New low-carb products add weight to fat debate

LowCarb Destination's approach is to introduce a twice-monthly service, where customers can query the director of nutrition for the store. The store's exercise expert will also offer a regular schedule of fitness classes, held in the store.

LowCarb Destination intends to sell low carb versions of traditional foods and also carries gourmet foods to fit a low carb lifestyle. Their new store opened on April 2.

The opening of LowCarb destination comes after Beverly Hills- based Pure Foods opened low carb retail stores in Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, with 20 southern and northern California locations scheduled to open by 2005.

The company has also already opened Pure Foods Low Carb Cafes in Southern California and are finalising plans to open nine low carb cafes later in the year. Pure Foods said that its line of low carb cheesecakes, introduced last week, has seen a 300 per cent increase in orders.

In the current climate the American food industry has responded with low carb products that offer a more balanced approach to dieting, such as raising fibre and protein content while reducing carb content.

A low carb, higher-protein cereal that offers the nutrition and taste of traditional cereals has been introduced nationwide to the US public. Total Protein is a vitamin-rich cereal for those following a low carb lifestyle.

With 100 per cent of the daily value of 11 vitamins and minerals, only eight grams of net carbs, the cereal fits in with nearly 70 per cent of consumers following a low carb lifestyle, claims the company.

Peggy Stang, marketing manager for Total Protein at General Mills said:"We have introduced a cereal that gives consumers the important nutrients they may be missing with popular low carb diets."​

The low carb market is expanding rapidly outgrowing the label of being a niche category. These products are not only attractive to the consumers who are required to remain on carb-restricted diets (diabetics and weight loss candidates), but to millions in the mass market who are taken by the purported health benefits of a reduced carbohydrate diet.

California-based Young Generation Nutrition announced the launch of Kidz bar, a nutritious snack specifically with kids in mind. The bar contains no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives, 4 grams of sugar carbs, 8 grams of protein and contains no less than 18 vitamins and minerals.

Stephan Hartl, Young Generation Nutrition's chief operating officer said: "Children now get 25 per cent of their caloric intake from snack foods. The complete kidz bar is our part of the solution to make children's diets more healthy."​

In the last year the presence of low carb products has increased ten-fold as the food titans increase their entries onto the market. However, recent polls suggest there is room for all. A Harris Interactive for Novartis Consumer Health found an estimated 32 million Americans were on high-protein, low carb diets.

Domestic market sales as a result of the low carb fad have been greatly affected. Figures from ACNielsen's tracker for carb-rich fresh potatoes shows a decline in dollar sales. Eggs and bacon - both protein-rich foods favoured by Atkins followers - are both showing much stronger dollar sales growth. The ample servings of proteins demanded by the diet is said to have boosted demand for US beef prior to the mad cow scare.

Reuters reported that Brazil's orange juice exports to the United States are shrinking in part because of the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets.

Most of the leading food makers, from Unilever to Frito-Lay, have launched products to meet this consumer demand.