The lunchbox battle is common territory for many parents aiming to strike a balance between healthy options and children’s pleas for the packaged snack ‘du jour’. Aiming to help families make better choices, Choice Australia set out to analyse over 260 snack foods available on supermarket shelves.
Choice’s analysis was based on calculating the proposed new front of pack Health Star Rating system – based on the kilojoules, saturated fat, sugars, sodium, protein and fibre in 100 grams or mL of the product, and its fruit, vegetable, nut or legume content.
Choice’s Miranda Herron says the results were “underwhelming”, with only three of the 260 products producing five star results – two of which were Tucker’s Natural Snack Bites varieties, part of the range of nine ‘Everyday Smart Snack’ products launched in late 2013.
Tucker’s Natural Onion & Cheddar Snack Bites and Chilli Snack Bites (also available in Quinoa and Supergrain varieties) were both awarded a five-star Health Star Rating, and according to Choice were the only items from the Savoury Crunchy Snacks category of the study to do so, with most of the 36 products coming in between one-half and two starred-ratings.
“The Choice findings are a fantastic acknowledgement – we’re extremely proud of our Everyday Smart Snack range,” says Tucker’s Natural Managing Director Sam Tucker.
“We know health and nutrition are important factors for our customers as well as transparency about the source and quality of ingredients in the foods they are giving to their families and eating themselves,” Sam adds.
“But healthier options won’t out-sell flavour as a determining factor,” he said. “We all want great flavour in everything we eat – if it’s not there, then most of us will end up choosing the less healthy, flavoursome option.”
“I originally created the Snack Bites and our wider Everyday Smart Snack range because I couldn’t find suitable lunchbox options for my three young boys – I really wanted a snack for them that provided them with tangible nutritional benefits and was tasty enough that they would eat the whole portion.”
“We’ve since had overwhelming consumer feedback that both children and adults alike are enjoying our Smart Snack range –a shift towards healthier snacking options can only be good for us all and our products make this an easy, convenient and tasty way to do this.”
Tucker’s Natural is a South Australian family-owned food business. Further information on the Choice study can be found at http://ow.ly/yn3VB.
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