Consumers Demand: Frito-Lay Ditches ‘Compostable’ SunChips Bags Amid Noise Complaints
- Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:05pm by
Jonathon M. Seidl
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Frito-Lay has gotten rid of most of its "compostable" SunChips bags amid complaints that they are too loud. (Photo: AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Frito-Lay hopes to quiet complaints about its noisy SunChips bags by switching out the biodegradable bags for the old packaging on most flavors.
The company is switching back to original packaging, which is made of a type of plastic, for five of the six varieties of the chips. It will keep the biodegradable and recyclable bags for its sixth variety, its original plain flavor. That’s its second best-selling, after Harvest Cheddar.
The snack maker said the switch started in the middle of September and should be complete by middle to late October.
The bags were launched in April 2009 with a big marketing effort to play up their compostability because they’re made from plants and not plastic.
But that which makes them compostable also makes them loud. The bags have a different molecular structure from the original packaging, so people complained about the noise. Groups on Facebook abound with names such as “I wanted SunChips but my roommate was sleeping…“ and and ”Nothing is louder than a SunChips bag.”
Spokeswoman Aurora Gonzalez said the company received complaints about the noise from the bags, although it also received thanks from customers who liked being able to recycle them.
So the decision was made to remove the bulk of the biodegradable line.
“We need to listen to our consumers,” she said. “We clearly heard their feedback.”
Frito-Lay, a unit of PepsiCo Inc., based in Purchase, N.Y., is developing its next generation of biodegradable bags and will use what it learned with the SunChips effort, she said.
UPDATE:
The move doesn’t have universal appeal. On the “green” blog ecorazzi, Micheal d’Estries posted the following message:
Sorry environment — we may not give much of a s***t about there being only 12 truly quiet places left in the United States, but when it comes to noisy chip bags, we draw the line.
The link is to a Planetgreen.com story detailing a scientist’s theory that “the quiet places in the world are vanishing.”
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Comments (92)
FEIN
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 5:08pmUsing plants to make biodegradeable package is ok, but using paper bags aren’t because people are killing trees???? Some times my head just hurts….
Report Post »NJONY
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 8:31pmI agree with you. Ther logic of some of these environmentalists is quirkey to say the least.
Report Post »Waiting4George
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 8:40pmYour head hurts from all the noise pollution caused by liberal group whining.
Report Post »javasport
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 5:04pmOh thank goodness. Its hard to sneak a few chips late at night with that dang bag.
Report Post »76
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 5:02pmHoly S**t, I wish to God I had nothing better to do with my time than file a former complaint with a company about the crinkle volume of their chip bags. I assume these are the same people that drive 5 extra miles to save 2 cents a gallon and hold up the checkout lines with 47 cat food coupons and go through the drive-through window 4 times in a row because their coupons are labeled (1 per visit).
Report Post »Revotelution
Posted on October 6, 2010 at 8:59amOr the same people that notice song birds dubed intoTV golf tournaments aren’t indigenous to the area and call the network to complain.Trust me, it really happened.
Report Post »Bic
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 5:00pmWho wants to bet the “plant-based materials” used in the package is SOY!! So after finally finding a soy free chip I can eat, they go and put my health at risk by packaging it in SOY!!! Rendering it inedible by me and thousands more.
Report Post »cmr396
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:56pmYESSS!!!! i hated those bags! i stoped buying the chips because the bags were so annoying. Im glad theyre changing back :)
Report Post »Zensational
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:51pmCommon Sense…If the bag says “COMPOSTABLE” it makes us think of fecal matter…not TASTY CHIPS!!!!! Period.
I hope the marketing department got fired over this.
Zensational Common Sense (It may make you mad, but you can’t logically argue with it. Period).
Report Post »Freedom fighter
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:46pmno how am i supposed to know where the fat people are in the dark.
Report Post »76
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 5:07pmTop notch observation! lol
Report Post »ZaphodsPlanet
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 8:40pmLOL…… I bought one of those bags once but never noticed the noise, probably because I was speeding with the windows down , talk radio blaring and the A/C Blasting away on full, I finished the bag then lit up a cigarette….. but the wind coming through my speeding car sucked it out and I never got the full impact of my compostable bag which is now helping to fertilize the weeds growing next to the road.
