In keeping with its global commitments to nutrition, health and wellness and its leadership in providing treats in a more permissible way, Nestlé Canada announced today that its SMARTIES packaging is getting a refresh. The new innovative packaging takes portion control a step further by making it more intuitive. By providing portion guidance indicators, consumers can choose how much of the colorful treat they want to consume, while being mindful of portion size.

Globally, Nestlé committed to only selling children’s products that meet its Nutritional Foundation Criteria by the end of 2014. In Canada, SMARTIES has incorporated portion guidance indicators on its regular products and reduced the size of its seasonal products to achieve this goal. This commitment also meant discontinuing successful products that do not meet the Foundation Criteria, including the King Size SMARTIES box and some seasonal gifting items.

“We are motivated everyday by our nutrition, health and wellness commitments, and within those commitments is our goal to educate consumers and empower them with helpful information and guidance,” says Terri Tinella, President, Confectionery, Nestlé Canada. “These changes are all about giving Canadians the treats they love while empowering them to make informed choices.”

The changes, which encourage consumers to enjoy some treats now and save the rest for later if they choose, include:

SMARTIES regular box is now physically divided into three compartments, all containing a responsible single portion.

SMARTIES cello bag is now a recyclable canister with a custom lid, allowing consumers to measure out a portion.

All seasonal large, hollow SMARTIES figures and packages have been reduced to a single portion.

 SMARTIES is on a journey of continuous improvement and the brand has played a leadership role in nutrition, health and wellness for many years. In 2009, SMARTIES removed all artificial colors and in 2011 all artificial flavors were removed. In addition, the brand uses 100% sustainably sourced cocoa for its Canadian-made products which are produced in a peanut free facility.