Pringles

Pringles is an American brand of stackable potato-based chips. Originally sold by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1968 and marketed as "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips", the brand was sold in 2012 to the current owners, Kellogg's.[1]

This article is about the brand of potato snacks. For the city in Argentina, see Coronel Pringles. For other uses, see Pringles (disambiguation).

Pringles
2020–present logo
A stack of Pringles chips
Product typePotato snack
OwnerKellogg's
CountryUnited States
Introduced1968 (1968) in United States
1991 in Great Britain
MarketsWorldwide
Previous ownersProcter & Gamble (1968–2012)
Websitepringles.com

As of 2011, Pringles were sold in more than 140 countries.[2] In 2012, Pringles were the fourth most popular snack brand after Lay's, Doritos and Cheetos (all manufactured by Frito-Lay), with 2.2% market share globally.[3]

History

In 1956, Procter & Gamble assigned a task to chemist Fredric J. Baur (1918-2008): to develop a new kind of potato chips to address consumer complaints about broken, greasy, and stale chips, as well as air in the bags.[4] Baur spent 2 years developing saddle-shaped chips from fried dough, and selected the tubular can as the chips' container. However, he could not figure out how to make the chips taste good, and was pulled off the task to work on another brand. In the mid-1960s another P&G researcher, Alexander Liepa of Montgomery, Ohio, restarted Baur's work and succeeded in improving the taste.[5] Although Baur was the true inventor of the Pringles chip, Liepa's name is on the patent.[6] Gene Wolfe, a mechanical engineer and author known for science fiction and fantasy novels, helped develop the machine that cooks them.[7][8]

The consistent saddle shape is mathematically known as a hyperbolic paraboloid.[9] Their designers reportedly used supercomputers to ensure that the chips' aerodynamics would keep them in place during packaging and that they would not break when being stacked on top of each other.[10][11]

P&G began selling Pringles in Indiana[12] in 1968.[13] By 1975, they were available across most of the US, and by 1991 were distributed internationally.[13]

There are several theories behind the origin of the product's name. One theory refers to Mark Pringle, who filed a US Patent 2,286,644 titled "Method and Apparatus for Processing Potatoes" on March 5, 1937.[14] Pringle's work was cited by P&G in filing their own patent for improving the taste of dehydrated processed potatoes.[5] Another theory suggests that two Procter advertising employees lived on Pringle Drive in Finneytown (north of Cincinnati, Ohio), and the name paired well with "potato chips".[5][15] Another theory says that P&G chose the Pringles name from a Cincinnati telephone book.[16] Another source says that the name Pringles was "chosen out of a hat" to promote a family name appeal.[17]

The product was originally known as Pringles Newfangled Potato Chips, but other snack manufacturers objected, saying Pringles failed to meet the definition of a potato "chip" since they were made from a potato-based dough rather than being sliced from potatoes like "real" potato chips. The US Food and Drug Administration weighed in on the matter, and in 1975 they ruled Pringles could only use the word "chip" in their product name within the phrase: "potato chips made from dried potatoes".[18] Faced with such a lengthy and unpalatable appellation, Pringles eventually renamed their product potato "crisps", instead of chips.

In July 2008, in the London High Court, P&G lawyers successfully argued that Pringles were not crisps even though labelled "Potato Crisps" on the container (in Britain what are known as "chips" in the US are known as "crisps") as the potato content was only 42% and their shape, P&G stated, "is not found in nature". This ruling, against a United Kingdom value added tax (VAT) and Duties Tribunal decision to the contrary, exempted Pringles from the then 17.5% VAT for potato crisps and potato-derived snacks.[19] In May 2009, the Court of Appeal reversed the earlier decision. A spokesman for P&G stated it had been paying the VAT proactively and owed no back taxes.[20][21]

In April 2011, P&G agreed to the US$2.35 billion sale of the brand to Diamond Foods of California, a deal which would have more than tripled the size of Diamond's snack business.[22] However, the deal fell through in February 2012 after a year-long delay due to issues over Diamond's accounts. On May 31, 2012, The Kellogg Company officially acquired Pringles for $2.695 billion as part of a plan to grow its international snacks business.[23] The acquisition of Pringles makes Kellogg the second-largest snack company in the world.[1]

As of 2015, there are 5 Pringles factories worldwide: in Jackson, Tennessee; Mechelen, Belgium; Johor, Malaysia; Kutno, Poland;[24] and Fujian, China.[25]

Ingredients

Pringles have about 42% potato content, the remainder being wheat starch and flours (potato, corn, and rice) combined with vegetable oils, an emulsifier, salt, and seasoning.[19] Other ingredients can include sweeteners such as maltodextrin and dextrose, monosodium glutamate (MSG), disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, sodium caseinate, modified food starch, monoglyceride and diglyceride, autolyzed yeast extract, natural and artificial flavorings, malted barley flour, wheat bran, dried black beans, sour cream, cheddar cheese, etc.; Pringles varieties vary in their ingredients.[26]

Pringles also produces several "tortilla" and "multi-grain" varieties which have some of their base starch ingredients replaced with corn flour, rice, wheat bran, black beans,[27] and barley flour.[28] At one point in the early 1990s, "Corn Pringles" were available; the canister was black and had cartoon images of corn. The chips were made of corn and resembled a corn chip in flavor and texture. Rice Pringles were also available in the UK although have been discontinued.

