Northern Irish bakery launches skinny sandwich for dieters

Irwin's Bakery in Northern Ireland has launched a new product aimed at health conscious shoppers. The company, based at Portadown in county Armagh and Northern Ireland's largest independent bakery, has introduced Sandwich Skinnys, a lower calorie bread product.

The latest product from the family-owned and managed business contains less that 100 calories and is a soft bread pocket available in both white and brown versions.

Sandwich Skinnys has been created by the company to meet the growing demand from consumers seeking a lighter packed lunch option.

Hannan Robinson, marketing manager at Irwin's Bakery, says: "While bread is a naturally low fat food we know that many consumers are looking for lower calorie alternatives to their lunchtime sandwich particularly at this time of year.

"Sandwich Skinnys are one option which can save around 100 calories when compared to a normal sandwich and we've really seen a lift in sales in January."

The product, already listed by Tesco, Asda and several convenience store groups, has been developed for the growing 'sandwich alternatives' market which was worth around £25.5 million in the UK last year.

The sandwich alternatives market grew by 17.7 per cent in 2013.

"Irwin's has been following this trend closely and responding quickly to the demand by introducing products such as our bagel range last summer and now Sandwich Skinnys," she adds.