SnackWell's was a brand of foods introduced in 1992. Its products used to include fat-free
cookies
A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chi ...
of a variety of flavors including
creme,
shortbread
Shortbread or shortie is a traditional Scottish biscuit usually made from one part white sugar, two parts butter, and three to four parts plain wheat flour. Unlike many other biscuits and baked goods, shortbread does not contain any leavening, ...
, and
devil's food cake
Devil's food cake is a moist, rich chocolate layer cake. It is considered a counterpart to the white or yellow angel food cake. Because of differing recipes and changing ingredient availability over the 20th century, it is difficult to precisely ...
. Previously a
Nabisco
Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International.
Nabisco's ...
brand, it was later sold to
Back to Nature Foods. In 2022, B&G Foods discontinued the SnackWell's brand.
History
Under Nabisco
SnackWell's products were marketed as fat-free and thus healthier snacks, as the U.S. dietary guidelines of the early 1990s advocated a reduction in the consumption of fats. In an ironic and unintended consequence, SnackWell's products were an example of foods that had a higher carbohydrate count and were later cited as a likely contributor to the obesity epidemic of the 1990s and beyond.
The
Snackwell Effect was named for the tendency to consume greater quantities of an item or service deemed morally superior, such as a putatively healthier cookie, or more energy-efficient lighting.
SnackWells were developed by Nabisco's principal
food scientist
Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the development ...
,
Sam Porcello
Samuel J. Porcello (May 23, 1935Samuel J Porcello in Toms River, New Jersey; ''U.S. Public Records Index'' – May 12, 2012) was an American food scientist who worked at Nabisco for 34 years. He is particularly noted for his work on the modern Oreo ...
.
Back to Nature
SnackWell's branded products were made by Back to Nature Foods in
Naples, Florida
Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the historical city (i.e. in the immediate vicinity of downtown Naples) was 19,115. Naples is a principal city of the Naples-Marco Island, Flori ...
. In
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, SnackWell's potato chips and crackers were available.
In August 2017, it was reported that
B&G Foods Inc. had agreed to buy SnackWells cookies and Back to Nature granola for $162.5 million. As of May 2019, SnackWells Devil's Food Cookie Cakes were no longer "fat free" as they contained 3 grams of fat per serving and they were advertised as having an improved formula.
See also
*
SnackWell effect
References
External links
*
Brand name cookies
Nabisco brands
Products introduced in 1992
Products and services discontinued in 2022
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