Snack Chat

Frito-Lay UPCs Get Smart Thanks to Smart Phones and Scanner Apps

I’m an iPhone addict. I use it for everything from finding the cheapest gas in town to determining the name of a song playing on the radio to locating the best place to buy a celebratory ‘You didn’t fail obedience school’ treat for my pup. Because of this, I’m excited Frito-Lay now has a way for me to use my Smart Phone to get more information about my favorite snacks.

Specifically, we’re using scannable Universal Product Codes (UPC) and 2D barcode technology on select Frito-Lay packages, print ads and in-store displays to provide exclusive content and better connect our brands with you, our biggest fans.

UPC codes have traditionally been used to identify and track products in stores. Now, select chip bags, such as large bags of Lay’s Classic potato chips, SunChips Original multigrain snacks and Tostitos Scoops! tortilla chips, feature a UPC code that, when scanned using your Smart Phone (iPhone, Android, etc), redirects you to a website with exclusive content. In the future, additional sizes and flavors of Lay’s, SunChips and Tostitos will also feature scannable barcodes.

Like the UPC code, scanning a QR code -- found in our print ads and in-store displays -- with your Smart Phone immediately redirects you to a web page with multimedia content.

To scan either type of code, you’ll need to download a free scanner app like ScanLife. To download ScanLife or see which smart phones support the software please visit Check out their website to download ScanLife and to learn more about which smart phones are supported. You can also refer to the website’s FAQ section for more info on QR codes and using the ScanLife app.

Have you scanned your bag of Frito-Lay snacks? What did you think?

- Joe

Got Plans for the Summer? Why Not Give Back?

With June here, one of the most frequent questions I hear is: “Got plans for the summer?”  Usually when people ask this question, they’re eager to share their own plans. If I’m asked that question, my answer is a little different. 

I officially kicked off my summer last Thursday by going on a Food for Good route. Food for Good is a PepsiCo initiative that provides healthy meals and fun games and physical activities to underserved kids during the summer when they’re out of school. In fact, over the last three summers, our team has served several hundred thousand meals to kids in need. It’s a real partnership between the community and PepsiCo and exemplifies the heart of Performance with Purpose, our corporate vision. (That's one of our route trucks, pictured above.) 

I spent the past few weeks getting more and more excited for the program to start up again.  At the end of my first day, I was overwhelmed –- just like the first day of previous years.  The kids are a year older than the last time I saw them, and it was great to catch up on the school year that just ended. Community members expressed their gratitude for our efforts -- many even remembered us from the previous year and had been hoping we would be back!

I also had the pleasure of meeting a new face last week, a man named Donald. Donald works at night and takes care of several kids during the day -- kids from his church whose parents cannot afford daytime child care.  When Donald saw the Food for Good crew pulling up, he couldn’t hold back the tears as he thanked us.  The free meals, he explained, eased the burden for many families that were struggling just to get by. Even more, the program showed him that others cared about his community as much as he did and were willing to reach out and make a difference.  While we talked, I noticed so many happy children eating and playing nearby with smiles and laughter on their faces.  Programs like Food for Good, and community members like Donald, are giving kids a chance to be kids and to have the summers they deserve.

So if you ask me what I am doing this summer, I’m doing a small part in making a big difference.  And in return, I’m giving myself some of the best memories I will cherish for years to come. What are you doing this summer?  Whatever it is, I encourage you to make a difference in some way.

- Randy

Tostitos and Dollar General Team Up to Support the USO

In January, I had the chance to work on a really special program – the Tostitos Connect to Home Bowl. Through the program, Tostitos, in partnership with the USO, celebrated our military heroes by bringing a one-of-a-kind college football experience to troops serving in the Persian Gulf. That experience was followed by the surprise reunions of several of the troops who played in the game overseas with their families during halftime of the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game. 

It was a wonderful way to celebrate our military, and I’m excited to share that the partnership between Tostitos and the USO continues this summer with a new in-store promotion at Dollar General.

From now until July 24, 2011, Tostitos will donate $1 to the USO for each $1 off coupon redeemed for the purchase of two 9 oz. or larger bags of Tostitos tortilla chips at Dollar General. Tostitos will donate up to $50,000 as part of the promotion. The funds will be used to support a variety of USO programs and services, all designed to lift the spirits of American troops and their families.

- Alexia

Cheesy, Sweet and Smoky: Introducing New Cheetos Puffs Honey BBQ!

Hello there, Snack Chat readers! I’m Tom Millas (that's me on the left), the summer intern on the Frito-Lay communications team. I’ve come to Frito-Lay’s Texas headquarters all the way from New York, where I’m a student at Syracuse University (Go Orange!). I’m thrilled to be working with the team here on some of America’s favorite snacks, including Lay’s, SunChips, Cheetos and every college student’s favorite, Tostitos. 

I think a great feature of Frito-Lay’s snack portfolio is that we have something for everyone. While some love our bolder flavors (my roommate, Mark, is a big fan of Doritos Taco), I tend to stick with the classic taste of barbecue. Before I started interning at Frito-Lay, one of my friends told me that Fritos Flavor Twists Honey BBQ was simply “the most delicious thing ever,” and in order to convince me, she bought me a bag just so I could try it. Needless to say, it was love at first bite. 

Ever since then, I’ve been hooked on the irresistible combination of sweet honey and smoky barbecue, and that’s why I’m so excited to introduce new Cheetos Puffs Honey BBQ! Every bite is a delicious mouthful of cheesy, sweet, and smoky goodness. It’s a new take on our traditional, fun Cheetos flavor and is the perfect complement for summer get-togethers and picnics. Even better, I love that I can satisfy my craving for Cheetos Puffs and enjoy the all-American taste of honey barbecue at the same time! 

Cheetos Puffs Honey BBQ are now available nationwide -- just in time for summer. I’d love to see your comments or tweets (@FritoLay) about what you think of this new snack!   

-Tom

Spice Up Your Snacking with Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Fritos Pie

I’m so excited to share our newest episode of Fritos Pie Remix – Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Fritos Pie featuring cucumbers as the extreme ingredient (video posted below). If you haven’t discovered Fritos Pie Remix yet, it’s our web-based series of cooking episodes starring Frito-Lay Executive Chef Stephen Kalil remixing the classic Fritos Chili Pie using one or more extreme ingredients.

For Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Fritos Pie, Chef Stephen chose to use Fritos Tapatio corn chips, a new product available in the western and central regions of the U.S. that is inspired from the spicy flavors in Tapatio hot sauce.

I’m not usually on set for the filming of Fritos Pie Remix, but lucky for me, I was invited to join for this one. In addition to helping direct the episode, being on set offers the chance to be among the first to try Chef Stephen’s creations as he puts them together. Let’s just says it’s an assignment few would turn down. And for this episode, being on set also gave me the chance to meet the president of Tapatio hot sauce, Luis Saavedra, Jr., who was in town visiting Frito-Lay and joined us to taste-test the Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Fritos Pie on camera (you can see Mr. Saavedra, Jr. toward the end of the episode).

As for the recipe itself, I happen to think the Tapatio-flavored Fritos is what makes this dish so good. The cucumbers give it a refreshing crunch, and the Tostitos salsa works well in place of the ketchup that’s traditionally used as a shrimp cocktail base -- but it's the spicy chips that give the dish an unexpected kick. As you’ll see from the video, Mr. Saavedra was equally impressed, giving the dish an enthusiastic thumbs up.

So, if you’re in the mood for a great-tasting snack that delivers just the right level of heat and spice, give Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Fritos Pie a try (recipe is on the Fritos Pie Remix site). We’re excited to hear what you think.    - Alexia

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