Kind Snacks nudges consumers away from its bars toward fresh fruit and nuts
24 Feb 2022 --- Healthy snacking company Kind Snacks is calling on US consumers to eat fresh foods instead of packaged foods – including its own bars. The initiative celebrates National Nutrition Month by educating consumers on the importance of eating optimally nutritious foods, placing snacks as a runner-up option.
“There’s a time and place for eating a Kind bar, but we believe it should never replace eating the whole, fresh foods that are essential to staying healthy,” says Russell Stokes, CEO at Kind.
This push toward fruits and nuts comes as Spanish researchers uncover positive health conditions associated with eating nuts in various forms.
Pulling out the fresh fruit stops
Kind will stop selling its packaged snacks online on March 1 and 2 to kick off the campaign. Instead, it will encourage consumers to purchase its new limited-time offering – the Kind Whole Fruit and Nut Box. The box is filled with fruit, raw nuts and seeds.
The Secret Kind Farmers Market was installed to give consumers a surprise option to eat fresh foods over packaged snacks.The company also unveiled a faux Kind bar-filled vending machine in New York City. Upon “purchase” of one of its snacks, the machine opens and transports shoppers into the Secret Kind Farmers Market. There they can fill their baskets free of charge with fresh, whole produce like fruits and vegetables.
“According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, only about 12% of US adults are eating enough fruits and vegetables,” says Sammi Brondo, registered dietitian and Kind spokesperson.
“Instead, they are relying on easy, convenience foods that usually don’t contain the same, important nutrients as fresh produce.”
Bars an easy medium for nuts?
Meanwhile, a separate study has linked lower nut consumption with a 19% higher prevalence of abdominal obesity in older adults.
It was also linked to a 61% higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome compared to consumption of more than three nut servings per week.
Researchers further found that the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia – high amounts of fatty triglycerides – was lower in individuals who consumed more than three servings of nuts per week (21.8%) compared to those who consumed less.
The study was conducted on 264 individuals aged 71.9 years on average.
Health at the forefront
This isn’t the first time Kind has publicly pulled its products in the name of health. In 2019, the company removed its Fruit Bites line from shelves in a statement against synthetic dyes.
Meanwhile, studies have found an array of positive health benefits associated with increased nut consumption, ranging from heart health to sperm production.
By Missy Green
