Australians are shocked by claims that Pringles are “not made from proper potatoes”, sparking debate over what they are “really” made of.
Co-hosts Jordan Street and Shane Little mentioned Pringles on an episode of ‘The Unattractive Attractive Podcast’ this week.
“Pringles are not potatoes,” Shane declared. “They used to be called ‘fries’ or ‘fries’ on the packaging, but the FDA made them remove the ‘chips’ because they’re not potato chips.”
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, similar to Food Standards Australia and New Zealand.
Shane explained: ‘According to FDA policy, the product must include potato to be called chips. Pringles are not potatoes, they are made from crushed (potato) powder.
Australians shocked to discover beloved crisp brand doesn’t use ‘potatoes’ at all
A Pringles spokesperson provided information about the process of making this tasty treat.
‘Pringles is made from dehydrated potatoes and comes from our potato growers around the world. Pringles declares all ingredients on its packaging along with nutritional information.
‘The Pringles product descriptor is ‘potato chips’ and appears on the back of the packaging. “We were never asked to change the packaging to remove the word ‘crisps’, which is 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 potato chips are usually made with thinly sliced potatoes and do not go through a similar process.
Many argued that the “dust” still contained potatoes, but others disagreed.
“Personally, I don’t consider highly processed dried potato powder to be anywhere close to the real potato,” said one.
“Dried potatoes are still potatoes, and Pringles are made with 42 percent potatoes,” another responded.
How are Pringles really made?
The American documentary series How It’s Made previously revealed the process of creating Pringles, from the base ingredients to the 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 dough firmness while it is fried.
The mixture is then pressed flat into a long sheet of potato, and a rotary cutter punches oval shapes into the sheet of potato mixture.
Next, the cut and raw French fries are placed in a deep fryer.
As they move through the fryer, a mold gives each chip a concave shape.
It only takes 11 seconds to fry them before they are crispy and reach a blow-dry area to remove excess oil.
The fries are then seasoned, inspected by a worker, and packed into containers.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Pringles for comment.