On the road, forgotten Snickers bars melt in back pockets. They ooze over the top and grind into the upholstery.
Mom notices first on the lunch stop.
A third grader in front of her dawdles across the parking lot toward McDonald’s, the seat of his jeans coated in chocolate.
Yes sir, nothing like summer driving vacations. The van, the kids and all that comfort food.
Pa stokes up at the wheel on a fistful of salted peanuts washed back with four cans of Mountain Dew, while Ma lingers over a cooling Starbucks latte. Break out the juice boxes; crack open the Lemonheads and Dots.
Hey, who took the Atomic FireBalls?
Americans are on the move again, traveling cross-country. And being Americans, they sit and eat, drive and eat and then sit and eat some more.
Ann Pryzbyla-Wilkes, vice president of communications for the Snack Food Association, says potato chips remain the No. 1 non-candy between-meals nosh for folks on the go, though pork rinds and meat snacks (beef jerky, Slim Jims, etc.) have gained along with low-carb diets.
“The real change we’re seeing is the expanded selection of flavors,” says Pryzbyla-Wilkes, whose trade group tracks consumer buying trends for 800 member companies. “Adults and children have more adventuresome palates today. They want authentic, sophisticated flavors-with an emphasis on hotter flavors. Carolina barbecue. Jalapeno and habanero, chili lime and hot dill, etc.”
According to association research, plain potato chips made up 62 percent of the entire chip market in 1997 and that dropped to 55 percent by 2001. (Sour cream and barbecue are the most popular potato chip flavors.) For those who wonder, Americans wolfed down 1.8 billion pounds of chips in 2003 and 108 million pounds of pork rinds, a 37 percent increase for pork rinds from 2002.
The reason for pork rind mania?
They’re a low-carb snack. The association also tracks sales of snack and granola bars, which were up 15 percent in 2003 from 2002, with about 3 billion in combined unit sales.
Michael Gorey, a father of four from Arlington Heights, prefers energy and granola bars to chips and candy for his kids on long trips.
“Have you seen what little fingers covered with greasy potato chips do to cloth upholstery on a 1,000-mile trip?” he asked, shuddering at the thought of his kids, age 7 to 13, wiping their hands on the back seat. “We pack bottled water instead of pop for the same reason. Spill water instead of orange pop and it’s only water. It’ll dry up. No stains.”
Gorey and family made a spring break drive to Key West, Fla., without ordering one cheeseburger or hot dog. Family members, vegetarians for the most part, take a pass on red meat, deep-fried foods or anything even hinting of caffeine.
“We try to keep it normal,” Gorey explains. “My wife, Barb, fills two coolers with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The kids choose their own energy bars, whatever flavors they want. We take fresh vegetables-carrot sticks and celery-and plenty of water. And we don’t drive longer than three hours at a stretch, because everyone needs a break after three hours. It doesn’t matter if you’re an adult or a kid-you need a break. At rest stops we get out and throw the Frisbee or play hacky-sack for 20 minutes, and we don’t eat much. We’re more `grazers’ than big meal people.”
But what about all those chain restaurants, generally fast-food operations? What do healthy eaters look for in the way of acceptable vittles?
“Barb and I try to find Taco Bell restaurants because they serve a bean burrito that isn’t deep fried,” Gorey says. “Bean burritos and bottled water, along with the food we’ve packed, do nicely for us.”
Jeff Blade, chief financial officer of Steak & Shake, says the company offers an alternative to fast food. “We’re not strictly a quick service restaurant, though we do offer drive-through windows and take-away service. About 60 percent of our customers eat at the restaurant and 30 percent use the drive-through, with another 10 percent picking up take-away orders. We like to say if you’re on the road and have 10 extra minutes to spare, come in and sit down and let us serve you as a real guest.”
“We sell more steakburgers and milkshakes than anything else,” he said. “Steakburgers and milkshakes are what Gus Belt had in mind when he founded Steak & Shake–and they’re still what everyone asks for.”
Chicago-based Tootsie Roll Industries, for those who prefer a little sweet, produces 60 million Tootsie Rolls a day, and company President Ellen Gordon knows Moms and Dads pack them in for long car trips.
She says their Child’s Play bag containing Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Rolls, Dots and Tootsie Snack Bars is especially popular.
“Consumer letters come in,” Gordon explains, “and we learn about the games kids play traveling by car, and the one we hear about most is `How Many Licks Does it Take to Get to the Center of a Tootsie Roll Pop?'”
How many does it take?
“I wouldn’t know from personal experience,” she confides, “because I never get there. I always bite before I reach the center of a Tootsie Pop. But I’ve seen figures of 2,000 to 20,000 licks.”
Tootsie Roll Industries is a publicly held company, and Gordon doesn’t hesitate to share production figures such as 20 million Tootsie Pops and 13 million Junior Mints cooked daily.
Forest Park-based Ferrara Pan Candy Co., creators of Lemonheads, Atomic FireBalls and Red Hots, continues under family ownership and holds to a somewhat lower public profile.
A recent Tribune story on Ferrara Pan’s new Narbles candy line contained production estimates for Lemonheads (500 million annually) and Atomic FireBalls (15 million per week).
Ferrara Pan Marketing Vice President Joseph DiLeonardo acknowledges Lemonheads as the company’s most popular product, but adds there’s “an absolute [sales] jump every summer with all candies when families are out and around with soccer games and Little League games and Boy Scout and Girl Scout camping trips and vacations. I think that’s because the candies Ferrara Pan makes are less sensitive to chocolate meltdown in the car. That definitely makes them more attractive as snacks on the road.
“What I find interesting is the age breakdown regarding what kids like and don’t like. Younger children lean more toward our Black Forest gummy candies. The gummy combo packs and the gummy bears and dolphins and worms and dinosaurs. When they reach junior high school, 12 or 13, they’ll shift to more intense flavors–for example, the new Narbles we’ve introduced, and the Atomic FireBalls and Red Hots and Lemonheads.” Narbles have a fruit flavored shell and chewy fruit center, and they’re intended as competition for Skittles.
Certainly, candy is a road staple.
Consider roadside mainstay Stuckey’s and its pecan log roll and cans of toasted and salted pecans.
“They’re our top sellers,” says Stuckey’s Chief Executive Chip Rosencrans. “They were W.S. Stuckey Sr.’s favorites. They’re what he snacked on. A couple of years ago, we introduced Pop Top Chocolates. They’re milk chocolate covered pecans and other nuts packaged in a can sized to fit your car’s cupholder. It seemed like a good idea–and from what we hear, people love it.”
But what about a protein fix?
Curt Hornback loads up on jerky and beef sticks when he hits the road.
Hornback, director of Food Safety for Abbyland meat products in Abbotsford, Wis., enjoys his company’s beef snack stick, obviously, but is happy to sample others as well.
“I like a nice kippered beef snack,” he says. “The best are made by Jack Links. Give me a few good beef snack sticks. They’re shelf stable, so you don’t need to refrigerate them. They aren’t runny or gummy or chewy, and they don’t stick in your teeth like jerky does. They’re also high in protein and low in carbs, so the Atkins people won’t pull you over and beat you up for eating them. But the PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] folks may picket your destination for hosting a carnivore like you.
“Beef sticks, an ice cold beverage and the right tunes will get you down the highway to your destination all safe and sound. If you’re trying to quit smoking, as I’ve been for the last 30 years, beef sticks make a great keep-your-hands-busy toy.”
And they come in hickory smoked, black pepper and teriyaki flavors–unless you prefer Kickin’ Cajun.
Or just pass the Slim Jims and three more Dr Peppers.
