Snackwell's
Snackwell's hit supermarket shelves in 1992. The company advertised its cookies as "low-fat" and "better-for-you" at a time when some health experts told consumers that avoiding high-fat foods and staying thin were health ideals, The Takeout reported.
Snackwell's sales ballooned, and by 1995, the cookies brought in $490 million for parent company Nabisco, the New York Times reported at the time. The brand also helped popularize "lite" versions of other snacks, including smaller packages of chips.
But public health experts have since pointed out that low-calorie foods can be a red herring for people trying to eat healthy. "They mistakenly believe that it's okay to devour mass quantities of 'light' chips or cookies, negating the intended calorie savings" compared to eating regular versions of those foods, Consumer Reports said in 2009.
The phenomenon even has a name: the Snackwell's Effect, Consumer Reports said.
In 2022, the brand posted a message to its website saying that the Snackwell's brand "has been retired."
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