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Small is Big Today
The nation that invented SuperSizing, the Big Gulp and the Whopper may be having a change of heart—and
possibly waistlines. An emerging trend in food marketing is small portions—downsized packages of product that travel easily and contain fewer calories than traditional formats.
Like baby carrots? Earthbound Farms now makes a 2-oz. mini-pack in addition to their 12-oz. family pack. Crave candy? Confectioners offer more bite-sized versions,
individually wrapped, that make it easier for consumers to indulge a sweet tooth (relatively) guilt-free. Kraft Foods has begun selling 100-calorie packages of its
Chips Ahoy!, Ritz Crackers, Wheat Thins and other
leading brands.
Sales of these mini-packs are brisk, with Kraft taking in $75 million since introducing its 100-calorie line last summer. Different factors appear to be driving the trend, but the main consumer hot buttons seem to be: I want it healthy, I want it delicious—and I want it now.
From Big Mac to Small Bites
Other cultures have long enjoyed a “nibbling” tradition. Think of Spanish tapas, Chinese dim sum or Japanese sushi—tasty, quick morsels that can be a snack or
light meal.
Americans are taking this concept and putting it on
the road.
“Snack foods are now considered meals,” registered dietician and food nutrition advisor for Giant Eagle grocery stores Judy Dodd told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in March 2004. “People are looking for the quick and easy: the grabable, packable, fits-in-the-soccer-bag snack that doesn’t require refrigeration.”
The $38.6 billion U.S. snack industry has responded by offering a greater variety of foods in small, recloseable, often rigid packages (think single-serve milk “Chugs”) that fit into a backpack or cupholder. Remember when Mom warned against “between-meal snacks?” Now Mom is driving with one hand and feeding Junior ready-to-eat apple slices out of a re-sealable bag with the other.
Pre-Packaged Will Power
But if Americans are doing more “dashboard dining,” they still expect their mini-meals to deliver full flavor, nutrition and convenience. Aware that one in three Americans today is overweight and one in five is obese, many consumers are motivated to make healthier food choices and curb calories, even as they snack.
Food companies wanting to offer healthy options to leverage this trend have discovered portion control. Some are offering lower-calorie versions of their product, like Procter & Gamble’s 100-calorie packages of reduced-fat Pringles. But others are pursuing a simpler option—
dishing up non-diet product in smaller servings. That’s because, while diet trends abound, there’s one thing
obesity experts agree upon: To weigh less, eat less.
“For consumers, knowing what to eat and how much
to eat is incredibly confusing,” said Nicholas O. Hahn,
a consultant to the food industry, in a May New
York Times article. “So having portion-controlled
products helps.”
Going for Satisfaction
There’s one more reason why small may be beautiful—satisfaction. Single-serve portions can enjoy greater
quality control, delivering fresher flavor and texture
than a multi-serving bag that’s been open a while.
Kathy Parker, a senior business director at Kraft, has noted the broad appeal of the 100-calorie packages, assuming it extends beyond those just watching their weight.
Whatever the drivers, small portions marketing seems to “have legs.” One thing’s for sure. There’s something great about being able to say, “I ate the whole thing” without then having to say, “Oops.”
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