*
Some pizza owners have introduced into their menus the low-carb pizza,
inventing new dough recipes: Donatos Pizzeria from Columbus, Ohio makes a
pizza dough of soy protein and other ingredients and it is said to be
very tasty too. Others just offer "pizza in a bucket" - no dough at all,
only the topping ingredients (Escondido, California, Pit Stop Pasta).
* Doughnut producers have been experiencing serious inconvenience - The New York company, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. has registered a serious decrease in sales that diminished its quarterly profit by more than half and lowered 17 percent of the value of its stock. It plans a change in menu - offering sugar-free, low-fat products.
* Bakeries are at a pinch. George Weston Ltd. has halted the production of an Entenmann's baked goods factory in Northlake, Illinois in the process of cutting costs. The company produced bagels, pastry and other goods. The flat-bread maker Damascus Bakeries substituted the flour with grains such as flax, soy and added oat fiber. Healthy sandwich roll-ups with reduced amount of carbs resulted and a high fiber content.
* Citrus producers introduce low-carb drinks. Florida is the second world oranges producer after Brazil and most of the production is transformed into juice. With the South Beach Diet book advising people against the consumption of orange juice because of its high fructose levels, the State Department of Citrus, Florida's $9 billion industry, has every reason to be concerned. The consumption had a noticeable drop since these diets reached a critical mass. The state Department of Citrus tries to direct its marketing strategy to convince consumers that orange juice can be compatible with dieting and to emphasize its benefits for health. The introduction of low-carb drinks will cause wholesale prices to rise.
* Even chips producers find a way out of the "diet situation": Jays Foods LLC has created "Sweet Baby Jays" - chips made from sweet potatoes which are South Beach diet friendly. Strategically, they also raised the prices, as a healthy item is a costly one! And it seems that this strategy works!
* Kraft Foods Inc. has already created South Beach Diet friendly products and has come to an agreement with Dr. Agatston to use the South Beach Diet trademark to promote them. In 2003, Kraft had already begun its campaign for encouraging healthier lifestyles, offering the consumers low-calorie, reduced carbs products.
Beer producers try
hard to regain the lost ground because of the diet's claim that the beer
contains carbohydrates, its consumption leading to "beer bellies".
Important beer producers such as Anheuser-Busch Inc. say that this
theory is inaccurate and sustain that all beer is "low-carb" being thus
suitable for the diet. They have launched ad campaigns urging people to
"Have a Beer With Your South Beach Diet". On the other hand, companies
that have as business object poultry, meat and fish trade and those that
process dairy products have increased their profit lately:
* It
seems that the US chicken industry has benefited more than the beef or
pork industries. In the top of preferences, poultry comes first,
followed by beef and pork. The sales of beef also boasted significantly
and the variety of the products offered for sale increased accordingly.
* Fish industry is certainly favored by the South Beach Diet, but apparently seafood is friendly to all diets.
*
Another boost in sales was registered by the producers of "Laughing
Cow" cheese, warmly recommended during the diet. The demand has reached
as far as to surpass the power of supply.
The low-carb diets seem
to gain more and more ground and their influence spreads faster and
stronger than anything the food industry has ever seen and probably on a
long-term basis too. Food-consciousness has acquired new meanings
together with the power of leading businesses towards success if
adopting the latest nutritional directions, or towards failure if not
responding to the market demand.
