INDUSTRY NEWS (PRE Sept 2020) | TOGACHIPGUY.com (2025)

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Current Events!


———————————Listen to my March 15th interview with Doug & Kelly on News Radio 810 and 103.1 WGY.

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Watch the latest episode of the History Channel's "The FoodThat Built America "that aired on Natational Potato Chip Day, March 14. Featuring the history of Herman Lay and then rival Fritos!

Click here to watch

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Here is my interview from the Yesterday USA Radio Network
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John Karolefski, author of the blog Grocery Stories at:
https://www.grocerystories.com/

has written a book about grocery shopping. He had requested a quote from me about about chips -- their place in snack history, their popularity, etc.

I had provided him with a quote that I will disclose once his book is published.

The Toga Chip Guy Is On The Air!

I have been interviewed about the history of the potato chip by a California based radio station, Yesterday USA Radio Networks, at 10:30pm New York time on Saturday, September 14th.
Listen here!

Greensboro-made Wicked Crisps burst onto the snack scene

When you walk down the snack aisle at the grocery store, you’ll find plenty of choices.
Lots of customers just buy whatever is on sale that week. But some of those folks are now discovering a new taste that stands out from the rest.
Brad Jones found out more about Wicked Crisps. They’re different from a chip, and they’re Made in North Carolina.
You can find Wicked Crisps in local Food Lion and Publix stores or check out the Wicked Crisps website.

How to See the World's Reflection From a Bag of Chips

MIRRORS HELP YOU see objects outside of your line of sight, whether it’s a car passing you on the highway or an unfortunate rash on your face. And as it turns out, with some extra computer processing, almost any old shiny object can serve as a decent mirror. In new research, computer scientists at the University of Washington have exploited the light reflected from the metallic lining of a bag of snacks to create a relatively faithful reconstruction of its surroundings.

Chips, Chips, Chips - Smart Stocks in The Age of Coronavirus

PLEASANTON, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 23, 2020 / At Valentine Research we have been advising people to look at chips, chips and chips. Three very different kinds of chips. But all three have stocks are great buys now because they will outperform the market for very different reasons.
All this week we will be talking about the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the economy and on stock prices. As of Friday's, close, the Dow and the S&P 500 have both dropped a third in just over a month. Political leaders and central bankers worldwide are racing to reassure the markets.

PepsiCo hires 6,000 employees, provides additional compensation to workers on frontline of pandemic

23-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup
PepsiCo is hiring 6,000 new, full-time employees over the next month and is providing additional compensation to the more than 90,000 frontline employees – those who “make, move, and sell” PepsiCo products – at both PepsiCo Beverages North America and PepsiCo Foods North America.

Kenneth A. Potter
1939 - 2020

Kenneth A. PotterYork - Kenneth A. Potter, 81, passed away Thursday, March 26, 2020 at UPMC-West Shore. He was the husband of Sandra A. (Shultz) Potter to whom he was married for 61 years.

Kellogg snack brands back Overwatch League sweepstakes

Fellow Pa. potato chip maker Utz has deal to buy Berlin-based Snyder

BERLIN – Snyder of Berlin, Somerset County's snack-making mainstay, is in line for a new owner.
Through a definitive agreement last week, Snyder of Berlin and five other potato chip brands will be shifted from $7.8 billion Chicago-based packaged foods conglomerate Conagra Brands to Utz Quality Foods, a fellow Pennsylvania potato chip-maker with a nearly century-old snacking legacy.
"We are excited about the opportunity to add these important brands and capabilities to our portfolio," said Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz. "These brands bring a strong consumer following and unique craft heritage. Their distribution and manufacturing capabilities, along with their customer relationships, enhance our ability to further grow our brand portfolio further west."

Fellow Pa. potato chip maker Utz has deal to buy Berlin-based Snyder

BERLIN – Snyder of Berlin, Somerset County's snack-making mainstay, is in line for a new owner.
Through a definitive agreement last week, Snyder of Berlin and five other potato chip brands will be shifted from $7.8 billion Chicago-based packaged foods conglomerate Conagra Brands to Utz Quality Foods, a fellow Pennsylvania potato chip-maker with a nearly century-old snacking legacy.
"We are excited about the opportunity to add these important brands and capabilities to our portfolio," said Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz. "These brands bring a strong consumer following and unique craft heritage. Their distribution and manufacturing capabilities, along with their customer relationships, enhance our ability to further grow our brand portfolio further west."

