You Were Expecting a Knuckle Sandwich?

A new line of snack food steps into the ring.

When brand developer Peter Arnell dropped 250 pounds, he did it on a diet of seaweed and green tea. Now, partnered with Muhammad Ali and Mars Inc., the 48-year-old middleweight has introduced a line of boxing-themed snacks—called G.O.A.T., or Greatest of All Time—aimed at obese youth. Armed with CAD software and wooden models, Arnell and his team translated sweet-science imagery, from the medicine ball to the punching bag, into edible forms. Tokyo-based printer Dai Nippon used a die-cut technique that it developed for detergent packaging to create the glove-shaped metallized-polyester pouches.

But what about the food itself—contender or palooka? Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, takes a dim view of G.O.A.T.’s purported healthiness—“Any ingredient list this long means big trouble”—but thinks that it might still help dieters. “Of course these are weight-loss products,” Nestle says. “Nobody in their right mind is going to eat them.”

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