“The Reese’s brand is here to save your morning with new Reese’s Snack Cakes, a first-of-its-kind, mid-morning cake treat by the Reese’s brand you love.
Yep, you read that right, a Reese’s treat to enjoy in the morning. Forever. Research shows 83% say they have indulged in dessert before noon in the past month (Online Survey, US Adults). So, we had a crazy idea – give Reese’s fans permission to have cake as a mid-morning snack whenever they want.”
The above is from a press release from The Hershey Company, the parent company of Reese’s.
They’re giving us permission to eat cake as a mid-morning snack. But hold on here. No one needs to give me permission to eat anything.
I make my own choices.
And yes, I do have to say that when it comes to chocolate, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups may be my absolute favourite. (Please notice, I did not say, “I have to confess”. There’s no guilt involved when I enjoy one of these decadent delights.)
But I don’t “indulge” in cake or peanut butter cups in the morning.
Why?
It’s not because I am restricting myself or have certain food rules around when I enjoy having one.
I simply don’t want a chocolate/peanut butter combo mid-morning. And that’s because of what I have for breakfast. Simply put, I’m not hungry and I’m also not craving sugar mid-morning. Yes, these two factors are separate from each other.
If I were up very early, yes, I would be hungry mid-morning. But I wouldn’t be on the hunt for sugar. That’s usually the result of either skipping your morning meal or breaking your overnight fast with a lack of balanced eats. That would likely be a high carbohydrate breakfast with too little protein.
Eating just carbs for breakfast can send your blood sugar soaring and the subsequent insulin response can leave you with a lower blood sugar than before you had breakfast. A bagel with cream cheese, a muffin or even a bowl of cereal or yogurt can put you on track to crave a sugary mid-morning snack. It can also lead to those same cravings but likely even stronger ones in the afternoon and evening. Besides cravings, only having carbs for breakfast can also lead to energy levels plummeting right through the day.
Coming to the rescue?
But Hershey’s says they’re coming to the rescue by stating, “Let’s face it, we’re already having morning dessert anyway, so the Reese’s brand decided to make it official. With new Reese’s Snack Cakes, Reese’s fans can enjoy a delicious combination of chocolate and peanut butter creme without having to wait until lunch.”
They go on to say, “Now you can indulge in a Reese’s treat any time of day. Consider morning officially saved. #NotSorry”
Reese’s has jumped in to rescue consumers. Or have they? Or are they just taking advantage of consumers who have gone through a very rocky year and a half? The company’s expansion of this line with the addition of a crunchy version prompted a discussion initiated by a colleague, fellow dietitian and culinary nutritionist, Linn Steward, RDN.
While food companies need to sell their products to make money, does their marketing need to be predatory? Do they need to tell their customers that cake or candy is a wonderful morning snack? Yes, their survey shows that people are eating morning snacks but a press release giving permission to eat sweets mid-morning and not have to say you’re sorry sounds as though they’re talking to a young child.
#NotSorry is NOT OK for a food company to tell their customers. That might be the job of a parent.
Hershey – you can do better than this.
Enlightened Eater 
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