Potato chips get a bad rep, often from other snacks that aim to prove themselves as healthier alternatives. Fritio-Lay appears to be making some efforts to change this image, by cutting out artificial ingredients.
“If the ingredient isn’t in a consumer’s cupboard, can we get it off the label?” says Tim Fink, director of Frito-Lay’s seasonings team. The company is also reducing the sodium content of many of its popular chip brands by 25 percent, but they’re not advertising the change for fear that people will associate the new version with tasteless health food.
Tostitos tortilla chips, multigrain SunChips, Rold Gold pretzels and of course Lay’s flavored potato chips will no longer be made with about 36 of the artificial ingredients they currently contain. For example, FD&C Red 40, and artificial coloring, will be replaced with beet juice, purple cabbage and carrots.
By then end of the year they hope to make half of Frito-Lay snacks sold in the U.S. with only natural ingredients. Some of the made-over products are already available in stores.
What do you think? Is this a real improvement or a token change?
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