Burger King enters the healthier eating market with new low calorie 'satisfries' Fast food chain say the fries have 20 per cent less fat than regular versions Newly-designed batter means the potato will absorb less oil, company says Fries are crinkle-cut so that staff can tell the difference when serving Healthy option: The new Burger King 'Satisfries', above, have 20 per cent less calories than regular fries Burger King has unveiled a low calorie version of its classic french fries which they say are 20 per cent healthier, but taste the same. The world's second biggest hamburger chain will launch a crinkle-cut chip on Tuesday that they say has 70 calories less than a same size portion of their regular potato side dish. A small order of the new Satisfries clocks in at 270 calories because of a new batter which doesn't absorb as much oil. By comparison, a small order of regular fries has 340 calories. The concept of taking an indulgent food and removing the 'guilt' is proving a growing trend in the fast food and snack market with big name crisp and biscuit brands such as Walkers and Oreo's all having launched healthier versions of their products. The 'low fat', 'less salt' or 'sugar free' options being released manufacturers are designed to play on the customer's inability to give up their food vices while they struggle to eat better. The goal of these products is to create an alternative for diners which compromises on calories, but not taste. With that concept in mind, Burger King executives say people won't be able to tell that Satisfries are altered to be 'healthier'. They contain exactly the same ingredients as regular fries: potatoes, oil and batter. And they will even make the chips in the same fryers by cooking for them same amount of time as regular calorie versions. The difference, Burger King says, is that it adjusts the proportions of ingredients in the batter to block out more oil. The company declined to be more specific when asked how this is done. As well as being a gimmick, the crinkle-cut shape is in part so workers will be able to easily distinguish them from the regular fries when they're deep frying them together. Eric Hirschhorn, Burger King's chief marketing officer said: 'You need to make things as simple as possible.' Alex Macedo, head of North American operations at Burger King, said the chain worked with one of its potato suppliers, McCain Foods, to develop the lower-calorie fries. Full fat: A small portion of regular Burger King fries, above, contains 320 calories, while Satisfries have just 270 He said McCain can't sell the fries to other fast-food clients and that different suppliers might have a tough time imitating them with Burger King took great pains keep the launch of Satisfries under wraps. Last week, reporters were invited to preview a 'top secret new product' at a New York City hotel, where they were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements. Attendees were each served a carton of the fries on a plate that looked and tasted like any other fries, even leaving the familiar grease stains in their paper cartons. Burger King led off its presentation by comparing the fries to the 'leading french fries', which are made by rival McDonald's. On a pound-for-pound basis, executives noted that the new fries have 30 percent fewer calories than those served at the Golden Arches. The comparison to McDonald's may prove to be confusing for some, since fast-food chains each have their own definitions of what qualifies as a small, medium or large. A small serving at McDonald's, for example, weighs considerably less than a small order at Burger King. As a result, a small order of McDonald's fries has 230 calories, which is still less than the 270 calories for a small serving of Burger King's Satisfries. A 'value' order of Satisfries at Burger King, which is closer in weight to the small size at McDonald's, has 190 calories. Satisfries is the latest gambit by Burger King Worldwide Inc. to revive its image after a series of ownership changes in recent years. 3G Capital, the Brazilian private investment firm that bought the chain and took it private in 2010, kicked off a campaign last spring with a revamped menu and star-studded ad campaign. Counting calories: Burger King's launch of a healthier french fry is telling of the fast food industry as a whole moving toward 'guilt-free' dining The splashy moves came just before 3G announced a deal to take Burger King public again. The deal was structured in a way that let 3G more than recoup the $3.26 billion it paid for the chain, while still maintaining a majority stake. Burger King's stock price is up 37 percent over the past year and trading close to $20 per share. The company has continued to press ahead with new menu items in hopes of pushing up soft sales, but the efforts haven't yet yielded results. For its second quarter, sales at restaurants open at least a year slipped 0.5 percent in the U.S. and Canada, where it has about 7,200 locations. The metric is a key gauge of health because it strips out the volatility of newly opened and closed locations. Still, Burger King is betting Satisfries will be so popular that people will even be willing fork over more money for them. The suggested price for a small order of Satisfries is $1.89, compared with $1.59 for regular fries. That's a 19 percent markup.