First Psychedelic Ketchup, Now Its “Funky Fries”
Beginning in May, H.J. Heinz Co., Pittsburgh will ship a new line of Ore-Ida frozen
potato products called “Funky Fries.” Five new shapes, colors and flavors, intended
to give kids even more say over their parents’ grocery store lists, will be featured,
reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
New flavors include sour cream and chives, cinnamon-and-sugar “Cinna-Stiks,”
“Crunchy Rings,” “Kool Blue,” a sky blue, seasoned french fry, and “Cocoa Crispers,”
designed “for kids with a sweet tooth.”
Moderator Comment: Food marketers are targeting the sweet tooth of today’s
young consumer with great success. Are they fully capitalizing on the opportunity
offered by the market for healthy foods for children at the same time?
Talk about your timing. Just a couple of days ago there
was a 60 Minutes report about the sad physical shape that American children
are in. A number of nutritionists interviewed for the program placed the blame
for increases in obesity and type 2 diabetes squarely on fast foods in the typical
kid’s diet. Seems to us that they could have easily put the blame on anyone
of the various electronic games that keep kids firmly anchored to living room
chairs for hours on end. Better yet, they could have spoken to the issue of
parental responsibility, which is where the issue of a child’s health really
belongs. [George
Anderson – Moderator]