- NEW YORK (Reuters) -- So
much for the low-carbohydrate lifestyle.
-
- More than half of all U.S. consumers that have tried
following diets that eschew carbs such as bread and sugar have given up,
a survey released on Wednesday found, and interest in the popular regimens
appears to have plateaued.
-
- According to research firm InsightExpress, which conducted
the survey online, fewer than 10 percent of Americans are currently on
popular low-carbohydrate diets such as the Atkins, South Beach and The
Zone.
-
- In contrast, a survey conducted in December of last year
by Opinion Dynamics Corporation found that, at the time, 11 percent of
Americans were on low-carb diets.
-
- The latest InsightExpress poll of 500 Americans also
found that of survey participants who were not following low-carb diets,
fewer than one in five would consider buying a low-carb product because
they perceive a diet low in carbs to be unhealthy.
-
- That's unwelcome news for U.S. food companies such as
H.J. Heinz Co. and General Mills Inc. that have scrambled in the past year
to keep up with the low-carb trend by reformulating staples such as ketchup,
cereal and yogurt to reduce their carbohydrate content.
-
- In fact, Legg Mason beverage analyst Mark Swartzberg
said on Wednesday that sales of mid-calorie colas recently introduced by
both PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. "are either slow builds or something
closer to dead on arrival."
-
- In a research note, Swartzberg said the findings were
based on feedback from 51 U.S. retailers who had devoted shelf space to
Coke's C2 and Pepsi's Pepsi Edge colas. The products, launched in June,
were intended to appeal to calorie- and carb-wary consumers, reducing the
sugar by adding Splenda, an alternative sweetener.
-
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