US branches of Burger King have rolled out their new, healthier alternative to French fries. Well, sort of.
They've unveiled a slightly reduced-fat, and lower calorie crinkle-cut fry that's still potato-based and still deep-fat fried.
Their latest attempt at winning-over fast-food fans suggests that, despite being encouraged to eat healthier diets, some of us just can't let go of burgers and fries. And so they’re making our old favourite, guilty pleasures a little less indulgent.
Described as 'healthier' - but, we note, not specifically healthy - a spokesperson defended the new crinkle-cut fries saying: “You live in Manhattan and might be having a kale smoothie on your way to work this morning. But a lot of people don’t even know what kale is, and if they do, they don’t want to eat it. You have to give people what they want,” as reported by Jezebel and The New York Times.
They’re keeping the science strictly under wraps, but Burger King have explained that the new fries are less porous, so soak up less fat during the cooking process. The new shape is just to help staff at Burger King restaurants differentiate between regular fries and their 'healthier' counterparts.
There's one more factor that sets them apart from regular fries - the price. A serving of 'satisfries' will cost, on average, 30 cents more.
Media and press have been mostly skeptical, and the announcement was met with similar suspicions on twitter.
Some aren’t convinced by the punny name:
Whilst we’re unsure whether the irony of 'diet fries' is lost here:
What do you make of the new offering? Let us know in the comments below.