So, the coupons and adverts for the annual "It's New Years, time to diet" extravaganza are here.
Two trends:
1. We're in the second year of "low carb everything you can think of". Kraft is betting a lot that low-carb craze will stick around for at least one more year in the mid-section of the US vs the coasts. It already looks like both coasts are moving away from low-carb for low-carb's sake.
It doesn't appear clear whether the coasts are moving towards "appropriate carbs", ala the South Beach Diet, or just a melange of diet stuffage while things sort themselves out.
I'd like to see the best of these products kept alive, as much for all my diabetic friends, who are enjoying the side-effects of the low-carb diet interest as anyone. And there is a significant type II diabetic population out there who can use the low-carb products as well. Trouble is, controlling your blood sugar isn't nearly as sexy as losing weight. Go deal....
2. Portion Control--the 100 kcal packages of treats have expanded into new products. This is Nabisco's gambit. Note that Nabisco is now a part of the Kraft Food conglomerate. However, there isn't enough upside on 100 cal snack packs to cover for all the "CarbWell" Kraftiness if it crashes and burns. If the movement is towards total calories, it will make for a nice transition point while Kraft either ditches the low-carb, or reformulates appropriately.
The Slim-fast people have decided to get on the Opti/Nutri-fast bandwagon. If they're going to do that, all they need to do is make sure that their product tastes marginally better than either of the "professional" products. I haven't tasted any of these, but I've been told by my Osteopath (who's also a bariatric physician) that the stuff you have to buy through your Doctor tastes amazingly nasty. In any case, someone who does the meal replacement will have to deal with how to do maintnenance with real food, which, after dealing with the sheer boredom of the diet, is definitely the "oh no" moment.
But not a lot new under the sun this year. More of the same products--just more of those products.
Next year might be very interesting as the market does its shift. And if you're particularly enraptured with a low-carb product, I'd suggest you keep a good stock of it--you may find out that it's been pulled from the market as the interest drops.
Posted by lsefton at January 1, 2005 11:16 PM