Oreo is raising eyebrows with its latest creation: Zero Sugar Chocolate Sandwich Cookies.
The brand announced the product, which is meant to taste just like a signature Oreo cookie, earlier this week. While the cookies are slated for release in the U.S. in January, a specific date hasn’t been shared.
Unlike a regular Oreo — which has nearly five grams of sugar per cookie — the newest Oreo has zero grams of sugar.
Instead of sugar, the cookie has artificial sweeteners, like sucralose and acesulfame potassium (also known as Ace-K). The cookies also contain sorbitol, a sugar alcohol derived from glucose that is naturally found in certain fruits. Other ingredients used to help achieve the sweetness, are maltitol, a sugar alcohol, and polydextrose, often used as a source of dietary fiber.
However, people on X raised questions about the hard-to-pronounce ingredients and how healthy they are.
“Reading that ingredient list feels like a chemistry exam I didn’t study for,” one quipped, while another wrote: “Rule of thumb, if you can’t pronounce the ingredient, it’s likely no good.”
“Why not just put asbestos in them at this point,” a third wrote, referring to microscopic fibers that can get stuck in the lungs and lead to cancer.
“All these damn mystery ingredients? Just have the sugar, or find something else to eat,” a fourth tweeted as another agreed: “Those 4 words sounds so much more unhealthy for you than sugar.”
“Bet they’ll taste terrible and be even worse for your health than the ones with actual natural sugar,” someone else added.
The Independent has contacted Oreo for comment.
The new product includes 10 bags that each contain two cookies, to help “your portion control and sweet tooth companion,” according to Oreo.
“Oreo Zero Sugar offers the classic taste of Oreo, while allowing you to keep your health & wellness goals,” a product description reads.
Comparing the nutrition data on Zero Sugar and regular Oreos is tricky, since the serving sizes differ.
Two Oreo Zero Sugar cookies have 90 calories, 4.5 grams of fat and 16 grams of carbohydrates. A serving of regular Oreos, which is defined as three cookies, has 160 calories, 7 grams of fat and 25 grams of carbohydrates.
Last month, Oreo turned heads when it launched a special cookie flavor in honor of Thanksgiving. The online-exclusive and limited-time “Oreo Thanksgiving Dinner Cookie Tin” contained 12 fudge-covered cookies in six different flavors, including Pumpkin Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Sweet Potato, Creamed Corn, Caramel Apple Pie, and Turkey and Stuffing.
