Arnott's Shapes
| Product type | Snack food |
|---|---|
| Owner | Arnott's Biscuits Holdings |
| Country | Australia |
| Introduced | 16 February 1954 |
| Markets | Australia New Zealand |
| Tagline | Flavour You Can See |
| Website | http://www.arnotts.com.au/products/shapes/ |
Arnott's Shapes are a popular line of savoury biscuits produced by Arnott's in Australia.[1] First produced in Victoria in 1954[2], they were originally made in the shape of potato chips, until bakers realised they were too difficult to cut and were a waste of dough. In 1974, they switched to the flat biscuits, which are sold today.
Arnott's Shapes are sold in different packaging including multi-pack bags and boxes. In Australia, during the mid-1990s, Arnott's reduced the box packaging size of the core flavours from 250 grams to 200 grams. During 2011, Arnott's further reduced the packaging size from 200 grams to 175–185 grams.[3] The reason for the name "Shapes" is because of the variety of the individual biscuit shapes, depending on the flavour. Arnott's boasts that Shapes are "[oven] baked, not fried", which is a less fatty method of cooking; however, Shapes are still high in fat at 20–25% and high in sodium.[4]
Over 53 million packets of Shapes are consumed each year in Australia.[5] In April 2016, Arnott's altered the Shapes recipe for each of its core flavours, having the flavouring baked into the biscuit rather than as seasoning.[6] Consumer backlash was sparked over the updated formula, prompting the company to backtrack on their decision. In September they restored the original Pizza and Barbecue recipes under the 'Originals' range, as well as leaving the recipe for Chicken Crimpy intact. [7] To date, the pre-2016 recipe for every core flavour has been restored with the exception of Nacho Cheese and Chicken Drumstick, the latter having been discontinued.
References
- ^ Business Review Weekly. Business Review Weekly. 1996. p. 89. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
- ^ https://www.arnotts.com/shapes-home/
- ^ Collier, Karen (10 August 2011). "Arnott's Shapes packets shrinking to slash fat". Herald Sun. Archived from the original on 1 March 2014.
- ^ Saxelby, Catherine (29 April 2013). "8 salty snacks and why they're a danger to your waistline - a visual guide". Catherine Saxelby's Foodwatch.
- ^ "Arnotts.com.au - Shapes". Arnott's Biscuits Holdings. Archived from the original on 28 April 2013.
- ^ Marissa Calligeros (14 April 2016). "Crunch time for Arnott's after customers Snap over 'new and improved' Shape flavours". Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ Frank Chung (8 September 2016). "Arnott's backflips on Pizza Shapes". News.com.au.