Healthy Snack Food Brand, Extend Nutrition, Tackles the Junk-Food Giants

It's a sad state of affairs in the US snack food industry. Big food companies continue to get richer while selling unhealthy food that make Americans both fatter and sicker.

The processed food industry makes billions of dollars from sales of processed food containing high amounts of sugar, salt and fat.

Junk foods are a primary cause behind the skyrocketing rates of obesity and diabetes. Currently, more than 1 in 3 American adults is obese (CDC), and 26 million U.S. children and adults have diabetes (NIH).

Unless something changes, a third of American adults will have diabetes by the year 2050. If junk food isn't replaced, obesity will continue to be a major cause of death, diabetes, and heart disease.

One healthy snack food company is fighting back. Extend Nutrition is going toe-to-toe against the junk-food giant, David vs. Goliath style.

During the month of November, Extend Nutrition reached over 3.1 million people through outreach efforts, including 2 conferences and a 30 minute PSA radio segment called "St. Louis Voices", to raise awareness of Diabetes Month.

Dr. Francine Kaufman, a past president of the American Diabetes Association, created the line of healthy snacks, starting in her very own kitchen.

The snacks are made with a patented blend of lean protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. They are clinically proven to help control blood sugar as verified by the results of 6 clinical studies and by 17 international patents.

"As a health food advertiser, it is hard to compete with the sensational images used by mega-brands to portray their products. They pull on emotional strings to sell you something that amounts to nothing more than empty calories. Ultimately, in the long run, junk food consumption is a serious problem," said Jonathan Lindberg, Extend Nutrition's Outreach Manager.

While there has been a consumer movement demanding healthier snacks- the large corporations are primarily using marketing smoke and mirrors. For example, consider the "100 calorie snack pack".

Eating a 100 calorie snack pack is usually a poor nutritional strategy. The 100-calorie packs are filled with simple carbs, with little or no protein or fiber; the lack of nutrition leaves you craving more food almost immediately. Sadly, when big companies do address health and nutrition they focus on the marketing side to sway consumer perception.

The fast-food industry alone spent $4.2 billion on marketing in 2010 according to the Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. In Comparison, the USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion has an approximate annual budget of $6.5 million.

That is Billions vs. Millions. In other words, for every $10 the fast-food industry spends to market junk-food, about 1 penny is spent by the USDA to promote dietary guidance to consumers.

While it does not have the seemingly bottomless pockets of the big food makers, Extend Nutrition is making an impact with a line of protein based snacks that are formulated using nutritional science.

• In 2013, Extend Nutrition reached millions of people nationwide, growing to over 67,500 "likes" on Facebook and participating at health fairs in more than 20 major cities.

*The company was a supporter of the American Diabetes Association "Step Out to Stop Diabetes" charity walk this year and raised funds for the Wounded Warrior project.

*Extend Nutrition has appeared in local and national media to raise awareness about diabetes (CBS Radio St. Louis, Y98, Fresh102.5), gluten-free foods (FOX2 morning news, 1380AM The Woman), and the importance of nutrition (various outlets nationwide.)

Last spring, Extend Nutrition competed head-to-head with Hardee's fast food restaurant chain in the St. Louis Business Journal's #SocialMadness competition. Extend Nutrition won the head-to-head social media match up and went on to finish in the Top 4 of St. Louis's Large Companies.

While Extend proved they are capable of winning the word-of-mouth battle; it is almost impossible to compete with Hardee's controversial television advertising campaigns. The ads feature scantily clad supermodels eating junk food.

When large companies spend tens of millions of dollars on their campaigns, it crowds out the voices of responsible advertisers like Extend Nutrition - creating an uneven playing field - and perpetuating the problems of obesity and diabetes in US society.

Dr. Kaufman, whose numerous achievements include recognition by the California State Senate for her work in banning soda in the Los Angeles School District, sums up the need to eat right and exercise in her best-selling book "Diabesity".

"We know that lifestyle changes can prevent diabetes," she wrote. "We've proven that if people eat right, lose weight and become physically active, they can halt the progression to full-blown diabetes."
Although Extend Nutrition is fighting an uphill battle, the team remains dedicated to truly helping consumers live happier, healthier lives by providing a convenient, nutritionally superior snacking solution.

+ + +

Invented by Dr. Francine Kaufman, world-renowned endocrinologist and former President of the American Diabetes Association, the patented line of Extend Nutrition Bars, Shakes, Crisps and Drizzles are the only snack foods clinically-proven to help control blood sugar for up to 9 hours. Blood sugar control is the key to diabetes management.

Extend Nutrition snacks have been enthusiastically recommended by thousands of certified diabetes educators, doctors, and registered dietitians around the world for over 10 years. Extend Nutrition is the flagship brand of Clinical Products LLC.

Extend Nutrition products are now available at more than 25,000 retailers nationwide, including Walgreens, CVS, Target, Publix, Safeway and other leading retailers where diabetes nutrition products are sold.

To post a comment, you must register and login.