Snack brand Kind has created an AR tool and database that reveals the added sugar and sweeteners in top-selling foods by their rivals. With people looking to brands to help make healthy choices, Sweeteners Uncovered offers customers an insight into the hidden sugars that are easily avoided. We explore the insights behind this and why Kind is exposing the sugar content in what many consumers think of as healthy options.
New York's augmented reality pop-up Sweeteners Uncovered has a Kind Snacks' accompanying website showing the sugar and sweetener content in popular snack bars, cereal, granola, and yogurt. Alongside the national snacking index, Kind offers people information about 100 different types of commonly used sweeteners. The campaign aims to educate customers about the variety of added sugars in packaged products, particularly in snacks positioning themselves as ‘healthy’ – such as Kellogg’s Nutri Grain and Clif energy bars. "Through this campaign, we are not trying to demonize sugar, we are trying to demonize deception to try to make sure people can understand what they are putting in their bodies," says Daniel Lubetzky, Kind Snacks’ CEO.
Nearly six in 10 Americans are avoiding sugar, but according to research in The Lancet, three quarters of packaged food and drinks in the US contain sugars and sweeteners – so the task is more complicated than simply swapping ice cream for yogurt. "Sugar is present in candy and sugar is present in categories that people expect it to be, like ice cream, but sugar is also omnipresent in other categories where people are expecting to be getting nutritional solutions," says Lubetzky. With 83% of Americans reportedly confused by labels – and major brands such as Coca-Cola scrambling to cater to the health-conscious consumer – Kind’s efforts to offer clarity will be greatly appreciated.
Aaron Hanaphy is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8, which specializes in behavioral insights and consumer research. As a synth-loving semiotician you’ll either find him fiddling with filters or diving deep into the cultural nuances of anything from bad TV to brand language.
