A swathe of Walkers’ core crisps variants, including Salt & Vinegar, Prawn Cocktail and Smoky Bacon, are now HFSS compliant, as a result of owner PepsiCo’s ongoing salt reduction efforts.
PepsiCo has reformulated a swathe of lines from its core Walkers lineup, using “innovative R&D processes” to introduce “a different balance of flavours and seasonings”, which are claimed to deliver “the same classic Walkers crisps people know and love, with lower salt”.
Following “years” of development, PepsiCo has rolled out non-HFSS recipes for Salt & Vinegar, Prawn Cocktail and Smoky Bacon, BBQ, Roast Chicken and Pickled Onion. As a result, PepsiCo has slashed the salt content across the core Walkers range by 47%.
The recipes for Cheese & Onion and Ready Salted will not be changing at this time. This is because the non-HFSS iterations of these variants required “a little more work… to make sure they’re absolutely right”, said PepsiCo.
Global flavours
Walkers has also expanded its core lineup with two non-HFSS variants inspired by global cuisines: Sticky Teriyaki and Masala Chicken, which have launched in multipacks of six (rsp: £1.15/6x25g), 45g grab bags (rsp: £1.10) and 70g PMPs (£1.35).
Deciding on the two new flavours took “a year of rigorous testing, a six-step process and 63 different flavour variations”, said PepsiCo.
“Masala Chicken and Sticky Teriyaki bring exciting, globally inspired flavours that strongly resonate with UK consumers,” said Walkers senior marketing director Wayne Newton.
“By expanding our permanent lineup, we are giving shoppers even more choice when it comes to the flavours they love, and helping retailers boost basket spend.”
The launches precede Walkers’ ‘Flavourite’ marketing campaign, going live in September, which is based on the “idea that not every flavour is for everyone, but everyone has the one flavour that they love”. It will span TV, out-of-home, digital, PR, social and shopper media.
In 2022, Walkers vowed to make 50% of its sales from snacks that are non-HFSS or under 100 calories by 2025.
It teamed up with Lea & Perrins and Heinz to revive its Worcester Sauce and Tomato Ketchup crisps with non-HFSS recipes in March.
This followed PepsiCo’s rollout of a non-HFSS recipe for Doritos in October 2024.
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