By George Anderson
The company founded by Dr. Robert Atkins, Atkins Nutritionals, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it struggles to redefine itself in an era when consumers are looking for other ways to lose weight other than following a low-carbohydrate diet regimen.
Michael Steib, a consumer-goods analyst for Morgan Stanley told Bloomberg, "The low-carb fad has gone. Dieting habits are very short-lived. It came very quickly and disappeared very quickly."
Atkins, wrote its chief restructuring officer Rebecca Roof, was also hurt when "Mainstream companies such as Unilever, Kraft, and General Mills broke into the controlled-carbohydrate market in 2004 with well-funded, aggressive product launches."
Moderator's Comment: What do you see happening in the low-carb area? Why did the diet regimen popularized by Dr. Atkins and others run out of steam? Will manufacturers and retailers repositioning (repackaging) low-carb items be enough to get sales of these products moving upward again? - George Anderson - Moderator