The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that marketers increasingly looking at the number “100” as a kind of line of demarcation for weight-conscious consumers.
No, it doesn’t mean that there is an enormous number of people out there that want to lose 100 pounds. (Though this certainly may be the case.) It does mean that marketers believe that “100 calories” is a kind of magic number for people looking to choose products that won’t add to their girth, or at least won’t add to their sense of guilt.
Kraft Foods started the trend by introducing packages of 100-calorie Packs, with low-calorie versions of Cheese Nips, Wheat Thins and Oreos. Procter & Gamble got into the act with 100-calorie pouches of reduced-calorie Pringles potato chips.
And now, according to the Journal-Constitution, Coca-Cola is jumping on the bandwagon by selling its flagship brand in eight-ounce cans and saying that they have only 100 calories.
No, it doesn’t mean that there is an enormous number of people out there that want to lose 100 pounds. (Though this certainly may be the case.) It does mean that marketers believe that “100 calories” is a kind of magic number for people looking to choose products that won’t add to their girth, or at least won’t add to their sense of guilt.
Kraft Foods started the trend by introducing packages of 100-calorie Packs, with low-calorie versions of Cheese Nips, Wheat Thins and Oreos. Procter & Gamble got into the act with 100-calorie pouches of reduced-calorie Pringles potato chips.
And now, according to the Journal-Constitution, Coca-Cola is jumping on the bandwagon by selling its flagship brand in eight-ounce cans and saying that they have only 100 calories.
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Essentially, this is portion control for people who can’t control their own portions.
The problem, of course, is that there probably are a plenty of folks who eat three or four of the 100-calorie packs, or will drink a sick-pack of the mini-Cokes, which sort of defeats the purpose.
Which is why we couldn’t drink the eight-ounce cans – it just simply isn’t enough liquid to satisfy our thirst.
