Rice Krispies Treats Now Healthy For You?
Food company Sweetgreen launched a healthy version of a Rice Krispies treat.
This article is more than 2 years old
Good news for the health-conscious crowd! Sweetgreen announced it plans to launch a healthy new treat nationwide. The dessert will be akin to a healthy Rice Krispies treat.
Sweetgreen is an innovative fast food company founded in 2006. The doors to its first location opened in 2007 in Washington D.C. Since then, the company has expanded to 957 locations across 18 states and territories.
According to its website, Sweetgreen’s mission is “building healthier communities by connecting people to real food.” The site continues, saying, “we’re leading a movement to reimagine fast food for a new era.” Customers of the unique fast food chain know they can trust the quality of the ingredients.
Since Sweetgreen is so focused on producing healthier fast food options, the company avoided offering desserts. There was one exception, however. In 2014, the restaurant had a frozen yogurt called Sweetflow on menus at select Washington D.C. locations.
While it discontinued the offering roughly eight years ago, Sweetgreen had not given up on the possibility of offering a healthier dessert option. So, it tapped world-class pastry chef Malcolm Livingston II to help. Livingston’s previous experience was at Noma, which earned three Michelin stars and the honor of being named the top restaurant in the world in 2021.
According to CNBC, “the chain took roughly two years to create the treat and ensure that it fits with Sweetgreen’s principles that blend taste, health and ingredient sourcing.” To achieve this, Livingston went back to the basics. He worked hard to develop a healthy Rice Krispies treat, using his daughter as an official taste tester.
Livingston added, “also in fast food restaurants, there is a lack of variety when it comes to dessert, and we wanted to offer something that was delicious and craveable but also considered healthy.” The treat will come prepackaged. And the healthy Rice Krispies treat has from millet, quinoa, brown rice, and honey-date caramel.
It will be available at all Sweetgreen locations nationwide beginning Monday. Customers can expect to spend $2.95 for the healthy Rice Krispies treat. And the company hopes it will help boost sales in a tight economic environment.
Shares of Sweetgreen are down 46% for the year. So, the company’s net worth has plummeted to $1.88 billion. However, despite the rough stock market news, same-store sales are growing as of the second quarter.
The fast food chain has not released its third-quarter earnings report yet. It plans to do so Tuesday after the opening bell. But at the end of the second quarter, same-store sales had increased by 16%.
Granted, that boost got help from a 6% price hike on all menu items. Sweetgreen made this move to help combat the rising cost of ingredients and transportation due to inflation. And it does not appear to have hurt the restaurant much at all.
Sweetgreen’s sales should continue to rise with the launch of the healthy Rice Crispies treat (officially called Crispy Rice Treat). That should prove to be good news for the company. And it is definitely good news for customers who can now enjoy a healthier version of a nostalgic favorite.
