imperial College London, believes consumers have to pay more to cover the costs of new products. “ Companies at the moment are using their research budgets to develop low-carb foods and just stay in the game. The major players like Kellogg’s, Campbell’s Soups and Unilever are all reconfiguring their products so that they have a low-carb element. These companies will suffer if they don’t.”

Hughes believes the trend will significantly change the way Britain eats: “ People in the UK have become carb- conscious about food, just as they are calorie and fat conscious.

“ In the West, adults put on about 1kg a year. In a month on Atkins, 10 years of moderate overeating can be reversed. It brings a whole new view to diets where eggs and cheese and meat can be eaten in high quantities.”

Market analysts Technomic have researched the low-carb trend for major American food retailers over the past 12 months. Bob Goldin, Technomic chief analyst, said companies were struggling to keep up with the trend.

“A year ago, a discussion about companies spending huge amounts of money to develop low-carb products would have been nuts, but food magnates are scrabbling to develop something low-carb for the market, and it’s costing a huge amount to do that. Companies don’t feel that they have an option – if they don’t have a low-carb product on the shelves then they will be accused of letting a major market trend pass them by.”

Supermarkets in the UK are slowly trialling more and more low-carb products. Waitrose has begun stocking Feeling OK products, a range of low-carb foods; Asda now stocks Atkins products; and Marks & Spencer has its own-brand products specially designated in “low-carb” packaging. Tesco is set to introduce labelling to reflect how many grams of carbs are in each product, and Sainsbury’s told the Sunday Herald it hasn’t ruled out a low-carb range.

Sean McAllister of The Grocer magazine said: “There are loads of products, like pork scratchings, getting rebranded to point out their low-carb content. By the end of the summer there will be a substantial number of new products in UK supermarkets.

“As a lifestyle, being carb-conscious is here to stay.”

Well, yes, people will pay more for what they percieve as being more healthy. Unfortunately, by placing them next to the health foods will legitimize them.

I'm not against having snacks, etc made LC. People have the right to try and capitalize on a trend. And people have the right to snack when and if they want. BUT, they should be in with the other candy, cookies, ice cream, etc....just like the rest of the reduced sugar, fat, and/or calorie foods!

great that we have a choice but its an expensive one!! Thortons have a diabetic range which uses sugar substuite an isnt that expensive!! far from it!

I've tried the Low-Carb Nestle Crunch once. It has 3.5g Net Carbs, but is made with Isomalt which plays wonders on my Guts. It just isn't worth the gastric effects or the 3.5g of Net Carbs. I prefer the Z-Carb bars which have <1g Net Carbs and are made with Erythritol instead. Erythritol doesn't negatively affect my guts like Isomalt, Maltitol, and Lactitol do. Plus, they're fortified with Calcium and Fiber. I like their Chocolate Covered Almonds. I suck the Chocolate off, which takes a while, then I eat the Almonds.

I've tried the bars made with erythritol, and while they do not cause diarrhea, they do make a lot of wind. What's up with that? I heard that it wasn't supposed to do that. I guess I'm really weird and have intestinal bugs that consume erythritol. I'm the only person on the planet with that problem, it seems.