The Pop-ularity of Pop-Tarts

Strawberry Pop-Tarts!

Much has been made of the drop in sales of unhealthy foods. We're a health-conscious nation now, eager for our chia seeds, kale and gluten-free bread. No longer do we super-size our sodas;  McDonalds serves kids apple slices (and now Go-Gurt Strawberry yogurt) instead of fries, and The Department of Agriculture is instituting Michelle Obama's pet mandate to increase whole-grains, fruits and veggies, and fat-free milk in school lunches.

So, with all this healthy food propaganda, why have sales of Pop-Tarts--the quintessentially sugary, processed snack food--increased every year for the last 32? Why are Pop-Tarts, available currently in 32 flavors (I counted), the best selling Kelloggs product ever? Do you know that flavor is Pop-Tarts' "Spookilicious"? (It's chocolate fudge. Buried in the ingredients is cocoa.) Have you tried the "Limited Edition Red Velvet" flavor yet?

Then there's the study that just came out saying eating fat is good for you, and eating carbs is not. At the same time, sugar arch-enemy Robert Lustig warns that sweets are the gateway to obesity and a myriad of ills--pushed literally down our throats by a nefarious food industry.

In the midst of this media food-guilt bombardment, Pop-Tarts rule. They have everything wrong with them, and everything right. First, the wrong: processed to perfection, the Frosted Cherry Pop-Tarts (random example) contain high fructose corn syrup, soy bean and palm oil (saturated), and sugar. To be accurate, the first ingredient listed is flour (for gluten fans), then corn syrup, then high-fructose corn syrup, then dextrose, then the oils, sugar and--who knew?--cracker meal. Down the list are dried cherries and, in another surprise, dried apples.

Now the "everything right" with Pop-Tarts: Easy, quick, nostalgic and taste good. These trump experts' warnings when you're in a morning rush. And your kids are.

Speaking of apples, I came across an interesting product that most people wouldn't realize coats the cut-up fruits and vegetables sold in schools and restaurants. It's called NatureSeal. This product is an undisclosed "generally recognized as safe" proprietary blend of "vitamins and minerals" that food sellers use to coat food slices and pieces so they won't discolor. This compound comes as a powder, gets made into a dip or spray and then, once the food is encased, allows it to look great for "up to 21 days." Your 21-day-old avocado slices won't turn brown and the skin won't curl. You might think the avocado on your sandwich is fresh; that's debatable.

NatureSeal has a formula for dried fruit used for processing, "especially beneficial on dried apple rings and pieces." You know--the ingredient in Frosted Cherry Pop-Tarts. I don't recall ever seeing NatureSeal listed as an ingredient in anything, including McDonalds' kids' meals with apple slices.

Mmmm! a healthy tray of NatureSeal, shown on its website.

When you buy that fruit platter or veggie-and-dip array for your party or meeting, you might be enjoying a hearty serving of NatureSeal, who cheerily tells grocers and food retailers, "Extending the shelf-life of your fresh-cut produce can significantly reduce your shrink.
Whether it's your salad bar or pre-made, grab & go items, NatureSeal has the solution." Indeed, a solution that saturates every bite of your oh-so-healthy, perfectly preserved ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables.

Back to Pop-Tarts. My parents never bought them, they look too cloyingly sweet to me, (and they contain beef gelatin--surprise!--so they're not kosher) but when you look at sales growth of food items, they're a never-dying phenomenon, racking up $187 million in sales last year.

The message? Americans will eat what they please, thank you. They may cave to know-it-all experts some of the time; they may buy some quinoa and kale, but by-golly, they're not Pop-Tart averse.

Second message: marketers will do what they have to in order to capitalize on food fads, like dousing easy-to-eat fresh fruits and veggies with a chemical mix. The "vitamins and minerals" that comprise NatureSeal are chemicals, too. I haven't checked, but I wouldn't be surprised if organic produce when cut for sale also comes dunked in NatureSeal dip.

Is it a good thing that Americans eat veggies and fruits, no matter how they're sealed for presentation?  Is it a bad thing that Pop-Tarts are so pop-ular? Well, I always go back to the same basic truth: If people just tuned out all the noise and turned inward to listen only to their bodily requirements for what and how much to eat, maybe food could become the fuel for accomplishment rather than a distraction from important tasks and connections between people.