Restaurants, markets go Atkins crazy

Consumers' obsession with low-carb diets triggers new menus, new products on shelves

By Tenisha Mercer / The Detroit News

http://www.detnews.com/2004/health/...1/a01-77640.htm

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — David Blank is such a believer in the low-carb diet that helped him shed 60 pounds that he opened a store last month devoted to offering Atkins-friendly food.

He and his partner stocked the shelves with the accoutrements of the low-carb lifestyle — from chocolate bars to pancake mix to mashed potatoes. Customers came running, and three more stores are in the works.

The low-carb craze is taking hold nearly everywhere, from fast food restaurants to grocery shelves to the New York Times best-seller list.

Burger King grills up bunless burgers. Ruby Tuesday now offers mashed cauliflower and low-carb tortillas stuffed with hamburger and grilled chicken. Subway promotes its Atkins-friendly wraps.

Can a diet be more than a fad? Low-carb fans say yes. “This is a lifestyle,” Blank said.

More than 24 million American adults are thought to be on low-carbohydrate diets that restrict grains, sugars, fruits and starchy vegetables and allow Hungryman-size portions of meat, eggs and cheese, according to Cambridge, Mass.-based Opinion Dynamics Corp.

Food manufacturers and retailers, quick to see dollar signs, are slapping low-carb labels on as many foods as possible, including those not traditionally thought of as diet foods: Bob Evans sausage and Planter’s Peanuts. Convenience stores are devoting much shelf space to jerky and Slim Jims, a favorite snack for low-carb dieters.

The big winners are meat producers. Even a mad cow scare couldn’t derail beef sales for long. But sales of bread and orange juice have plummeted as consumers shy away from carb-laden items. Orange juice’s per capita consumption has fallen 23 percent since 1998, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The $11 billion-a-year bread industry estimates that 40 percent of Americans ate less bread last year.

The sea of change convinced Breadsmith bakery in Grosse Pointe Woods earlier this month to begin offering carb-reduced multigrain, wheat and cinnamon raisin breads after the store’s sales slipped 20 percent.

“We are definitely seeing new customers,” said Brian Freshwater, co-owner of the bakery. “It’s kind of funny. You see people come in and buy cinnamon rolls and a reduced carb bread.”

The food industry can’t afford to ignore the dieting impact.

The low-carb market is worth an estimated $100 million, said Gus Valen, CEO of The Valen Group, a consulting firm in Cincinnati.

“From a mainstream marketing perspective, it wasn’t even a blip on the radar screen five years ago,” said Valen, whose clients include food, retail and consumer goods companies. “Today, everyone is evaluating whether to do something low-carb. Consumers want this, and mainstream retailers are playing catch-up.”

Grocery shelves now stock low-carb Lawry’s steak sauce, Coors beer and Russell Stover mint patties. Major grocery chains such as Kroger and Farmer Jack also carry low-carb items.

“It’s a realignment of products that are already out there,” said Laurie Kuntz, CEO of LowCarbiz, a weekly online newsletter and quarterly print publication with 1,000 subscribers in Denver. Products “that have always been low-carb are redesigning labels so the consumer can say, ‘Oh, that has 2 grams of carbs.’ There has (never) been carbs in pickles, but how many people know that? It’s exploding, and everybody is jumping into this.”

Low-carb regimens aren’t new. The first such diet was introduced in the early 1800s. Dr. Robert Atkins’ diet debuted in the 1970s, but it has gained mainstream acceptance only in recent years.

So many customers kept asking about low-carb foods that Village Food Market in Grosse Pointe Farms began carrying Atkins products three months ago and just last month set up a whole section of such food.

“We try to keep up with the times and bring in things customers request,” said co-owner Van Karibian, as he stood in front of aisles loaded with several brands of low-carb pasta, salad dressings, shakes, breakfast bars and mayonnaise.

David Blank, along with co-owner Mike Kapuscinski, opened the 1,400-square-foot Low Carb Warehouse last month in a strip center on Orchard Lake Road near Pontiac Trail. They plan to open stores in Saginaw, Lansing and Commerce Township this year.

Customers Milton and Pam Mahoney of West Bloomfield Township say they’ve lost 50 pounds between them on the Atkins diet. They loaded up with $35 worth of tortillas, lawash, caramel rolls, pizza and muffin mix.

“Kroger and Farmer Jack have some items, but you won’t find candy and the important stuff you crave,” said Pam Mahoney, 38. “The idea of having it all under one place is great.”

The posh Rattlesnake Club in Detroit was one of the first upscale restaurants in the area to promote low-carb food, offering a special four-course menu two years ago.

Fried shrimp dipped in protein batter, Ahi tuna coated with sesame seeds, and a chocolate swirl cheesecake made with a sugar substitute and carb-free cookie crust have helped low-carb items become 30 percent of food ordered at the restaurant, said owner Jimmy Schmidt.

“It’s a certain amount of trendiness to it,” said Schmidt, who helped create Atkins chocolate bars and nut chews that he produces along with a St. Clair Shores company. “But I think it’s here to stay. More people eat out than ever before, and we need to give people food to maintain their health, rather than acting like it’s just their problem and cooking whatever we want.”

Food industry analysts are divided on the staying power of the latest diet craze. The cabbage soup, liquid and grapefruit diets are but a distant memory. The low and no-fat products were in just a few years ago.

“This, too, will run its course, but companies are going to capitalize on it,” said Marilyn Raymond, managing director of Ann Arbor-based New Product Works, which develops products for the grocery industry.

Said Valen: “This would be the first time in history that a diet has not become a fad. Right now, (food manufacturers) are sitting on the edge of their seats, saying do we jump in this or do we not? Whether this is just a fad really won’t be known for another year.”

You can reach Tenisha Mercer at (313) 222-2401 or tmercer~detnews.com.

I think this is about the first article I've heard acknowledge this!