PLANO, TX — Frito-Lay's Sun Chips have a brand new bag now that the company redesigned the snack's compostable packaging to be quieter.
The company's bold foray into compostable packaging in 2009, the first of its kind among major U.S. snack makers, was brought to a halt last year by consumer complaints that the bags were simply too loud.
Frito-Lay attributed the noise to the compostable materials in the bags, but the backlash was so strong, Sun Chips switched back to non-compostable bags for all but its original flavor.
Since it pulled the compostable bags in October last year, the company, and its owner, PepsiCo, searched for a quieter bag, reports The Associated Press.
The solution came from using a different adhesive to hold together layers in the bag, acting as a buffer and making the packaging again as quiet as most chip bags.
The new, quieter bags are being used with original flavor Sun Chips, and the company will use customer feedback to determine if it will stick with the bags or not.
Sun Chips bag - CC license by cdedbdme (Flickr)
Let's be realistic, why not
Let's be realistic, why not make all chip bags too noisy and cut down on the amount of them that are purchased? Not only will there be less garbage, but the population would get healthier by avoiding junk food. Those noisy bags (we still have them where I live) are awesome for annoying the junk out of people, let me tell you that! Plus, it's a conversation starter. Ah well, one day there will be sufficient demand for healthier packaging and the almighty corporations might decide to give it to us then. Or, we could just stop buying their crap and spend our hard earned money on things that we actually want and need. Just me though! Thanks for sharing!
Let's put the
Let's put the "sustainability" focus on the real sustainability question: Folks from our composting center (Intervale Compost Products)verified with Frito Lay that a percentage of the old, noisy bag was not in fact "organic" material. What are the adhesives made from in this new bag? Is it truly 100% organic material? We at Chittenden Solid Waste District (VT) commend all efforts toward truly sustainable packaging, but unless these products are truly 100% organic material, and unless appropriate infrastructure and education is provided to the public along with the glitzy marketing, this is all just another shade of greenwashing.
If they are using PLA, they
If they are using PLA, they are still on the wrong track for sustainability. PLA uses more energy than regular plastic. It pollutes than ozone more than gasoline. It (along with ethanol) is responsible for food costs increasing. It will not break down in landfills where most of these bags end up.Why not go with a plastic that is certified to break down in landfills? PLA will only break down in the 100 or so commercial composts in the US.