Guilt-free snacking through packaging

Guilt-free snacking through packaging
If you're anything like me, you'll have spent the last couple of days overindulging on chocolate. And if you're anything like me again, today heralds a new start to your New Year diet, which suffered over the Easter weekend.
 
More exercise? Tick. More vegetables? Tick. More crisps and popcorn to snack on? Tick.
 
The last point may seem an odd one to include in a diet plan, but popcorn is a common feature in many diet food ranges as are crisps, if baked and not fried, which are marketed as a relatively healthy snack option to keep more calorie-laden treats at bay. Many crisp manufacturers offer baked options as healthy alternatives to their traditional products.
 
UK retail stalwart Marks and Spencer (M&S) includes such products in its guilt free snacking range.
 
M&S says it has launched a range of sweet and savory portion-controlled snacks that don't compromise on taste and quality but are all less than 150 calories. Designed to offer a snack option for those on a calorie-controlled diet, it includes crisps, popcorn, cakes and other treats.
 
The whole series of guilt free snacking products comes in printed packaging that belies the low-calorie intent of the foodstuffs within.
 
Presented in both folding cartons and flexibles, the guilt free snacking packaging uses printing and finishing to give the products a more luxurious feel, which is something not often associated with dieting, while the overall matte appearance of the packaging keeps it understated.
 
It's a colorful range too, but using a softer palette to differentiate between the products.
 
To complete the look, each pack design features a stylized hand encroaching from the right and picking up a snack with its fingertips, whether a piece of popcorn, a Rocky Road Cluster or a mini flavored focaccia slice.
 
While the use of indulgent ingredients, such as Belgian white chocolate, in small quantities no doubt helps, the first bite is with the eye as the saying goes, and the M&S packaging goes a long way in making guilt-free snacking taste that little bit better.
 
 
David Pittman

David Pittman

  • Former deputy editor