ALTERNATIVE SNACKS

FRUIT BARS: Dried fruits are witnessing an unparalleled revival these days. From being an almost forgotten addition to Danish open sandwiches, dried fruit has been relaunched as an international fruit bar – a healthy snack.N early two generations of Danes have grown up with the small sliced rectangle of dried fig and date placed on a slice of rye bread. In the packed lunch at school, it was normally the one which was kept until last, as the dessert.

Nearly two generations of Danes have grown up with the small sliced rectangle of dried fig and date placed on a slice of rye bread. In the packed lunch at school, it was normally the one which was kept until last, as the dessert.

The fig slice became an exotic item in the period of postwar scarcity, which survived long after the school packed lunch changed. But its great revival has come in the last couple of years after Castus, the producer of the product, changed the format. From being a sliced product for Danish open sandwiches, it has become a snack bar – a small and healthy inbetween meal, or a suitable substitute when the hunger for sweets becomes overpowering.

Snack
“The relaunched packaging has increased sales more than fivefold in the last three years,” says director and owner of Castus, Henrik Winther-Olsen. “It has simply been ’rediscovered’ as a convenient and really healthy snack. It meets modern consumer demands for a high fibre, low calorie, low salt product with no added sugar, preservatives or artificial colourings.” Young people and adults who want natural snack foods are taking to it. But the biggest sales are still to children, who recognise it as a product chiefly directed at them.

“We are targeting our sales towards children, but in a way which also appeals to the parents of the children,” says Winther-Olsen. “Because it is through parents’ purchasing that we can attempt to change the sweet eating habits of children. And they taste so good, that most children want to have more.”

Vending machines
The fruit bars are produced in eight taste variants which all have dried dates as the main ingredient, accompanied by either dried fig, pear, banana, raspberry, strawberry, apricot, nuts or fruit mixture. In addition there is the original pure fig and date.

Henrik Winther-Olsen expects strong interest in Castus products in UK schools, in connection with a major campaign for healthier food in schools.

“Castus Fruit Bars are the first products to have been evaluated by Britain’s Health Education Trust. They are considered to meet the required specifications and so are suitable for Real Choice vending in secondary schools,” says Winther-Olsen. “Major efforts are being made to replace traditional chocolate-and-chips vending machines with healthy alternatives. Official approval from the Health Education Trust could be a turning point for us on the UK market.”

http://www.castus.dk

Castus is good for you When in 1952 the founder of the company was pondering a suitable name for his dried fruit products, he came up with Castus: the Indian term for ’everything which is good for you’. The company was familyowned until 1993, when it was first bought by CPC Foods and later sold on to Unilever. In 2003, Unilever sold Castus to the current owner and director Henrik Winther-Olsen. The company produces its fruit bars in northern Jutland, while the headquarters and sales department are located near Copenhagen. When Henrik Winther-Olsen acquired the company, production corresponded to 4 million bars annually. In 2006, production will exceed 20 million bars. The increased production has led to substantial investments in further process lines at the production location in Jutland.