After watching the Future of Food, I decided to investigate my favorite snack food Sun Chips. Sun Chips are produced by the Frito-Lay company in 1991. They are multi-grain, fried, rippled chips. I was originally drawn to it because it looked like a healthy snack food because it doesn’t have any cholesterol or trans fats. I really wanted an alternative to greasy, unhealthy, artery clogging chips. “Sun Chips bags note that they carry 6 grams of fat per 1 ounce serving (as opposed to the normal 10 grams of fat per one ounce serving in regular potato chips), and have no cholesterol nor trans fat. Sun Chips also contain 75mg of Potassium per serving. Sun Chips are also labeled as one of PepsiCo's "Smart Choices Made Easy," a list of their products marketed by the company as healthier alternatives to other snack foods”. (Sun Chips)
One thing I did not know about this product is that it contains animal enzymes. “Frito-Lay's web site[3] states that they use enzymes from pigs (porcine enzymes) in some of their seasoned snack products to develop "unique flavors". (Sun Chips) I am a vegetarian so I am not pleased with this information. I don’t think people would expect animal products to be included in chips. I think I really need to research what I am eating because these days you never know. However, I did find out that they support the Susan G. Komen charity. Also, in 2010 they made their chip bags out of biodegradable materials.
I have discovery from their main web site that they are really environmentally friendly. Their plant in Modesto, California, one plant out of the eight they have, uses solar energy instead of fossil fuels to make Sun Chips. They are also building a plant in Greensburg, Kansas to participate in rebuilding the greenest town in America! They are also partnering with National Geographic to co-sponsor the Green Effect that will award $20,000 to the group who makes the best proposals for making their community greener. Their main website contains a lot of information on how they participate in “The Green Effect”. So my favorite snack food is holding up well environmentally. I think this is an excellent example of a company being environmentally responsible. I hope that everyone check’s out their website and supports their company.
http://www.sunchips.com/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Chips
http://www.sunchips.com/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Chips
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ReplyDeleteMost cheeses are made using enzymes as part of the process to develop unique flavors, and depending on the flavor, enzyme sources may include vegetable, microbial and/or animal. These enzymes may be used in the milk that makes the real cheese for some of our cheese seasonings. However, by the time the real cheese seasoning arrives at Frito-Lay, any enzyme used in the cheese-making process will have been physically changed by heat to be inactive long before being added to our snacks.
ReplyDeleteFor those in the U.S. choosing to restrict pork-related ingredients from their diet, Frito-Lay has a number of snacks that are seasoned products made without porcine enzymes. Going forward, you will find the most up-to-date listing posted at www.fritolay.com. We encourage you to check the listing periodically. On the menu bar, under “Products and Promotions,” choose “Health and Wellness,” then “Ingredient Concerns.” Another guide that might be helpful is the list of Kosher products, which may also be found on our website.