New High-Fat, Low-Carb FATBAR Launched by Dang Foods

Dang Foods is responding to the popular ketogenic diet trend by releasing a snack that adheres to the rules of the diet. The company has launched a 100 percent plant-based snack bar called FATBAR. The company is enthusiastic that it is a “keto friendly” bar. The bar fits in well with the diet by being high in fat and more importantly, low in carbs. Additionally, the bar is sweetened with stevia. FATBAR, which will be sold in Whole Foods and on Amazon in 2019, comes in three flavors: almond vanilla, lemon matcha and chocolate sea salt.

This is a first for the company but isn’t surprising considering the founder of Dang Foods has recently joined the keto diet followers. The diet has caught consumer attention by appealing to those who are looking to lose fat and add muscle. The keto diet is an eating plan that tells participants to minimize their carbs and allow their body to use fat as the main source of energy. This means having about 60-75 percent of calorie intake from fat, five to 10 percent of calories from carbs and 15-30 percent from protein.

However, not all fats are the same and consumers are becoming aware of that. Consumers seem to understand what types of fat they should avoid. According to the International Food Council, 40 percent say that saturated are unhealthy as opposed to the 11 percent who said they are healthy.

This product stands out from other recent launches because it is advertising fat as a good thing. Typically, fat has been looked at as something to avoid. But now the consumption of animal fats has been rising. A survey from Coast Packing Company and Ipsos Research showed that 13 percent of respondents said they would consume animal fats; this is up nine percent from last year. Millennials seem to be most interested in fats with 20 percent having increased their intake.

The FATBAR has both saturated and unsaturated fats. It is mostly made of cashew butter which is composed of unsaturated fats, but also contains cocoa butter which does have saturated fat. The bar itself is an unusual step for Dang considering that the company is known for gluten-free, dairy-free and cholesterol-free products. In addition, since most of their products are vegan and full of fiber, focusing on a fat-based product does stand out.

According to the company, the FATBAR is supposed to be an easy breakfast or can also be consumed as a dessert. This bar has potential to do well with keto followers but may be a big jump for a subset of the consumer market who still believe that all fats are unhealthy.

Editors Note: a previous version of this article stated that the FATBAR was 11 percent plant-based