British Summer Fruits is urging consumers to swap their chocolate bar or pack of sweets for berries after research found the switch could help people shed up to one stone in a year.
The Snack Smart challenge campaign, fronted by Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox, follows a four-month research trial conducted by Loughborough University which tracked 12 participants and found that those who snacked on a handful of berries instead of three jelly babies with the same energy content, ate 134 fewer calories at their next meal.
According to the grower’s body, people who make the swap could lose around one pound of body weight per month, equating to a stone per year.
The researchers attributed the reduction in calorie intake to a variety of factors ranging from the berry snack taking four times as long to eat, its larger volume size which meant participants felt fuller and the fact it contained more fibre.
British Summer Fruits has called on people to sign up to the challenge at their website or join conversations using the #SnackSmart hashtag.
“We’re confident that the Snack Smart challenge will continue to gain popularity, giving retailers the opportunity to cash in on the campaign’s success,” Laurence Olins, chairman of British Summer Fruits said.
“Our members, who represent 98% of the UK soft fruit industry, supply strawberries, raspberries blackberries and blueberries in a range of formats to major multiples. An increasing number of consumers are prioritising their health and wellbeing so are looking for natural snacks.”
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