Sun Chips is a brand of fried grains, rippled, multigrain chips launched in 1991 and produced by

Frito-Lay Frito-Lay is an American subsidiary of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets, and sells corn chips, potato chips, and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-fla ...

Flavors

Permanent flavors include ''Original'', ''Harvest Cheddar'', ''French Onion'', ''Chili Lime'', and ''Garden Salsa''. In 2016, two Veggie Harvest flavors were added, ''Farmhouse Ranch'' and ''Tomato, Basil and Cheese'' that include vegetables. Limited edition flavors have included Cinnamon Crunch early in 2007 (the flavor is still produced as a seasonal item in the US, reappearing near the end of the year for the holidays), as well as Honey Graham and Apple 'n Caramel in 2009. Internationally, other flavors have been introduced such as

bulgogi ''Bulgogi'' (불고기; ; from Korean ''bul-gogi'' ), literally "fire meat", is a ''gui'' (구이; Korean-style grilled or roasted dish) made of thin, marinated slices of meat, most commonly beef, grilled on a barbecue or on a stove-top gri ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

Pork enzymes

In the past, some Frito-Lay brand seasoned products, including some flavors of Sun Chips, contained pork

enzymes Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. ...

in addition to herbs, cheese, and other seasonings. Frito-Lay's web site states that they use enzymes from pigs (porcine enzymes) in some of their seasoned snack products to develop "unique flavors". The presence of pig-derived ingredients made them

haram ''Haram'' (; ar, حَرَام, , ) is an Arabic term meaning 'Forbidden'. This may refer to either something sacred to which access is not allowed to the people who are not in a state of purity or who are not initiated into the sacred knowle ...

(forbidden) for Muslims, not

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

for Jews, and not

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

. As of April 5, 2011, Frito-Lay's online list "U.S. Products Made Without Pig (Porcine) Enzymes" catalogs nine flavors of Sun Chips "made and distributed in the U.S." that do not contain porcine enzymes.

Compostable bags

In April 2008, Frito Lay introduced compostable packaging for the SunChips product line. The bag is made of plant-based material. It will break down within 14 weeks in a hot, active

compost pile Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

Noise complaints

In October 2010, Frito-Lay stated that the compostable package would be pulled back in the United States. The bag created excessive noise when held or wrinkled, which led to complaints. In response to various complaints, Frito Lay announced that they would only use the compostable bag for original flavor chips from the SunChips US line moving forward. The other US flavors will use traditional SunChips packaging.

Second attempt

On February 24, 2011, Frito Lay announced that they were releasing a new, quieter biodegradable bag starting with the Original Sun Chip brand. Closely resembling traditional bags, the compostable packaging uses adhesives sandwiched between the outer and inner layers of the bag to substantially reduce the excessive noise. Current bags are not labeled as compostable, .

Popularity

Parent corporation

PepsiCo PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation headquartered in Harrison, New York, in the hamlet of Purchase. PepsiCo's business encompasses all aspects of the food and beverage market. It oversees the manufa ...

reported that sales of SunChips have declined by double-digit percentages annually from 2011-2014.

References

External links

* {{PepsiCo Brand name snack foods Frito-Lay brands Products introduced in 1991