I caught the tail-end of a news story the other day… something about a judge ruling that Pringles are not potato chips. What in the world? I wondered why a judge would be ruling on such a thing and also if they’re not potato chips, what are they? Since I have limited time, I did limited research on the subject, and I found the answer to the first question; see below:
LONDON – Britain’s High Court has ruled that Pringles are not a potato snack, and thus are not subject to value-added tax.
Friday’s ruling by Justice Nicholas Warren is expected to save millions for the manufacturer, Procter & Gamble Co.
Warren overruled a VAT Tribunal decision that Pringles should be subject to the 17.5-percent tax because it met the definition of “potato crisps, potato sticks, potato puffs and similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch.”
The judge found that Pringles were only 42 percent potato, and thus exempt.
P&G spokeswoman Marina Barker says the company is pleased with the ruling.
Umm… so what else is in Pringles besides potato? Do we really want to know? And while searching for this tidbit of info, I came across another interesting article about my favorite potato chip, er, potato-ish snack food, though maybe I should have posted a link on JustJ’s recent morbid post about the discarding of human bodies… Ahh, the Internet. Everything you ever wanted to know and some things you didn’t – all at your fingertips!
Cincinnatti, OH – Dr. Fredric J. Baur was so proud of having designed the container for Pringles potato crisps that he asked his family to bury him in one.
His children honored his request. Part of his remains was buried in a Pringles can – along with a regular urn containing the rest – in his grave at Arlington Memorial Gardens in Springfield Township.
Dr. Baur, a retired organic chemist and food storage technician who specialized in research and development and quality control for Procter & Gamble, died May 4 at Vitas Hospice. The College Hill resident was 89.
yes, they are indeed a potato CRISP… apparently anything less than a certain amount of potato in them are not considered a chip.
Hm. I’ve never known of such a distinction in chips. Next up: artificially flavored potato chi- er, crisps with no actual potato content…
I can see it now: a bag that seems to say “Potato Chips” but as you look closer you see right under “potato” in small letters only slightly off-color from the background, the word “flavored.” 😀
Pringles also contain rice flour and wheat starch. And of course numerous artificial colors and flavors, natural flavors and ingredients depending on the type of Pringles you buy. Let’s not forget the salt!!!