High street bakers Greggs encourages customers to swap jam-filled doughnuts for the ring variety

High street bakers Greggs encourages customers to live a healthier lifestyle by swapping jam-filled doughnuts for the ring variety and saving up to 200 calories

  • Is in bid to make healthy eating ‘top of its corporate social responsibility agenda’ 
  • The hole in the middle as well as the lack of jam means they have fewer calories
  • A Greggs spokeswoman said that the chain was ‘serious about customer health’

Greggs has pledged to join the fight against obesity by encouraging customers to buy ‘diet’ doughnuts with a hole instead of the jam variety.

The high street bakery said it will encourage customers to make healthier choices by changing their displays so that jam-filled doughnuts are surrounded by ring doughnuts. 

It is in a bid to make healthy eating ‘top of its corporate social responsibility agenda’ and push people to eat slightly smaller cakes. 

Speaking at a childhood obesity conference in London, Greggs’ chief executive Roger Whiteside said the hole in the middle as well as the lack of jam means they have fewer calories.

The high street bakery Greggs has said it will encourage customers to make healthier choices. Pictured: a jam doughnut 

Greggs' chief executive Roger Whiteside said the hole in the middle as well as the lack of jam means ring doughnuts (pictured) have fewer calories

Greggs’ chief executive Roger Whiteside said the hole in the middle as well as the lack of jam means ring doughnuts (pictured) have fewer calories

Mr Whiteside told The Sunday Times: ‘The ring doughnuts are between 200 and 300 calories, the ball doughnuts are between 300 and 400 calories.

‘People like big cakes, not little cakes. We know that we shouldn’t be encouraging people to eat large cakes but the problem is you have to go with demand.’ 

The ring doughnut vs the jam doughnut

Ring: 

Weight: 58 grams 

Calories: 191

Price: 55p

Sugar: 13 grams

Fat: 6.4 grams

 

Jam:

Weight: 73 grams 

Calories: 245

Price:  65p

Sugar: 12 grams

Fat: 10 grams

The move is in response to a new government childhood obesity strategy, which will see the food and drinks industry working towards a 20 per cent reduction in the sugar used in products popular with children, such as sugary drinks.

Greggs spokeswoman Wendy Baker said that the bakery chain was ‘serious about customer health’.

She said: ‘A wider choice of ring doughnuts has been introduced which range from 190 to 260 calories, compared to traditional fondant doughnuts which range from 225 to 340 calories. 

‘Greggs has also reduced sugar by 20 per cent across its sweet range.’

Tim Lang, professor of food policy at City, University of London, said the move was ‘a bit of a joke’ and that actually Greggs’ total calorie output is growing. 

The decision comes after the bakery chain brought out a vegan sausage roll last year which became hugely popular with customers.  

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