Faced with a declining number of low-carb dieters and sagging sales, Atkins Nutritionals has altered its “net carbs” method by using parts of the latest trend from Europe — a glycemic-index diet — to target U.S. food companies for products bearing the new “net Atkins count” seal.

bq. The new label has appeared on Atkins nutrition and breakfast bars since January. Atkins says the method more accurately gauges a dieter’s blood sugar response to foods, and subsequent weight gain, and is far more precise than the net carbs subtraction method.

“We see this as the standard and the next generation for measuring net carb and blood sugar impact,” said Matthew Wiant, Atkins’ chief marketing officer.