A COMPANY has capitalised on the popularity of healthier foods by introducing a range of 98 per cent fat-free ice cream to the UK.

Richmond Ice Creams, based at Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, has brought Skinny Cow to Britain.

Launched in the US in 1992, Skinny Cow's recipe of low fat ice-cream on a stick has been a runaway success.

Its range of products, which include chocolate peanut butter and vanilla caramel pecan flavours, are so low in fat they cannot legally be called ice cream. Instead, they are referred to as ice desserts.

Richmond Ice Creams is the largest ice cream manufacturer in the UK and signed a licensing agreement with Silhouette Brands in the US to manufacture and market the Skinny Cow range last year.

The company was initially approached by Asda, which saw a market for Skinny Cow in the UK, as it was already a proven success in the US at the supermarket chain's parent group Wal-Mart.

Skinny Cow went on the shelves in Asda stores around the country on January 1 and will be exclusive to the chain until September. For now, it is available in three flavours; Chocolate Fudge, Cookies 'n' Cream and Very Berry, but Richmond Ice Cream is planning to extend the range in the near future.

Less than five per cent of the take-home ice cream market is occupied by health products and Richmond is trying to change the perception that low fat ice cream is for people on diets.

Marketing director Kate Needham said: "It is a great product. It is all about healthy eating and not about dieting. It is just such a great name and engages everybody that sees it.

"It is so different from all the other diet brands. It does not compromise on taste at all.

"The products have been selling really well and it has exceeded our expectations."

Skinny Cow is also causing a stir among dieters, because each ice cream contains less than 100 calories.