Fellow Pa. potato chip maker Utz has deal to buy Berlin-based Snyder

BERLIN – Snyder of Berlin, Somerset County's snack-making mainstay, is in line for a new owner.
Through a definitive agreement last week, Snyder of Berlin and five other potato chip brands will be shifted from $7.8 billion Chicago-based packaged foods conglomerate Conagra Brands to Utz Quality Foods, a fellow Pennsylvania potato chip-maker with a nearly century-old snacking legacy.
"We are excited about the opportunity to add these important brands and capabilities to our portfolio," said Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz. "These brands bring a strong consumer following and unique craft heritage. Their distribution and manufacturing capabilities, along with their customer relationships, enhance our ability to further grow our brand portfolio further west."

New Michigan-made purple potato chips sell out fast

Munching on low-fat potato chips might reduce the guilt compared with full-fat versions, but many people don't find the texture as appealing. Now, researchers have developed a technique to analyze potato chips' physical characteristics from simulated first bite to swallow, which they say could be used to help formulate a tastier low-fat snack. They report their results in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Designing a better low-fat potato chip

Munching on low-fat potato chips might reduce the guilt compared with full-fat versions, but many people don't find the texture as appealing. Now, researchers have developed a technique to analyze potato chips' physical characteristics from simulated first bite to swallow, which they say could be used to help formulate a tastier low-fat snack. They report their results in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Lay's Is Starting The Year Off Right With 3 New Chips That Sound Crazy Flavorful

One of my resolutions for 2020 was to try new things and, let me tell ya, the food industry is making that really easy for me. The latest brand to start off the decade with new products and flavors is none other than Lay's; they'll be releasing three brand new kinds of chips this month.
All three chips are totally different not only in flavor, but also in texture and crunch. The new products are Cheddar Jalapeño, Poppables Sea Salt & Vinegar, and Kettle Cooked Flamin’ Hot. Asking me which one of these is likely to be my favorite is like asking a mother to choose her favorite child. They all sound that good.

PopCorners Spicy Queso chips

PopCorners Spicy Queso chips

Utz owner sells back stake in the chip company

SNACK FOOD SALES SPIKE DURING SUPER BOWL WEEK

Consumer Trends in Convenience: What Americans Are Getting Delivered in 2020

Nightfood/Harris Poll Study Shows 54% of U.S. Consumers Who Snack at Night Often Feel Guilty About Their Nighttime Snack Choices; Nightfood Management Estimates Over Seven Hundred Million Nighttime Snack Occasions Weekly

83% of consumers report snacking at least one night a week, and 20% of consumers report snacking every night
TARRYTOWN, NY, Dec. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Nightfood, Inc. (OTCQB: NGTF), the award-winning ice cream company addressingAmerica’s $50 billion-dollar nighttime snacking problem, today released findings from a new Harris Poll online survey, conducted on their behalf among over 2,000 U.S. adults, on consumer night snacking and sleep quality.
83% of U.S. consumers report snacking at least one night a week, and 20% of consumers report snacking every night. The most popular nighttime snack choices overall are salty snacks (such as chips, popcorn, and pretzels – 84%), baked goods (such as cookies, cake, donuts – 80%), candy (chocolate, gummies, hard candies – 76%), and ice cream (75%).
“Bringing these percentages into actual numbers projects to hundreds of millions of nighttime snack occasions per week in the United States,” noted Nightfood CEO Sean Folkson. “Twenty percent of U.S. adult consumers report snacking every night, so that alone would project to more than three hundred fifty million (355,434,701)[1]snacking occasions weekly. Add to that all the people who snack some or most nights, and then the sporadic people, and you’re potentially going to double that number. Certainly we have some people under 18 also snacking at night, so we think it’s reasonable that the total likely approaches eight hundred million (800,000,000) nighttime snacks each week or more. Some nights it’s cookies, some night chips, some nights ice cream…. but we’re talking hundreds of millions of snack occasions every week, and we believe easily over a billion dollars a week.”

Doritos, Lay's, Tostitos and Cheetos team up in football-themed campaign

Shoprite Bowl & Basket potato chips, pita chips, and pretzels

Company: ShopRite
Website:shop.shoprite.com
Introduced: November/December 2019
Distribution: National
Suggested Retail Price: Varies
Product Snapshot:ShopRite has unveiled two newstore brands that debut on store shelves this month with the best assortment of high-quality foods and products at great everyday value.
ShopRite’s launch of Bowl & Basketand Paperbirdfood and household lines kicks off a transformation of the supermarket’s own brands with newly designed and carefully crafted products, starting with approximately 100 items in November, expanding to 300 by year’s end, and more than 3,500 newly branded products by the end of 2021.