Report Post »JuliusZ
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:39pmI agree these bags are noisy. I however think along the lines of being eco friendly and exercising portion control I believe we could keep these bags, transfer a serving to a bowl or even just have a handful. This keeps the noisy bag to a minimum as opposed to sitting there chowing down the entire bag in one sitting. Just an opinion.
Report Post »Rodney
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:34pmI just had a bag for part of my lunch and yeah……the new bags suck. Way too noisy.
Report Post »BornOkTheFirstTime
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:31pmHilarious! I noticed this the other day, and it’s quite true. It was probably the Tea Party’s idea to make the bag that loud. ;)
Report Post »Jaimo
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:27pmI really hate those bags, and it’s not just the bags, the chips taste funny, they have a chemical taste to them and they are thinner since they went to those stupid bags. I stopped eating them because they taste funny, the really annoying bag was secondary.
Report Post »ASteinhoff
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:27pmCass Sunstein will be by soon to “nudge” them into compliance.
Report Post »DaddyKev
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:26pmThose bags are horribly annoying. Can’t exactly sneak a few chips out of the bag without the neighbors knowing about it.
Report Post »badswing
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:25pmi thought it was just me!!
Report Post »cheryllovestoread
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:20pm“It will keep the biodegradable and recyclable bags for its sixth variety, its original plain flavor.”
– But what about ME???? I only eat the plain kind…why do I still have to suffer?? I think I’m being discriminated against! ;) I really do hate those bags.
Report Post »Red Bubba
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 5:31pmMe too. What about my entitlement?
Report Post »I didn’t think it was that much of a big deal, but the gal at the checkout could hardly stand to touch the thing. Now I want to have a suit made of the stuff for Al Gore.
MaduraMi
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:20pmSeems weak to me. I wonder what the cost difference of the bags was.
Report Post »SnapTie
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:20pmFrito-Lay better watch out the 10-10 group might blow them up.
Report Post »other_box
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:32pmyou’re right, no pressure Frito-Lay.
Report Post »FoBoT
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 5:32pmthey can make the bags explodable/explosive, to blow up the fatties who are killing the planet. why go with a compostable bag when an exploding bag will do so much more good for mother earth
Report Post »KenInIL
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 6:06pmWhere our Congressional hearings on this. This is serious stuff. They probably should get John Stewart’s input. All snack bags should be biodegradable along with all drink containers. This would do a lot to contain our litter problems.
Report Post »parmajohn
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:19pmI Tried the SunChips…Once…I bet the bag would have tasted better……What does Mrs P-bo think of all this Just wundering
Report Post »Only1King
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 5:46pmHe might have Congress come back into session to pass a bill stating companies will face a fine if they don’t keep their Eco packages.
Report Post »Momma M
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:18pmMy husband and I love the Original SunChips… but we DO transfer than to a more consumer-friendly container after opening the package….
Report Post »Now, for me – I happen to put them in a reusable container, but my kids just put them in an old sliced-bread bag.
shayelyn
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:18pmSeriously, if you ever picked up a bag of these, the noise was unbearable! My family loves Sun Chips and suffice it to say, you would not be able to sneak these for a midnight snack. I was not one of the people who complained to the company but I’m not surprised people did.
Report Post »RealityCheck
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:27pmLet me get this straight, more eco friendly bags too noisey so go back to the less eco friendly bags. Ya, that makes a heck of alot of sense. Here I thought we were all about the green. What a load of BS.
Report Post »ARMOR BEARER 147
Posted on October 6, 2010 at 2:01pmRead again Reality, they are going back to the drawing board to research a bag that in less noisy yet still biodegradable. This called consumer driven enhancment (ie. will we buy bio-friendly bags of chips? yup if the chips are good and the bag isn’t a burden.)
Maybe 3 or 4 attempt to find the right combo of: Chips are good. Bag is Eco-freindly. Bag is consumer-friendly. Cost is profitable.
After all, isn’t Pepsico in business to make money? and if demand is high enough for earth-lovin’,quiet-bagged, tummy-temptin’, late night-snackin’ goodness…
They might just CREATE a job!
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23 —-[-
Report Post »RightUnite
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:18pmThat is funny! I don‘t buy them because they’re toooo damn noisy! When I want to sneak some chips, I want to do it quietly!!
