The move came yesterday, a day after fast-food chain Burger King introduced burgers wrapped in lettuce aimed at low-carbohydrate dieters in the US.
Unilever, whose Slimfast dieting products have been hit hard by the low-carb trend popularised by the Atkins diet, is planning to launch 18 products under the tag Carb Options. The line will include sauces, marinades, salad dressings, peanut spreads and shakes.
PepsiCo announced hours later that it would launch low-carb versions of its Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips, called Doritos Edge and Tostitos Edge.
In October, Unilever said that Slimfast's sales had dropped nearly 30% because of the Atkins diet.
The moves add further weight to the shift towards low-carb eating, popularised by the celebrity-endorsed Atkins. The food groups say that it is the biggest change in eating habits since the low-fat boom of the 1980s.
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