Baking&Snack - February 2013 - 62

HEALTHY SNACKS

Put a label on it
Sometimes all a snack needs to take
advantage of the latest health trend is
a label. When it comes to gluten-free
and whole grain, many conventional
snacks can trumpet their natural
gluten-free or whole grain status.
Potato and tortilla chips should not
contain gluten since they are either
made from potatoes or corn. With
gluten-free and whole grains being
on consumers’ snacking radar, many
snack producers are simply stating
Products made with corn or
the obvious on the packaging.
potatoes naturally are gluten-free,
“Tortilla chips have always been
a fact snack companies can cash
gluten-free, practically speaking, but in on with little to no reformulation
have never been touted as such,
”
and touting it on the packaging.
Wyandot
said Dan McGrady, vice-president,
technical services, Wyandot, Inc., Marion, OH. “Now you’ll see
gluten-free listed as one of the key claims.
”
Frito-Lay, Inc., Plano, TX, saw the opportunity to ensure success with the growing number of shoppers looking for glutenfree snacks that required no reformulation on the part of the
processor. “We’re hearing from consumers that they are looking
for gluten-free options, and that’s a great opportunity for FritoLay because many of our snacks have always been made without gluten, said Danielle Dalheim, registered dietitian, Frito-Lay
”
North America. “So we started an initiative in the last few years
to start labeling appropriate products as gluten-free.
”

/ Baking & Snack / February 2013

and added sugar. “We have 12 or 15 different products in
our portfolio that fit that criteria, and all have great flavor,” said Steven Sklar, senior vice-president, Inventure
Foods. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but that’s where
putting the time into developing a product with full flavor and nutritional benefits pays off in the end.”

Riding the whole grain wave
In discussions about health and food, it is inevitable that
whole grains will come up. A wave of consumer fervor
for whole grain bread has been growing and swamping
white bread. A consumer survey by Mintel in September
2012 found that 62% of people preferred whole grain
taste to refined wheat. At the 2012 Whole Grains on
Every Plate conference, the Whole Grains Council reported that 7,600 products in 36 countries now carry the
Whole Grain Stamp, up from 5,000 products in 2011.
With dieticians recommending whole grains in the daily
diet and consumer tastes changing to favor whole grains,
adding them to healthy snacks seems like a win-win.
Frito-Lay developed its Smart Foods Select line as a
way to incorporate whole grains. These pop chips and
ready-to-eat popcorn products have 10 to 12 g of whole
grains per serving. The company also expanded its
healthy halo brand Sunchips with a 6 Grain Medley flavor this year. While a normal serving of Sunchips carries
18 g of whole grain per serving, the 6 Grain Medley delivers 21 g of whole grain per serving.
Ancient grains can provide a creative way to develop
a whole grain snack that appeals not only to aspirations
of healthy eating but also to consumers’ desire for ingredients they decide are clean or natural. Ancient grains

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