Pringles Rotisserie Chicken, and Parmesan & Roasted Garlic chips

Company: Kellogg Co.
Website:www.pringles.com/us/home.html
Introduced: December 2019
Distribution: National
Suggested Retail Price: $2.69
Product Snapshot: The salty snack crisps come in two new flavors, Rotisserie Chicken and Parmesan & Roasted Garlic, which tap into top culinary trends and open up a whole new world of flavor possibilities through stacking.

Utz Quality Foods Completes Merger With Kitchen Cooked

HANOVER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Utz Quality Foods, LLC announced today that it has completed the merger with Kitchen Cooked Inc. The acquisition includes the Kitchen Cooked snack food brand, direct store delivery (aka DSD) operations and its manufacturing operations.
The Kitchen Cooked snack food brand brings with it a range of fan-favorite potato chips, Kettle Kurls, Kettle Pops, popcorn, pretzels and more.
"We are very excited about the opportunity to add this important snack food brand and set of capabilities to our portfolio," said Dylan Lissette, Chief Executive Officer, Utz Quality Foods, LLC. "Since the 1930’s, Kitchen Cooked brings a strong consumer following and unique craft heritage in its core markets. Their distribution and manufacturing capabilities, along with their customer relationships, enhance our ability to grow our Utz brand portfolio further west."

PepsiCo Exec Reveals 2020's 'Hot' and Boozy Snack Trends

By Mike Nam
While savory snacking options in 2020 will maintain the classic comfort flavors, snackers might be in for an extra kick when they open a bag of chips, according to research published by Frito-Lay North America, a subsidiary of Pepsico.
"Spicy things continue to be a really 'hot' trend," Denise Lefebvre, SVP, R&D, Global Food at PepsiCo told Cheddar. "[Consumers are] really leaning towards different, broader — jalapeno, habanero, ghost pepper — and really want to understand the depth and the level of spice that might provide them."
Beloved flavors like cheddar and sour cream or sour cream and onion continue to be popular for snack brands like those under PepsiCo's ownership, but globalization is evolving the tastes of consumers, according to Lefebvre.

When science and snacks converge: Bright purple BFY potato chips emerge

Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) have collaborated with a US family-owned snack producer to create limited edition potato chips that are packed with antioxidants.

Chip makers’ experimentation with flavor pays off

Chip purchases are nearly universal with 94% of respondents to a 2019 Mintel survey saying they bought some kind of chips in the past year. Consumers gravitate to familiar brands and tastes and perceive chips as an indulgence, which may be a challenge to market expansion, but opportunities lie in new flavor combinations, functionality and healthy innovations.
“Taste, craveability and the desire to ‘treat yourself’ are driving consumer choice for more indulgent salty snacks,” said Tom Vierhile, vice-president, strategic insights, North America, Innova Market Insights.

PepsiCo leaning in on sustainability goals: ‘Companies like us no longer have a choice’

PepsiCo is stepping up its sustainability goals with the ambition of supporting system-wide change. FoodNavigator spoke to Chris Daly, vice president of sustainability for Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, to find out more.

Stacy’s limited-edition bags spotlight Women’s Entrepreneurship Day

Stacy’s Pita Chips has released three designer bags in Kroger’s US stores in honor of the November 19 celebration and PepsiCo's broader WomanMade platform.

Frito-Lay Releases U.S. Snack Index and No Need to Check Twice: It's Family, Friends and Food that Make the Holidays Nice

More nutritious snacking options: PepsiCo to acquire maker of PopCorners snacks, BFY Brands

03 Dec 2019 --- PepsiCo is set to acquire BFY Brands, the maker of PopCorners snacks. Upon closing, BFY Brands will report into PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division. The acquisition will expand Frito-Lay’s portfolio to offer consumers more nutritious snacking options. The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals, including regulatory approvals.

PepsiCo Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire BFY Brands Expanding Better-For-You Portfolio and Production Capabilities

PURCHASE, N.Y., Dec. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire BFY Brands, the maker of PopCorners snacks. Upon closing, BFY Brands will report into PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division.

