Kind enters fruit snack category with latest launch

NEW YORK — Kind Healthy Snacks is moving into a new category with the launch of its Kind Fruit Bites. The company’s fruit snacks contain only fruit and no added sugar, and their launch was supported with a Times Square installation depicting 45,485 pounds of sugar — which it said represented the amount of added sugar children in the U.S. consume every five minutes.

“Since day one, Kind has been committed to balancing health and taste, and our Kind Promise has centered on crafting snacks with a nutritionally-dense first ingredient,” Kind founder and CEO Daniel Lubetzky said. “KIND Fruit Bites honors this promise, and is consistent with how we’ve always entered categories – with an eye toward disruption and a goal of elevating people’s overall experience.”

Kind pointed to a recent Morning Consult study that found fruit snacks to be less healthy than many consumers perceive it to be, noting that 61% of parents believed the ingredient list of leading fruit snacks belonged to a sweetened cereal, soda, candy or toaster pastry.

“While the general public’s understanding of nutrition has become increasingly sophisticated, an opportunity still exists to educate on added sugars,” Kind health and wellness specialist and registered dietitian Stephanie Perruzza said. “This is especially true in categories like fruit snacks, where people understandably assume that their snack is made predominantly of wholesome ingredients, such as fruit.”

The new snacks come in three varieties, and the company said they are free of juices, purees, concentrates, preservatives or genetically engineered ingredients. Each pouch offers one full serving of fruit.

The snacks are currently available at retailers nationwide, with a suggested retail price of $4.99 per five-pack box.