'SCHENECTADY GAZETTE - Space-Age snack gets \'Unwrapped\''

02:54 Dec 31, 2023 3 1

'Richardson Brands once again will be featured on national television, this time for manufacturing the once-sought-after Space Food Sticks.  A camera crew from the Food Network show \"Unwrapped\" visited the company\'s manufacturing facility Wednesday to record how the protein bars that once traveled in space are made.  \"Unwrapped\" is a weekly program that takes viewers behind the scenes and into the manufacturing plants of their favorite everyday foods, like peanut butter, french fries and bubble gum.  Producer Jim Mullen said Wednesday that the spotlight on Space Food Sticks was part of an \"Unwrapped\" episode that will be about different space-themed treats.  Space Food Sticks were originally created in the 1960s out of a collaboration between NASA and Pillsbury to come up with a tasty food that astronauts could take with them into space. Pillsbury scientists created an energy stick that could be slipped into astronauts\' helmets and provide essential nutrients in case of an emergency.  Pillsbury created a commercial spinoff of the product, calling them Space Food Sticks. They are essentially protein bars that were marketed as an energy stick that provides balanced amounts of carbohydrates, protein and fats. By the mid-1970s, the bars had disappeared from the shelves. A crew from the Food Network was on hand Wednesday at Richardson Foods in Canajoharie to film a segment on the company\'s Space Food Sticks bar. It will appear on the network\'s \"Unwrapped\" show. A crew from the Food Network was on hand Wednesday at Richardson Foods in Canajoharie to film a segment on the company\'s Space Food Sticks bar. It will appear on the network\'s \"Unwrapped\" show. Watch Video\"  About 10 years ago, Long Island entrepreneur Eric Lefcowitz sought to revive the food, which he loved as a child.  \"Everyone wanted to be like the gods, who at the time were the astronauts,\" Lefcowitz said Wednesday as he watched chocolate Space Food Stick batter being poured at the Canajoharie manufacturing plant.  It took more than five years for Lefcowitz to purchase the rights to make the product from Pillsbury and find a company to do the manufacturing. Richardson Brands has been manufacturing the bars for the past four years.  Lefcowitz is now the head of Retrofuture Products, a company that manages the Web sites Retrofuture.com and Funkyfoods.com, which sell products like Astronaut Ice Cream, Miracle Fruit Tablets and Space Food Sticks.  Lefcowitz said he was excited about the national attention for the product and spent most of the morning recording the manufacturing process with his iPhone.  \"This started as a simple man with a dream, and this national attention is like that dream coming true,\" he said.  Richardson Brands is not new to national attention. This is the third time the manufacturer has been on the Food Network, which previously featured the company\'s rock candy and gourmet mints.  Richard Hersey, operations manager for the Canajoharie manufacturing plant, said Monday that the company is trying to do more with smaller retailers like Lefcowitz. He said it is a niche market because the bigger candy manufacturers don\'t want to be bothered with relatively small orders. Several times a year, Lefcowitz purchases a few hundred cases of Space Food Sticks, which is a one-day job for the factory.  Space Food Sticks are not available at everyday food stores, but they can be found at the Kennedy Space Center and Disney World and, of course, online.' 

Tags: TV , candy , Richardson Brands , Canajoharie

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