PepsiCo to Acquire New York-Based BFY Brands

PepsiCo plans to acquire BFY Brands, home to the brand PopCorners. The deal, announced for an undisclosed sum, will see PepsiCo "further deliver" on its "vision to offer consumers more positive nutritious options".

Owned by private-equity firm Permira since 2015, BFY Brands has two manufacturing facilities in New York state. The company's product portfolio includes snacks sold under PopCorners sub-brands such as Flex Protein Crisps and Flourish Veggie Crisps. Employing around 750 staff, BFY Brands is also a contract manufacturer of popped snacks.

Snacking is rising to all occasions, report finds

America Intensifies its Snacking Habits

Americans are willing to go above and beyond for their snacks.
A poll conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Moonstruck Chocolate Co. found 18% of consumers would forgo all of their electronic devices for one month to snag a lifetime supply of snacks, reported New York Post (Dec. 3). A sixth would even completely shave their heads.
Spending an average of $9.22 a week, Americans' snack purchases total $479.44 a year, meaning the average respondent will spend $28,766.40 on snacks alone during their lifetime.

CONAGRA BRANDS COMPLETES DIVESTITURE OF DIRECT-STORE-DELIVERY MODEL SNACKS BUSINESS TO UTZ QUALITY FOODS, LLC

Chicago, October 21, 2019 — Today Conagra Brands, Inc. (CAG) announced that it has completed the divestiture of the portion of its snacks business that operates under a Direct-Store-Delivery (DSD) model to Utz Quality Foods, LLC. The brands included in the sale are Tim’s® Cascade Snacks, Hawaiian® Snacks, Erin’s®, El Restaurante®, Snyder® of Berlin, Pop-N-Thin® and Husman’s®. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Lay's Giveaway Offers Year of Free Chips for Selfies with New Packaging

Lay's first global packaging update in 12 years takes an Insta-worthy approach to flavor. Snap a selfie with Lay's new chip packaging and you could win one year of free chips.
Between now and November 29, simply snap a photo of yourself with any one of the new Lay's bag designs and upload the image to www.GottaHaveLays.com for a chance to be one of five winners per day in the "Gotta Have Lay's" giveaway, which at 200 winners total adds up to 10,000 free bags of Lay's potato chips to share.

PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay cracks three of the top five snack brands among American teens

The snack market is being defined by the tastes of Gen Zs, who are cutting back on fashion to channel pocket money towards eating on-the-go and snacks like Lay’s, Doritos and Cheeto’s.

Targeted innovation and apt marketing help PepsiCo’s snack portfolio

PepsiCo's net revenue increased more than 4% in the third quarter, with big-name snack brands, Quaker and smaller premium brands boosting sales and profits.

If You Like Eating Hot Cheetos, These Are Probably All The Reasons Why

I swear the crinkliness of the bags has been optimized for pleasure.

Frito-Lay Shares This Summer's U.S. Snack Index

The summer season is packed with snacks. To explore just where, when and how Americans will snack this summer, Frito-Lay today unveiled the next installment of itsU.S. Snack Index.
Snacks play an integral role in the summertime experience. As the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day historically starts a spike and then snacking hits its highest point during the week ofJuly 4. In fact, according to retail sales data, the week ofJuly 4represents the biggest snacking week of the entire year for Frito-Lay.
"Delighting consumers with a wide variety of snack options has always been our first priority, and it's helped us earn our spot in 94 percent of America's pantries,1" saidMike Del Pozzo, senior vice president of sales, chief customer officer, Frito-Lay North America. "As snacking heats up in the summer months, so do our efforts to make sure that we are delivering the perfect side to any summer occasion."
The broad majority of Americans – nearly nine out of 10 – see snacking as important to summer occasions or can't imagine summer without their favorite snacks. And when it comes to summertime events, there are quite literally millions of them.

PepsiCo boosts precision agri tech for Walkers, Lay’s and Doritos brands

The snacks and drink giant has built up its iCrop precision agriculture tool to better support potato, corn, oats and peanut farmers make in-field decisions, PepsiCo Europe’s head of agricultural procurement tells FoodNavigator.

Utz Quality Foods Supports Technology Learning at Local School Districts

HANOVER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Utz Quality Foods, LLC, announced today a combined $200,000 donation for the Hanover Public School District and Conewago Valley School District.