Nutrition

One serving of about 16 Pringles (Original flavor) contains 150 calories, 2.5 g of saturated fat, 150 mg of sodium, 110 mg of potassium, and 1 g of protein.[29]

Flavors
Pringles vendor in New Jersey

Pringles are available in several flavors. Until the 1980s, only the original flavor was available in the US. Standard flavors in the US as of 2020 include original, salt and vinegar, sour cream and onion, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, barbecue, hot and spicy, and loaded baked potato. Some flavors are distributed only to limited market areas; for example, prawn cocktail, wasabi, and curry flavors have been available in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.[30]

Occasionally, P&G has produced limited edition runs. Seasonal flavors, past and present, include ketchup, zesty lime and chili, chili cheese dog, "pizzalicious", paprika, Texas BBQ sauce, buffalo wing, and cajun. A "low-fat" variety was also sold. Examples of limited edition flavors include jalapeño, honey mustard, cheesy fries, onion blossom, mozzarella cheese stick, screamin' dill pickle, and Mexican-layered dip. In 2012, they brought out seasonal flavors of "peppermint white chocolate", cinnamon sugar, and "pumpkin pie spice".[31] Other examples of limited runs only in certain parts of the world include mozzarella stick with marinara in North America and jalapeño in Latin America,[2] also soft-shelled crab, grilled shrimp, seaweed, "blueberry and hazelnut", and "lemon and sesame" in Asia in early 2010s. The grilled shrimp chips are pink in color, while seaweed is colored green.[32][33]

Two limited-market flavors, cheeseburger and "Taco Night", were recalled in March 2010 as a safety precaution after Salmonella was found in a Basic Food Flavors plant which produced the flavor-enhancing hydrolyzed vegetable protein used in those flavors.[34]

Marketing

Pringles is advertised in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland with the slogan "Once you pop, the fun don't stop"[35] along with the original slogan "Once you pop, you can't stop!"[36]

The original Pringles television commercials were written, produced and directed by Thomas Scott Cadden (composer of the original Mr. Clean jingle) in 1968, while working at Tatham-Laird and Kudner Advertising Agency in Chicago.

Throughout its history, Pringles used its print and television advertising campaigns to compare their products to conventional potato chips. In its early years, they were marketed as " Pringles Newfangled Potato Chips" and had a small silver pop-top to open the can. Unlike the current advertising, they only mentioned that, with their pop-top cans (which have been replaced with foil tops since the late 1980s), their chips remain fresh and unbroken, the can holds as many chips as a typical large bag, and their curvy shape allows them to be stackable; thus inspiring the slogan, "Other potato chips just don't stack up."

By the 1980s, the company launched the "Pringle Jingle", whose lyrics were "Once you taste the flavor ("It's a deep-fried taste!"), then you get the fever ("With a crispy crunch!"), then you've got the fever for the flavor of a Pringle!"

Beginning in the late 1990s and continuing today, Pringles advertising has returned to comparing their product to bagged chips, which they view as greasy and broken. In a typical ad, a group of people are enjoying Pringles, while a lone person is eating a bag of generic potato chips (the bags themselves resemble either Lay's or Ruffles, depending on the Pringles variety marketed in the ad). They dump out some broken potato chips into their hand, only to find they are greasy, and end up wiping the grease on their clothing.

Pringles Christmas tree in Spinningfields, Manchester, England in 2014

The Pringles logo is a stylized cartoon caricature of the head of a male figure (officially known as "Julius Pringles" or abbreviated as "Mr. P"[37]) designed by Louis R. Dixon, with a large mustache and parted bangs (until 2001, the character had eyebrows and his bow tie framed the product name; in 1998, the bangs and lips were removed from the logo, and his head was widened a little). In 2020, the character was again revised with a minimalistic approach.

