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Greggs, the baker famous for its butter-laden steak bakes and creamy chicken slices is introducing a range of low-fat "healthy" pasties as it tries to keep up with increasingly calorie-conscious customers.
The new healthy snacks, which shun the indulgent greasiness of flaky pastry for a more heart-friendly sourdough will hit the shelves tomorrow and come with a choice of chicken katsu or bombay potato filling. The pasties contain 9g of fat and less than 300 calories, compared to 33g of fat and over 500 calories in their traditional beef and vegetable counterpart.
Earlier this year, Greggs introduced a range of salads, noodles and falafel under its “Balanced Choice” brand.
Fears around a national obesity epidemic mean that the traditional pastries and doughnuts for which Gregg’s is famous are falling out of favour as consumers switch to less fatty alternatives. Researchers estimate that, based on current trends, 38 per cent of people in Britain will be obese by 2025.
Roger Whiteside, the group’s chief executive, said: ‘Greggs is well-loved for its traditional pasties and sausage rolls, but we recognise that our customers are increasingly looking for lower calorie and lower fat options.
‘All the research says Greggs is a brand which appeals right across the whole spectrum of consumers. We want them to come more frequently.’
But some Greggs fans are not sure the new direction is the right one:
The move is part of a wider strategy to move away from being a traditional baker towards becoming a food-on-the go specialist , tapping into the lucrative £6 billion-a-year lunchtime market. Over 200 stores were refitted in 2015 to help update the company’s image.
The “Balanced Choice” range has underpinned renewed financial success for the company and now accounts for more than ten per cent of sales.
In August the chain announced profits up by 15.7 per cent, partly as a result of the pivot towards the demands of a more health-conscious customer base. It is on course to open a further 70 stores this year. A gluten-free range is also in the pipeline and the baker has even mooted selling sushi .
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Malcolm Clark, coordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign said he welcomed Greggs’ new direction, but warned customers of the danger of being tempted by the chain’s less healthy options, which will still be available.
‘Providing healthy options is a good step, but making healthier food the standard promoted item and standard customer choice would be much better,’ he said.
‘Hungry customers’ good intentions may still often crumble at the sight of cheaper, less healthy savoury snacks and the rows of doughnuts and other iced goodies tempting them.’
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