Holes In Doughnuts Save Calories, Bakery Chain Declares

Good news, Homer Simpson: Doughnuts—specifically, the type with a hole in the center—are a healthier alternative than jam-filled doughnuts. That's according to U.K. bakery chain Greggs, which has recently begun steering shoppers toward its center-hole doughnuts as part of a corporate effort to encourage healthy eating. The even sweeter news: Greggs appears to be completely sincere in this effort.

Multiple U.K. outlets report Greggs has created displays that prioritize the ring-shaped doughnuts over cream-filled ones, as swapping the former for the latter can save customers roughly 100-125 calories. According to The Times, Greggs CEO Roger Whiteside recently told attendees of a conference regarding childhood obesity that the holes in ring-shaped doughnuts "take some of the calories out." "People like big cakes, not little cakes," he continued. "We know that we shouldn't be encouraging people to eat large cakes, but the problem is you have to go with demand." It's not reported that he said this with any sense of irony or humor.

We also urge Greggs to consider switching any signage from doughnuts to "donuts," as the -ugh probably contains at least a dozen empty calories.