Candy companies are responding to consumer cries for healthier foods and smaller portion sizes.
More than a dozen candy companies including Mars, Nestle, Ferrara, Lindt & Sprungli and Ferrero Rocher, promised the Partnership for a Healthier America, a foundation chaired by former first lady Michelle Obama, to reduce the size of 50 percent of their products to less than 200 calories by 2022, reported The Washington Post.
As part of the initiative, the companies also agreed to include front-of-package nutrition information for no less than 90 percent of their products.
“It’s a big commitment, and a big shift,” John Downs, chief executive of the National Confectioners Association told The Washington Post. But, he added, “obviously there’s an important and ongoing conversation around sugar in the U.S., and around the world … and our industry has been discussing how we can be a productive part of that conversation.”
About 30 percent of American candies have already been adjusted in size or content to create healthier portions. Single packages of Snickers, Skittles and Butterfinger already have less than 200 calories.
The initiative will also see smaller candy bars at checkout aisles and more water at gas stations, among other things.
For more, visit The Washington Post.
