Tag: 90s food

Back in 1992, SnackWell's launched as a supposedly healthy, fat-free snack, riding the wave of the low-fat diet craze. This marketing propelled it to immense popularity, yet many were left questioning its true dietary value. So, are SnackWell's healthy for you, or were they just a clever marketing illusion from a bygone era?

In 1998, Frito-Lay's WOW! chips, made with the fat substitute olestra, generated over $400 million in first-year sales, appearing to be a revolutionary snack for the diet-conscious. However, this period of soaring popularity was short-lived, as the fat-free product became widely known for its unfortunate gastrointestinal side effects.

In the late 1990s, Ruffles 'Light' chips, along with other Frito-Lay 'WOW!' products, contained olestra, a controversial zero-calorie fat substitute that caused widespread digestive issues. While the additive promised guilt-free snacking, it was eventually phased out due to persistent public complaints and health concerns. Today's Ruffles products are made with conventional vegetable oils, not olestra, which was largely discontinued from the Frito-Lay lineup.