What is a Toaster pastry?

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A toaster pastry is a type of pastry, designed to be safely heated in a toaster. It is a convenience food, generally intended to be eaten for breakfast, but is often a snack. They are frequently referred to as "poptarts", a genericized trademark of Kellogg's original name brand Pop-Tarts [link]. Several generic brands are also produced, as well as other major brands such as Quaker Foods. Pillsbury's Toaster Strudel [link] is an attempt at making a toaster pastry taste like a traditional German strudel with icing.

Most toaster pastries have a fruit filling, but are high in sugar, leading to some criticism that they are mostly "empty" food energy, and detrimental to children's (and some adults') nutrition. Newer versions have addressed this somewhat, putting traditional breakfast foods like eggs, along with bacon, ham, or sausage, into a toaster-ready bread crust. While these are much higher in protein, which helps to sustain energy levels until lunchtime, they are also generally much higher in fat. While fat also releases energy more slowly, the extra food energy can contribute to obesity just as excess sugars can. Leaner versions are also made, but often at the expense of taste.

Nabisco (which is now owned by Kraft Foods) created their own toaster pastry called "Toastettes", to compete with Kellogg's Pop-Tarts.

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