Frito-Lay to Add 'Smart Snack' Label to Baked Chips
PLANO, Texas -- PepsiCo Inc.'s Frito-Lay unit, in its latest move to market some of its snacks as healthy, announced that it's adding a "smart snack" label with nutrition information to the front of packages of its baked chips.
The move is among several that food companies are taking to promote the nutritional benefits of their products and deflect charges from nutritionists and activists that they are contributing to a rise in obesity and related health problems.
The salty snack-food maker said it's adding the label to products that meet nutrition guidelines set by Kenneth Cooper, the Dallas doctor credited as the father of modern aerobics and who is serving as a health and fitness consultant to PepsiCo.
To meet the guidelines, a one-ounce serving of a snack must contain 150 calories or less, have less than 35 percent of its calories from fat, less than 7 percent of its calories from saturated fat, contain no trans fat, and have 240 milligrams or less of sodium, according to Frito-Lay. Products that meet those criteria include baked versions of Lay's, Ruffles, Doritos, and Tostitos, the company said.
The step is part of an overall effort PepsiCo launched last year to address health concerns. The company earlier this year also removed trans fats, a common ingredient in processed foods, which are considered unhealthy because they raise levels of bad cholesterol, from some of its biggest core brands, including Doritos, Tostitos, and Cheetos.
The move is among several that food companies are taking to promote the nutritional benefits of their products and deflect charges from nutritionists and activists that they are contributing to a rise in obesity and related health problems.
The salty snack-food maker said it's adding the label to products that meet nutrition guidelines set by Kenneth Cooper, the Dallas doctor credited as the father of modern aerobics and who is serving as a health and fitness consultant to PepsiCo.
To meet the guidelines, a one-ounce serving of a snack must contain 150 calories or less, have less than 35 percent of its calories from fat, less than 7 percent of its calories from saturated fat, contain no trans fat, and have 240 milligrams or less of sodium, according to Frito-Lay. Products that meet those criteria include baked versions of Lay's, Ruffles, Doritos, and Tostitos, the company said.
The step is part of an overall effort PepsiCo launched last year to address health concerns. The company earlier this year also removed trans fats, a common ingredient in processed foods, which are considered unhealthy because they raise levels of bad cholesterol, from some of its biggest core brands, including Doritos, Tostitos, and Cheetos.