Report Post »Tea_Drinker2010
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 9:11pmThat is so funny and true… everytime i would open the bag at night our 5 month old would wake up…lol
Report Post »Polwatcher
Posted on October 6, 2010 at 5:50amThey wake up my dog and he wants a chip.
Report Post »cubber
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:17pmThe free market at work. Congratulations America.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:14pmWhat next? The crispy chips?
Report Post »LadyIzShy
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:13pmpowe rof the people.. God Bless America
Report Post »RobertCA
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:11pmSo now we have noise ordinance on potato chips bags ?!?!?!?!?
Report Post »Ellie
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 4:40pmNo ordinance needed. The consumers have spoken, “We want quieter compostable bags”.
So the chip company moves away from the current generation of noisy compostable bags and those in the compostable bag business lose money until they can improve their product by making it less noisy.
Free market at work making things better for all of us.
Were the government to step in with an ordinance requiring the use of the bags to “save the planet” then the compostable bag folks have no incentive to improve the product and anything sold in said product will not get purchased by the consumer thus causing the chip company to switch to boxes and the compostable bag company to fold up shop having never perfected the product.
Report Post »Common Sense Sally
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 6:23pmDid you ever buy those bags?! They were HORRENDOUSLY noisy. I mean, you couldn’t even hear someone talking right beside you while holding that bag.
Report Post »Ellie
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 7:34pmI did buy one of these bags back in April, early in their release, and I’ve never bought another one due to the noise. Instead I get the smaller bags in the variety pack that are still packaged in good ol’ plastic.
I’ve yet to hear from anyone that has actually composted any of these bags and can describe the effect on the quality of the compost that it yields since if it is a failure on that point then these bags will just end up in the land fill.
Report Post »SPHEREBOUND
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 8:00pm1000% agreement on the MEGA NOISE FACTOR of these “save-dah-planet” Sun Chips Bags !!!
Report Post »I noticed this months ago when they were first introduced and could NOT stand handling the bag from the shelf to the shop cart. Then when I got it home, I opened up a large zip-lock (noiseless) baggie and transferred the chips into it promptly, and proceeded to take the kackelin’ bag out to the BIG trash can OUTDOORS. Reason … the bag continues to “kackel” when placed in the kitchen trash can … (kinda like that Jason dude in the Friday the 13th movies … just couldn’t “kill-it” !!!
rightpoliticol
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 10:07pmWelllll, I’m all for the “noise-less” bags. That way I can sneak some chips without my wife yelling, “You’re not in the chips again, are you?” I‘m just sayin’. . . . noiseless bags means more freedom for. . . . ME! ! ! ! :)
Report Post »RobertCA
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 11:29pm@ RIGHTPOLITICOL ok now I’m convinced :)
Report Post »independentvoteril
Posted on October 5, 2010 at 11:31pmI have to say they have to quit messing with thing that AREN’T BROKE.. BTW will PEPSI Please go back to making ORIGINAL PEPSI ALL YEAR.. You know the ONE WITH REAL SUGAR it’s SO much better, lighter taste and the carbonation (which is why people drink carbonated drinks) is so much higher.. and stays that way even if you put a bottle back in the frig.. while the one with corn syrup is FLAT within a few hours.. Glass bottles would be nice to but I guess that‘s to much to ask after all it’s not BEER..
Report Post »S.Hill
Posted on October 6, 2010 at 2:38amIt’s about time! I’m all for helping clean up the environment, but my gosh, those bags made it impossible to sneak a snack at all hours of the night!
Report Post »DrammyCoke
Posted on October 6, 2010 at 7:03amI stopped buying them because of that damned bag. I thought it was stupid as hell the first day I heard it.
Report Post »ColoradoGirl
Posted on October 6, 2010 at 11:30amThe bags are really loud! My son & I were on a road trip and when he opened the bag, it was ridiculous! It was kinda funny but I haven‘t bought sun chips since then and I’m happy to hear they’re changing back. It seems trivial but everything is so noisy, do our favorite chip bags need to be also?
Report Post »brianhks
Posted on October 6, 2010 at 5:33pmI did throw one of these bags in my composter and it disappeared. I think they are cool. And they do a great job of alerting me to when my son tries to get into the chips before dinner.
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