NEW YORK — Snack maker Kind on Nov. 4 unveiled plans to reduce added sugar across its original Fruit & Nut bar portfolio. The effort, which started in late 2014, is part of Kind’s brand promise to offer “wholesome and tasty snack choices.”
Beginning in the spring of 2016, Kind said it will introduce select Kind Fruit & Nut bars like apple cinnamon and pecan, and almonds and apricots in yogurt, with between 15% and 50% less added sugar than they currently contain. In all, the recipe update will affect seven flavors across Kind’s Fruit & Nut bar portfolio, the company said.
Kind said it will accomplish the sugar reduction by identifying ways to lower sugar without compromising taste, such as swapping sweetened fruit with unsweetened fruit and reducing added sugar in certain ingredients like yogurt coatings.
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| Daniel Lubetzky, founder and c.e.o. of Kind |
“At Kind we’re constantly challenging ourselves to do better,” said Daniel Lubetzky, founder and chief executive officer of Kind. “Last year our team revisited the line that started it all for Kind, our Fruit & Nut bars, looking for ways to keep improving on a snack that was already packed with wholesome, delicious ingredients. I’m so proud of our team. For us, this is much more than a recipe update, it’s about honoring our history and continuing to fulfill our brand promise of making snacks that are both nutritious and great-tasting.”
Kind Fruit & Nut bars were introduced in 2004. The product’s No. 1 ingredient is nuts, and the bars have a low-glycemic index, according to Kind.
The initiative to lower the added sugar in Kind Fruit & Nut bars is the company’s latest in an ongoing effort to create snacks that are both wholesome and delicious. In 2012, Kind introduced Kind Nuts & Spices, whole nut snack bars flavored with spices and containing 5 grams or less of sugar, which is 50% less sugar per bar compared to the average nutrition bar. In 2014, Kind debuted Strong & Kind, a snack line featuring 10 grams of protein and containing no more than 6 grams of sugar per bar. Also in 2014, the company expanded its line of Kind Healthy Grains Clusters, adding two options with 6 grams or less of sugar.
Kind also is active in public health policy. This includes supporting a proposal from the Food and Drug Administration to include added sugars on the Nutrition Facts Panel, which would make easier for people to understand the amount of added sugar in the foods they eat, according to Kind.
