Is Atkins Nutritionals Up For Sale?

Is it time to stock up on your favorite Atkins products before they're gone?

A lot has happened to the namesake company for the world's most famous low-carbohydrate diet plan, begun by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, in just the past year. Although Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is no longer affiliated with anyone in the Atkins family (Dr. Atkins' widow Veronica Atkins cut ties with the business and started the philanthropic Dr. Robert C. Atkins Foundation charity which has given well over $225 million in donations worldwide), many of the harshest critics of the Atkins diet STILL erroneously link the business and the diet. IDIOTS! Let's get one thing straight right off the bat--Atkins Nutritionals and the Atkins diet are NOT the same.

With that said, Atkins Nutritionals has experienced quite a rollercoaster ride from where it was just two years ago. After riding high with a full line of low-carb products in 2004 when everyone was trying to get in on the "low-carb craze" as the media calls it, sales quickly began to drop last year and caused the company to have to file for bankruptcy in August 2005. Predictably, the media and critics took advantage of this opportunity to bash the Atkins diet claiming it had failed just because the company that features the Atkins name was struggling financially at the time. Sigh.

Of course, we cannot underestimate the impact that the frivolous lawsuit from Jody Gorran played in contributing to the money woes that Atkins Nutritionals experienced. But Atkins Nutritionals understandably realized that their product line was severely bloated and needed to be whittled down to the bestselling products, namely their outstanding bars and shakes. So, that's exactly what their plan was earlier this year when they emerged from bankruptcy ready to move forward through 2006 and beyond.

I wrote back in January this year that Atkins Nutritionals could emerge out of this business setback stronger and continue to provide excellent products for people who are livin' la vida low-carb as long as they never forget to invoke the spirit of the man whose name they represent.

"They need to remember who and what they stand for. Dr. Atkins was a man before his time, a true visionary. He knew his life's work was important enough to invest many hours of time and energy into helping people achieve lasting weight loss. He obviously found great joy during his life in helping people reach this breakthrough moment in their lives. Whether Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is here tomorrow or not, low-carb will continue to roar on!"

And yet, despite generating $215 million in sales in 2005, it seems Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is now in trouble yet again. A source revealed to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog that Atkins Nutritionals is currently being shopped around for a buyer because of their continued financial difficulties. The source added that the company that has been manufacturing the Atkins shakes and bars has ceased new packaging production because they have not been paid by Atkins Nutritionals for past orders they have fulfilled.

What this means to the low-carb consumers who use the Atkins products is that what you see available in stores that stock Atkins products right now may be the last of the inventory for a while until the company can either be sold and/or the bills are brought up-to-date. In other words, this might be a good time to stock up on the Atkins products you will need for the rest of the year so you will have them on hand in case products of new products stops for good. How sad that would be!

Of course, you don't NEED the Atkins shakes or bars to do the Atkins diet, but there are certain nutrients and ingredients that are found in these products that are hard to find elsewhere. I personally drink one Atkins shake per day and would miss being able to have access to them if Atkins Nutritionals suddenly went away. But, again, low-carb living won't be dead if something were to happen to the Atkins company. Low-carb has evolved well enough now that it is not dependent on any company to sustain its existence.

While the Atkins haters will continue their concerted efforts against the diet, news that Atkins Nutritionals is struggling will only send these people into a joyous uproar. But that doesn't concern me in the least because more than 60,000 pageviews were logged at my low-carb blog in August 2006 alone! In other words, PEOPLE ARE STILL VERY INTERESTED IN LOW-CARB--Atkins Nutritionals or not!

I wish Atkins Nutritionals well in their efforts to sell the company to an investor who will care enough about the company to get back to the vision that Dr. Atkins had for it when he started it several years ago. There's still a need that Atkins Nutritionals can meet for the tens of millions of people who are overweight and obese and desperately looking for a way to get their weight under control for good. Only time will tell if the right investor will come along to revive the company with a refocus on why they came into existence in the first place. It may be too late now, but we can hope that it is not.