Worst Food of the Week – Goldfish Bread
SERIOUSLY PEOPLE, I FEEL LIKE I DON’T EVEN NEED A BLOG POST TO EXPLAIN THIS, that just the name of this product sums it up. Goldfish Bread? Come on.
Pepperidge Farm touts this bread as having “3g of fiber plus essential vitamins and minerals” and “No high fructose corn syrup.” Plus it lists a myriad of health benefit buzz words like “zero trans fat” and “cholesterol free.”
So with all these great health benefits, why am I labeling it as a Worst Food? I’m glad you asked.
Because it’s an overpriced luxury food that Pepperidge Farms would like us to believe is a pantry staple. Each pack contains 8 slices, which, if you are looking to make a sandwich that actually looks like a goldfish, is 4 sandwiches. Not even one week of school lunches. One pack costs around $2 – $3+ depending on where you shop. On the low end, that’s $.25 a slice, $.50 a sandwich. Whhhaaaaatttt?! Come on. Let’s save our money for true necessities (more fresh fruits and veggies, anyone?)
Because it’s just one more novelty food for your kids to neg you about. This product expands the Goldfish franchise. Kids love Goldfish crackers, and by expanding the brand to soup, bread, etc. Pepperidge Farms hopes we’ll keep buying to keep our kids happy. Ever hear of the nag factor? This is one way companies leverage it.
Because kids don’t need goldfish-shaped bread to eat lunch. Somewhere out there I know there’s a parent who is saying “Oh, but my child won’t eat a sandwich unless I make it in a shape!” Bummer. Then don’t try to get your kid to eat sandwiches. Or cut the bread into the shape of a fish. Or – did I say this? – don’t try to get your kid to eat sandwiches.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Someday, if you want to give your kid a special treat of a Goldfish-shaped sandwich, then own this purchase as a one-time treat. Otherwise, save yourself some money and save your sanity — skip the Goldfish bread.
I work at Pepperidge Farm and wanted to let you know that you got your facts wrong about our Goldfish bread. The package contains 8 sandwiches, not 4. A regular loaf of bread contains 16 slices, including the ends, which most people do not use. So in fact, the Goldfish bread contains the same amount of sandwiches as a regular loaf of bread.
Thank you for the correction, Geri. You’re right: I misunderstood the serving size. Because Goldfish Bread is flats, 8 flats will make 8 sandwiches.
If your kids eat whole sandwiches and you don’t need the option for a half sandwich, the cost of Goldfish Bread is on par to regular Pepperidge Farm breads.
I completely disagree. The bread comes in honey wheat and whole wheat, and it is fun. I say anything that gets kids eating a healthy alternative to white bread is great. It might be a novelty and they will outgrow it but by then they will have a taste for wheat breads and that is a healthy habit you can’t put a price on. Plus it is fun to surprise kids with something special in their lunch once in a while. I say it is fun and adorable and makes moms job easier.
Obviously you do not have a picky eater toddler in your household. When I saw the commercial this morning, my heart jumped! Maybe I can get her to eat this! And I loved the commercial…she doesn’t like noisy car washes, either, and it gave me great ideas on how to make it fun. Go eat Roman Meal.
You’re right that I wouldn’t call my kids picky, although they do have specific likes and dislikes. For example, they will only eat about 2 kinds of bread, and one of those kinds is homemade. Sheesh!
I stand by my review of this bread, however. In the end, buying fancy bread to convince my kid to eat a sandwich would make my life more difficult than not trying to get my kid to eat a sandwich. My older son didn’t eat sandwiches until he was 7, and certainly not as a toddler. For us, that was okay.
My opinion is that once kids think they’re supposed to eat special kid food, they have a harder time eating just plain food. Then we, as parents, have more meals to make and we spend more money.