In Boise, staff members of the Idaho Potato Commission gave one another gleeful high-fives when they heard the news. In Houston, the folks at the U.S. Rice Producers' Assn. declared "good riddance." And fruit farmers in California's Central Valley said they were "happy to see them go."
Across the nation, producers of carbohydrate-laden food exulted at the decision by Atkins Nutritionals Inc., the Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based designer of the once-popular low-carbohydrate weight-loss program, to file for bankruptcy protection.
The company said it planned to reorganize and focus mainly on selling nutrition bars and shakes. But analysts and nutritionists said Atkins' bankruptcy filing effectively signaled the demise of the low-carb lifestyle and an era when tens of millions of Americans embraced high-protein diets rich in meat and cheese while eschewing carbohydrates and sugars in grains, fruits and vegetables.
"It just proves that what Atkins was trying to do was just too extreme," said Jeff Yankellow, a South San Francisco baking instructor and winner of the World Cup of Baking in Paris in April. "Bread has survived as a nutritional food for thousands of years, and Atkins isn't going to kill it."
In court papers, the company indicated that it was a victim of fierce competition from large food companies such as Unilever, Kraft Foods Inc. and General Mills Inc., which in the last few years rolled out their own lines of low-carb food.
When the diet was at its peak, fast-food chain Carl's Jr. pushed its lettuce-wrapped Low Carb Six Dollar Burger, Round Table Pizza developed a low-carb crust, Kraft came out with low-carb Oreos and Frito-Lay pitched low-carb Doritos, Tostitos and Cheetos. Many companies, even winemakers, changed their packaging to tout the low-carb content of their products.
The diet was first outlined in a book, "Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution," developed by weight-loss guru Dr. Robert C. Atkins in 1972. Atkins claimed that his diet prompted "ketosis," a metabolic state in which fat is burned more efficiently. Atkins died two years ago after falling and hitting his head on a New York sidewalk.
His books have sold more than 20 million copies in more than 20 languages. Apart from the book, Atkins Nutritionals peddles chocolate shakes and energy bars on its website.
