underage snacking

Prolific commenter SnackAttack has alerted SM to a very intriguing professional resource, FoodProcessing.com. Okay, so you might be saying to yourself "I read SnackManiac for the sharp commentary and searing insights, not industry news that I can get from any old snack rag." But WAIT! FoodProcessing.com has a hilarious feature called "Food Biz Kids" that, while perhaps flying in the face of child labor laws, is THE place to go to find out what 7th and 8th graders think about new SNACKS. It is never made clear what jobs these middle schoolers hold in the BIZ, but I trust them.

Shockingly, in recent taste tests, the panel preferred the Butterfinger Stixx to the Raisin Bran Cereal Bar. Here are some comments from the FBK:

Re: Raisin Bran

Tommy Rorke, 7th grade:
The texture is pretty rough and it clogs your throat.

Trevor Santoro, 7th grade:
Post Raisin Bran Cereal Bars would be good if there were no raisins. You should know kids don’t like raisins.

Ana Leon, 7th grade:
Post Raisin Bran Cereal Bars are nasty. The raisins are disgusting, and they stick under your teeth. I don’t like them at all.

Re: Stixx

Simone Dec, 8th grade:
It’s in a good wrapper with a picture of the candy bar inside. It is amusing, and the taste is delicious.

Jack Grant, 8th grade:
The chocolaty outside is delicious. As I made my way into the middle of the stick, it got even better. The stick is in a compact form with a shiny wrapper, which glows in the sun. I love them.

Tyrone Spears, 8th grade:
Butterfinger Stixx are chocolaty and crispy on the inside. It has milk chocolate on the outside and orange-colored filling on the inside, and the texture is appealing.

True kingmakers, the FBK speak with the authority of those who are on the ground in middle school cafeterias, where snacks are bought, sold, traded and stolen everyday.

(Tommy and Jack, if you are looking for some freelance work, shoot me an email, thesnackmaniac@gmail.com.)