New Snack Line Creates Fruit Flavored Cheese, and Here's Why We're Not Sold On It
The new brand Cow Candy adds bright colors and fruit flavors to string cheese snacks, but is it really a healthier alternative?
Wisconsin-based Cow Candy has released a line of string cheese snacks with added flavors like Green Apple, Orange, Fruit Punch, Grape, and Strawberry. Colors range from hot pink My Little Pony-branded sticks to Transformers red. The idea is to reel kids in with a healthy snack disguised as more familiar, less healthy munchies, but we're not sure that is really the best strategy.
String cheese is already an inherently kid-friendly food. It’s individually packaged for snacks and lunches. It’s easy for little hands to handle. Like any great snack food—we’re looking at you, Oreo—there’s a fun method to eating one, peeling into long strands and dangling into one’s mouth is preferred. So does it really still need the mascot and artificial color/flavor treatment?
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Cheese should be the color of, well, cheese. Introducing a different coloring and a sweet profile to yet another savory snack can be trouble. Even though the snacks are low sugar compared to fruit-flavored milk or yogurt, cheese shouldn’t be sweet at all. Young palates need variety; sweetening even mild snacks like string cheese could sensitize them to other flavors, and not in a good way.
If your kid still needs to be convinced to eat less processed snacks, start them out with a mild string cheese like mozzarella. If they're a bit more open-minded, then Colby Jack or sharp cheddar also make a tasty lunchbox inclusion.
