Salty Snacks: Frito-Lay

CAROL ANGRISANI

PEPSICO'S FRITO-LAY division has six buildings that are LEED for Existing Buildings Gold certified. The certification from the U.S. Green Building Council recognizes the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Frito-Lay's LEED buildings feature green design and construction features, water reduction technologies and practices, as well as improved waste management. Its Beloit, Wis. facility alone has reduced its dependence on natural gas by 35%, electricity by 20% and water by 50% per pound of finished product.

Along with its green efforts, Frito-Lay continues to be a category leader by knowing the market and providing substantial promotions, retailers said.

One unique promotion involved two new limited-edition Doritos flavors inspired by the Madden NFL video game franchise. “Stadium Nacho” and “Tailgater BBQ” were developed using Frito-Lay's FlavorPlus technology, which replicates the timing of how a flavor is released during consumption. Both were created to remind consumers of game day.

“We wanted to give fans a new snack to enjoy that pairs perfectly with the franchise,” Rudy Wilson, Frito-Lay's vice president of marketing, said in a statement.

Frito-Lay supported the launch with in-bag codes for online Madden Ultimate Team rewards and prizes.

Stadium Nacho and Tailgater BBQ are an extension of the Doritos “Change the Game” partnership with Electronic Arts. “Change the Game” allowed fans to pick the cover athlete of a Madden NFL game. From Feb. 4 to March 15, fans voted online for the face of Madden NFL 11, with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees winning.

In other areas, the division showed its commitment to the community by partnering with Kroger to help Galveston, Texas, rebuild after Hurricane Ike in 2008.

For a one-month period, when consumers purchased two bags of SunChips multigrain snacks at Kroger, $1 was donated to the project, up to $1 million. Funds raised will be used to create an environmentally friendly park on the Galveston Seawall.

COMPANIES TO WATCH

UTZ QUALITY FOODS: Retailers praised Utz for its product variety, new items and in-store support. Utz has built on its Select Pretzel brand with new Select Pretzel Pieces, sourdough hard pretzel pieces covered in one of three seasonings: Cheddar Cheese, Honey Mustard & Onion and Buttermilk Ranch. Other unique offerings include Red Hot Pub Fries and restaurant-style La Primera Tortilla Chips.

GENERAL MILLS: Along with meal suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, General Mills' bettycrocker.com website cleverly includes recipes that incorporate its Bugles salty snacks. The company has built similar excitement in its Gardetto's snack mix by offering a variety of unique flavors, including Deli-Style Mustard Pretzel Mix. Likewise, its Chex Mix brand comes in 13 flavors, including sweet favorites like Dark Chocolate.