Tired of low fat foods? Sara Lee Corporation is betting you'll like its new Calzone Creations microwavable sandwiches with as much as 12 grams of artery-clogging saturated fat, 60 percent of the recommended daily intake for an average person.
If you get hungry before dinner, there's now a cheesecake snack bar that Kraft Foods says will make the confection an "everyday indulgence". With Americans worrying less about fat and calories these days, food makers are rolling out a raft of fat-laden, calorie-packed new products at the supermarket industry's annual trade show. Among the other new goodies: Oscar Meyer Lunchables sweet rolls that the kids can carry to school for recess and single-serving packs of dip from Dean Foods that people can take to the office to make those carrots and other veggies go down easier. And there are new versions of Nestle's Power Bar, a staple of long-distance runners, which are essentially vitamin-fortified candy bars, with up to eight times as much saturated fat as the original.
Industry research indicates consumer concern about fat has been falling in recent years, even as food makers have struggled to market low-fat products. Among supermarket shoppers who say they are very concerned about nutrition, just 46 percent of consumers say they are worried about the fat content. That's down from 60 percent in 1996, according to a poll sponsored by the U.S. Food Marketing Institute, the supermarket industry trade group. Interest in sodium content and cholesterol levels also is down. Looks like I still have my work cut out for me!
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