A few years ago, after losing his hoard of Halloween candy (confiscated by his Dad), a thirteen year old named Nicky did some research online to prove to his dad that candy isn’t so bad. He discovered that his dad was right (for once).
It’s not that Nicky thought candy was healthy. It’s that he didn’t know how bad it really was. What Nicky learned was that the worst parts of candy (like hydrogenated oils, corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives) aren’t there to make it taste good. They’re there to make it cheaper to produce.
Nicky had a hunch that without the junk, candy could taste better. With the help of his older brother Kris, and his dad, they set out to prove it. This led to considerable, international research, experimentation and testing. Working with an innovative Spanish chef, they invented candy without the junk, and with more protein, cacao, fiber and caramel. Even the dyes used to color the candy are natural.
This company has a mission much bigger than just selling candy. It wants to have an impact on some very troubling trends in nutrition and public health in rich countries. Young people in the United States, for example, are estimated to get as much as half their calories from junk food and beverages. Teens consume an average of 24 teaspoons of corn syrup per day. This trend may be related to projections that by 2020, 40 percent of Americans will be clinically obese and half will be diabetic or pre-diabetic.
* I haven't tasted this stuff yet, but it's sold in ordinary stores, like CVS, Staples, even Target. You can bet I'll try it out before Halloween. I think I'll start with the peanut butter cups.
Most of the information above is taken from the Unreal's website or this blog post and video from Bill Gates (he's an investor) plugging the new candy.
Innovation is sweet.
No comments:
Post a Comment