Frito Lay Introduces Single-Chip-Sized Portions

Frito Lay announced on Thursday plans to unveil a new single-chip-sized consumer pack. The chip, which will be offered wrapped in transparent packaging with the Frito Lay logo scripted on the outside, will weigh approximately one-third of an ounce.

"It's all about he consumer," Frito Lay representative Chez Fryer said. "In this era of food awareness, the consumer is demanding smaller portions and greater flexibility in offerings. Those are two very difficult demands to meet simultaneously. We think we've hit a home run with the single chip offering. To address the demand for greater flexibility, we're going one step further, however.

That added step, according to Fryer, will be the introduction of several new flavors of chips. The new flavors come with one catch, however--consumers will be required to coat their own chips. Fryer calls the move a "drastic improvement over previous packaging methods."

"With the old packaging, consumers were forced to buy a surplus of chips, all in the same flavor, that they may or may not have wanted. Our new product line will provide much greater consumer flexibility in this regard," Fryer stated. "Now, consumers will have their choice of any of the several flavors that we will be offering, and they can mix and match from a wide selection of chip flavors."

Fryer noted the freshness that the tight wrap around each chip offers the new flavoring method--which requires slight soaking of each chip in a liquid substance prior to dipping in a separately purchased flavor packet. "It's really quite an improvement over the old system and one that consumers already have embraced."

Though unable to offer firm price targets for the new product, Fryer assured reporters that the new offering will be cost effective. "We've yet to set a price target for the chip," she said, "but can assure our loyal consumers that the price will be below current prices on a bulk to book basis."

Though few reporters at the media gathering seemed to have any inkling what the bulk to book basis encompassed, no follow-up questions were tendered on the subject of price.

Frito Lays' single-chip-sized packets are scheduled to reach U.S. markets on the East and West coasts prior to the Labor Day weekend and in time for the beginning of the school year throughout the rest of the United States. Frito Lay's introduction follows in the wake of its much ballyhooed offering in Japan earlier this year of a half-sized chip.