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By Jane Han
NEW YORK — Goodbye supersizing, hello downsizing?
American food, known for large portions, may perhaps be inching toward the smaller end of the scale as the nation grapples with obesity.
Taking one of the first steps is Mars, the maker of Snickers, Twix and M&Ms.
The company promised last week that it would stop selling chocolates that have more than 250 calories by the end of next year.
This means chocolate bars will become smaller and thinner.
Regular size snacks like Snickers and Twix will shake off about 30 calories from the current 280, while the 510-calorie king size bars will become history.
“We are aware of the high levels of obesity, heart disease and diabetes in some regions where we operate, and we are taking steps to enhance the nutritional content of our snacks,” the company said in a statement. “We are renovating our chocolate products to reduce saturated fats and decrease calories per serving.”
Other makers of snacks like Oreos, Ritz and Pringles are trying hard to appeal to health-conscious eaters by offering new variations to the increasingly popular 100-calorie packs.
“This market of healthy eaters is growing fast,” says Robert Irwin, consultant at Consumer Insight, a marketing agency. “Americans are realizing more and more that they must manage their weight, so these so-called portion control products are really keeping them in check.”
The desire to buy small, rather than big, even at restaurants was recently proven in one study.
Researchers from various universities set up a study at a fast food Chinese restaurant, where patrons were given the option to “downsize” their side dishes to a smaller portion.
It turned out as many as a third of diners said they would happily eat less.
“Overall, those who accepted smaller portions did not compensate by ordering more calories in their entrees,” researchers wrote in the study, published in the journal Health Affairs.
The study was done as a way to find an alternative to displaying calorie counts on menus, which hasn’t been evaluated as successful in getting people to cut back.
Health experts say the latest study shows that diners are ready to eat less food, so it’s now time for fast food chains to take action.
“Americans need to get out of this supersizing mode. Upgrading that burger and fries to a large size might feel good now, but it’s going to hurt later,” says Alyssa Newman, a nutritionist and health writer.
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