Australians are shocked by claims that Pringles are ‘not made with the right potatoes’, sparking a debate over what they are ‘really’ made of.
Co-hosts Jordan Street and Shane Little brought up Pringles on an episode of “The Unattractive Attractive Podcast” this week.
“Pringles aren’t potatoes,” Shane explained. “They used to be called ‘chips’ or ‘chips’ on the packaging, but the FDA had them remove the ‘chips’ because they are not chips.”
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, similar to Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Shane explained, “According to FDA policy, you must have potato in your product to call it chips. Pringles are not potatoes, they are made using a mashed potato [potato] powder.’
Australians are shocked to discover a much-loved crisp brand doesn’t use ‘potatoes’ at all
A Pringles spokesperson provided insight into the process of making the savory treat.
‘Pringles are made from dried potatoes and come from our potato farmers around the world. Pringles lists all ingredients on the package, along with the nutritional information.
‘The product description for Pringles is ‘chips’ and is on the back of the package. “We have never been asked to change the packaging to remove the word ‘chips’, a term used to describe many different foods in the Australian market,” a spokesperson told FEMAIL.
Shane’s co-host – and thousands of others – were shocked by the revelation.
Some other types of chips are usually made from thinly sliced potatoes and do not undergo a similar process.
Many claimed that the ‘powder’ still contained potato, but others disagreed.
“Personally, I don’t consider highly processed dried potato powder anything close to real potato,” said one.
“Dried potato is still potato – and Pringles are 42 percent potato,” another responded.
How are Pringles actually made?
The American documentary series How It’s Made previously revealed the process of making Pringles, from basic ingredients to packaging.
Pringles are made with a ratio of one-third water to two-thirds potato flakes, and then cornstarch is mixed in to give the batter its firmness during baking.
The mixture is then pressed to flatten it into one long potato sheet, and a rotating cutter punches oval shapes into the sheet of potato mixture.
The uncooked, cut fries are then placed in a deep fryer.
As they make their way through the fryer, a mold gives each chip a hollow shape.
It only takes 11 seconds for them to crisp up and go into an area where they can be blow-dried to remove excess oil.
The chips are then seasoned, inspected by an employee and packaged into containers.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Pringles for comment.
