Halo Top is Adding Low-Calorie Frozen Fruit Pops to its Lineup

Halo Top, the better-for-you ice cream brand, is making its first foray into frozen fruit desserts with its new line of Fruit Pops. The frozen treats are made with real fruit and fruit juice and contain up to 65 percent less sugar than other frozen fruit desserts. Fruit Pops are also low in calories, ranging from 35 to 90 calories, and are available in strawberry, coconut, lime, mango and pineapple flavors. Here’s what we know about each flavor:

• Strawberry: At only 40 calories and 6 grams of sugar, the stevia-sweetened strawberry flavor is made with strawberries, strawberry juice and puree, lemon juice and it is colored with beet and annatto extract.
• Coconut: Made with coconut cream, dehydrated coconut, skim milk and stevia, the coconut flavor contains 90 calories and 9 grams of sugar.
• Lime: The sweet and tangy flavor is made with limes, lime juice and pulp, lemon juice, sugared lemon zest and stevia, and contains just 35 calories and 5 grams of sugar.
• Mango: The stevia-sweetened mango flavor is made with mangos, mango puree and juice, lemon juice and is colored with annatto extract. Each mango pop contains 45 calories and 6 grams of sugar.
• Pineapple: Made from pineapple, fruit juice, stevia and colored with turmeric and annatto extracts, the pineapple flavor contains 40 calories and 5 grams of sugar.

“At our core, Halo Top is here so fans can feel empowered to choose a treat that makes them feel good,” said Chelsea Parker, Halo Top’s senior marketing manager, in a press release. “We knew dessert lovers were craving more frozen fruit offerings, without the sugar overload, and these convenient new Fruit Pops do just that, in all five juicy, delicious flavors.”

For nearly a decade, Halo Top’s light ice cream pints have been populating the shelves of grocery store freezers. The brand has become a fan-favorite in the growing better-for-you category as health-conscious consumers look to satisfy their sweet tooth. Halo Top’s CEO, Justin Woolverton, also recently invested in Slate, a better-for-you chocolate milk brand designed for adults.

But it’s not just independent companies that are taking advantage of better-for-you foods. Better For You Brands, a division of PepsiCo, entered the category over 20 years ago to target the growing consumer trends toward healthier eating. The snack manufacturer is known for its savory snacks, including PopCorners, Flex Protein Crisps and Flourish Veggie Crisps. And while the savory side of the better-for-you category is well established with brands like Skinny Pop and Good Thins, the sweet side continues to grow with the advent of healthier sugar substitutes.

Halo Top has seemingly mastered its formulas, finding the perfect balance between guilt-free nutrition and delicious taste. Other brands in the sweet side of the category, such as Smart Sweets, have struck the same balance.

To find success in the better-for-you category, companies must create alternatives to age-old staples that consumers want, such as candies, chips or breakfast cereals. They must produce recipes and products with zero compromises and only benefits, especially functional ones. Halo Top’s new Fruit Pops are not only low in calories and sugar, but also offer the functional benefits of fruit and their juices, hitting the better-for-you category on the head.