Pringles, as a product brand, is especially known for its packaging, a tubular paperboard can with a foil-lined interior (until the 1980s, the cans also contained a removable paper liner which held the chips in place) and a resealable plastic lid, which was invented by Fredric J. Baur, an organic chemist and food storage technician who specialized in research and development and quality control for Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble. Baur's children honored his request to bury him in one of the cans by placing part of his cremated remains in a Pringles container in his grave.[38]

The can has been criticized for being difficult to recycle due to the multiple materials used in its construction.[39]

In 2013, Lucasfilm and Pringles jointly commissioned crowdsourcing video studio Tongal for a commercial,[40] with a total of $75,000 in prize money distributed to seven finalists.[41]

See also

References
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  2. Chapman, Michelle (6 April 2011). "Pringles sold to growing empire". The Sun News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
  3. Culliney, Kacey (17 June 2013). "Kellogg inks Pringles EMEA expansion plan". Bakeryandsnacks.com. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  4. "Pringles – Bidding Farewell to a P&G Original". P&G Corporate Newsroom. Procter & Gamble. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  5. Martin, Andrew (5 April 2011). "Once a Great Flop, Now Sold for Billions". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  6. Pringles patent
  7. Person, Lawrence (Fall–Winter 1998). "Suns New, Long, and Short: An interview with Gene Wolfe". Nova Express. 5 (1). Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  8. Gevers, Nick (7 April 2002). "Could a former engineer who helped invent Pringles be our greatest living writer?". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  9. "Pringles". Procter & Gamble. Archived from the original on 24 December 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  10. Mihelich, Peggy (8 March 2007). "Supercomputers crunching potato chips, proteins and nuclear bombs". CNN. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  11. Vance, Ashley (28 October 2010). "Chinese Supercomputer Wrests Title From U.S." The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  12. "Progress Report Given On Jackson P&G Plant". The Jackson Sun. 3 February 1971.
  13. "Pringles". Procter & Gamble UK. 2007. Archived from the original on 4 January 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  14. George, Brace A. (16 June 1942). "Method and apparatus for processing potatoes". Freepatentsonline.com. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  15. "How Pringles got its name". Procter & Gamble Everyday Solutions Canada. 2012. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  16. Trex, Ethan (27 July 2010). "Where Did 'Pringles' Come From? The Stories Behind 7 Salty Snacks". Mental Floss. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  17. Lazarus, George (13 February 1969). "Big Firms Wrestle Over Chips Name". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  18. "Non-Crunch on Pringle's". Time. 8 December 1975. Archived from the original on 8 March 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  19. "Pringles 'are not potato crisps'". BBC. 4 July 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  20. "Pringles lose Appeal Court case". BBC. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  21. "British court rules yes, Pringles are in fact chips". NBC News. Associated Press. 20 May 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  22. "Pringles sold by P&G to Kettle Chips firm Diamond Foods". BBC News. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  23. de la Merced, Michael J. (15 February 2012). "Kellogg Wins Pringles After Diamond Deal Falls Apart". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  24. "Kellogg's oficjalnie otwiera fabrykę w Kutnie i zapowiada jej rozbudowę. Trwa rekrutacja pracowników - Newsy - Newseria Biznes". www.biznes.newseria.pl. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
  25. "Merger of Pringles Snack Business with Diamond Foods" (PDF). Procter & Gamble. April 2011. p. 14. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  26. Liles, Valerie (18 February 2015). "Nutritional Information for Pringles Chips". LiveStrong. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  27. Olson, Elizabeth (1 July 2010). "The Chip That Stacks Adds a Multigrain Twist". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  28. "Multigrain". Procter & Gamble. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  29. "Pringles Smart Label". Kelloggs. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  30. "Pringles Light Aromas Range". Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  31. Guthrie, Dana (28 November 2012). "Holiday Pringles and 9 other weird and wonderful holiday flavors". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  32. Moors, John (12 March 2010). "Uhhhhh... Pringles?". Epicportions.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  33. McGlynn, Katla (2 August 2010). "Funky Mustard, Blueberry, And Braised Pork: Ridiculous Pringles Flavors From Around The Globe". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  34. "P&G recalls 2 Pringles flavors". Salon.com. Associated Press. 9 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 March 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  35. Bokale, Jemima (28 September 2005). "Brand Health Check: Pringles". Marketing Magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  36. "Pringles". Procter & Gamble. 2007. Archived from the original on 12 April 2008. Retrieved 14 October 2007.
  37. "Kellogg Company 2019 Annual Report" (PDF). Kellogg. p. 5. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  38. Caplan, Jeremy (4 June 2008). "The Man Buried in a Pringles Can". Time. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  39. Harrabin, Roger (19 May 2017). "Recycling body criticises Pringles and Lucozade packaging". BBC News.
  40. DeJulio, James (11 January 2013). "Call for Star Wars Commercial By Fans, for Fans". StarWars.com. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  41. Dishman, Lydia (2013). "See The Winners of Tongal's Star Wars-Pringles Campaign". Fast to Create. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
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