Walkers has pulled off a major reformulation feat, slashing salt across a swathe of its core crisp flavours to make them non-HFSS and ad-friendly once again.
Following “years” of behind-the-scenes development by PepsiCo’s R&D team, Walkers Salt & Vinegar, Prawn Cocktail, Smoky Bacon, BBQ, Roast Chicken and Pickled Onion crisps are now cleared for display on gondola ends. They will also evade the looming pre-watershed TV and online ad ban on HFSS products.
PepsiCo says it used “innovative R&D processes” to introduce “a different balance of flavours and seasonings”, promising to deliver “the same classic Walkers crisps people know and love, with lower salt”.
But while the manufacturer’s R&D experts will (deservedly) be patting themselves on the back for their achievements, two heavyweight crisp variants remain glaringly absent from the HFSS-compliant lineup. Ready Salted and Cheese & Onion are still off-limits, suggesting PepsiCo isn’t ready to mess with all of its recipes just yet.
Not-so ready salted
“The quality and flavour of Walkers crisps are very important, which is why it can take years of fine-tuning and testing to bring products to market,” a PepsiCo spokeswoman explains.
“Some flavours require a little more work than others, so we are spending time in the kitchen with Cheese & Onion and Ready Salted to make sure they’re absolutely right.”
It’s understandable that PepsiCo is a little wary of bringing a less-than-perfect product to market. After all, non-HFSS iterations of Cheese & Onion and Ready Salted have already existed for the past three years, under Walkers’ 45% Less Salt sub-range.
Mild Cheese & Onion and Lightly Salted hit retailers, along with A Dash of Salt & Vinegar, in 2022, in advance of the initial introduction of location regulations on HFSS products. A glance at the reviews on Tesco’s website indicates the products were initially well-received by shoppers, with Cheese & Onion and Lightly Salted scoring an average of 4.1 and 4.2 stars out of 5, respectively.
However, this warm reception doesn’t appear to have translated to sustained sales. Value sales of Walkers 45% Less Salt declined by 9.2% to £38m on volumes down 13% in the year to 31 December 2024 – equivalent to four million fewer packs through the tills [NIQ].
This drop coincided with value and volume declines for Walkers’ core lineup. Value sales declined by 2.3% to £562.5m on volumes down 5.5% over the same period – equivalent to 19.8 million fewer packs.
Against this backdrop, it’s only natural that Walkers is looking to avoid the risk of losing customers by launching reformulations of two of its top-sellers before they’re ready. Instead, it appears to be trying to lure lapsed shoppers back to the crisp aisles with a swathe of new flavours – all of them non-HFSS, of course.
R&D wizards
Last August, Walkers teamed up with Heinz to launch a trio of non-HFSS, limited-edition “sandwich inspired” crisp variants: Sausage Sarnie with Heinz Tomato Ketchup, Cheese Toastie with Heinz Baked Beanz, and Roast Chicken with Heinz Seriously Good Mayonnaise.
In March, it teamed up with Lea & Perrins and Heinz to revive its Worcester Sauce and Tomato Ketchup crisps with non-HFSS recipes.
This month, Walkers expanded its core lineup with two non-HFSS options inspired by global cuisines: Sticky Teriyaki and Masala Chicken. It spent “a year of rigorous testing, a six-step process and 63 different flavour variations” to develop the variants, which “strongly resonate with UK consumers”, according to Walkers senior marketing director Wayne Newton.
And a spokesman says the business is ”well on track to achieve our ambition to make 50% of Walkers snack sales come from healthier alternatives by the end of 2025, which includes sales of non-HFSS products and those under 100 calories”.
More recently, PepsiCo reformulated the entire Doritos brand to make it non-HFSS by October – a coup that helped it win Food Brand of the Year at The Grocer Gold Awards 2025.
So, while PepsiCo isn’t quite ready to tinker with its most iconic Walkers flavours, it’s clearly not standing still. A non-HFSS Ready Salted or Cheese & Onion is not an if, it’s a when. And looking at the track record of its R&D wizards, they’re likely holding out for nothing short of perfection.
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