Wow! Chips — Product Fail

WOW! CHIPS, FRITO-LAY (1998)

This line of chips was made with Olestra, an artificial fat that was supposed to pass harmlessly through your digestive tract. Gastrointestinal side effects of an unmentionable variety ensued, followed by lawsuits.

I don’t remember these chips in particular, but I grew up in the 90s and I definitely remember the Olestra chip movement. It was an interesting concept — an artificial fat that was supposed to pass harmlessly through my digestive tract. I do remember the tummy aches that it caused in people. I don’t think I personally experienced gastrointestinal distress, but I remember others being bothered by the effects.

It seems that Frito-Lay deceptively marketed their Olestra chips, and it was sued, among others, by a Massachusetts consumer for deceptively marketing its line of “Light” potato chips that contained Olestra.

The plaintiff, a 30-year-old woman from Braintree, Mass., experienced severe gas, cramps, and an urgent need to go to the bathroom after eating Ruffles Light potato chips.

She said that she would not have bought the product had she known the chips contained Olestra and she asked the court to require labels on Light chips warning consumers about the potential for adverse reactions.

Frito-Lay knew about the adverse reactions but deceptively labeled its products, which is misleading. This is a good example of a product fail. Frito-Lay took a risk putting a product on the market with such adverse side effects, and the fallout was negative. It seems like common sense to NOT put such a product on the shelves, but in some ways, I understand the appeal of a fat substitute for dieters. It sounds great and calorie count was lower, but the side effects were less than desirable. It looks like these chips were pulled from the market with minimal problems, and Frito-Lay survived the misstep. But I’m sure some lessons were learned about selling snacks that make people feel sick.