May 2004 Issue--Manufacturers continue to answer the call for lowered carbs, as new statistics show consumers have incorporated more low-carb foods and beverages in their diet.

According to a survey by Marketing Technology Solutions Inc. (MTS, New York), 70% of respondents have added low-carb products to their diet over the last three months. In what could be troubling news for the processed food industry, nearly one-third of respondents did not purchase low-carb packaged products at all, preferring instead to adopt the low-carb principles into items they cooked themselves.

The survey also found consumers concerned about more than their weight, with many looking to improve the overall nutritional makeup of their diets. General Mills (Minneapolis), in the new Total Protein cereal, has ventured into similarly wide-ranging nutritional territory. The cereal helps maintain a low-carb lifestyle but also offers 100% of the Daily Value of 11 vitamins and minerals, plus 13g of protein.