The $100,000 donation for the Hanover Public School District will fund equipment and training to enhance its high school mechatronics program and increase exposure with an expansion to include middle school students. The $100,000 donation for the Conewago Valley School District will be used for mechatronics equipment for the new Colonial Career and Technology Center at New Oxford High School, which will support manufacturing and trades education. Each mechatronics programs help students learn more about the engineering of electrical and mechanical systems and are used with a combination of supportive computers, robotics, telecommunications and other learning methods.

Cheetos-themed apparel arrives at Forever 21

Frito-Lay Poll Reveals Summer Snacking Habits

Convenience is the most important snacking factor for summer travel snackers, with more than half of Americans picking up single-serve packaging options.Frito-Lay published a new edition of its U.S. Snack Index,a national survey that reveals how different generations, regions and cities snack during the summer season.
The companypartnered with Morning Consult for the poll, which was conducted between May 1-5among a national sample of 2,200 adults.
“Delighting consumers with a wide variety of snack options has always been our first priority, and it’s helped us earn our spot in 94% of America’s pantries,” said Mike Del Pozzo, senior vice president of sales, chief customer officer, Frito-Lay North America. “As snacking heats up in the summer months, so do our efforts to make sure that we are delivering the perfect side to any summer occasion.”

ParmCrisps Launches Explosion of Innovation as it Surges into Snacking

ParmCrisps Launches Explosion of Innovation as it Surges into Snacking
The Keto-friendly Cracker Establishes Dominance in Rapid-Growing Category by Continuing to Push Flavors and Formats.
FAIRFIELD, NJ (May 13, 2019) – ParmCrisps, the nutritionally on-trend snack brand, has launchedtwo game-changing flavors and two new formats that solidify ParmCrisps as the leading millennial snack. Adding Sour Cream & Onion and Cheddar to their repertoire, along with Family Sizes and Multipacks, ParmCrisps is bringing traditional Chip and Cracker flavors and formats to the 100% Cheese Crisp category.

Utz snack company reveals new Little Utz Girl design, announces animated short stories

By Sean Adams | sadams@pennlive.com
If you’ve tried Utz potato chips, you’re probably familiar with the Little Utz Girl logo.
Well, that familiar face is getting a new look.
The Hanover-based snack food company posted an image of a new design for the Little Utz Girl on their Facebook page, as well as a brief animated video. Take a look:

Cape Cod & Samuel Adams Brewery launch ‘first-of-its-kind’ limited edition chips

MARION, OHIO — There are trend watchers, and there are trendsetters. Then there are the game changers. After more than 80 years in business, Wyandot Snacks has honed its skills at allthree.
Who would have guessed that a family-owned company in rural Marion was once one of the largest exporters of raw popcorn? That was, at one point in history, the distinction that Wyandot Snacks hung its hat on. But for this company — and the Brown family, which founded and still owns Wyandot — success does not end with a crowning achievement. It’s only the beginning.

How Wyandot accelerated growth through better-for-you snacks

MARION, OHIO — There are trend watchers, and there are trendsetters. Then there are the game changers. After more than 80 years in business, Wyandot Snacks has honed its skills at allthree.
Who would have guessed that a family-owned company in rural Marion was once one of the largest exporters of raw popcorn? That was, at one point in history, the distinction that Wyandot Snacks hung its hat on. But for this company — and the Brown family, which founded and still owns Wyandot — success does not end with a crowning achievement. It’s only the beginning.

Fritos® Partners With Carry The Load To Salute Our Nation's Heroes

PLANO, Texas, May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Fritos®, the flagship brand of PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division, is teaming up with Carry The Load, a non-profit dedicated to providing active, meaningful ways to honor and celebrate the sacrifices made by our nation's heroes, to produce nearly 22 million specially marked bags to honor past and present heroes. The number of bags is symbolic in that it represents the total members who have served in the American military throughout history (including active-duty). To further its commitment, the brand will also donate $100,000 to Carry The Load to support its ongoing efforts to provide healing services via non-profit partners for the mind, body and soul of our warriors.

When The Sun Is Back, It's Time To Pack The Snacks: Frito-Lay Reveals Its Next U.S. Snack Index Just In Time For Summer

PLANO, Texas, May 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --It's official. The summer season is packed with snacks. To explore just where, when and how Americans will snack this summer, Frito-Lay today unveiled the next installment of its U.S. Snack Index.
Snacks play an integral role in the summertime experience. As the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day historically starts a spike and then snacking hits its highest point during the week of July 4. In fact, according to retail sales data, the week of July 4 represents the biggest snacking week of the entire year for Frito-Lay.