Ruffles WOW! / Ruffles Light (Olestra)

Historical Ruffles Products

A fat-free line of Ruffles (and sibling Lay's, Doritos, Tostitos snacks) made with Procter & Gamble's fat substitute olestra, marketed under the WOW! brand starting in 1998. The chips generated roughly $400 million in first-year sales but became controversial after being linked to gastrointestinal side effects (cramping, diarrhea), which forced mandatory warning labels. After the FDA dropped the warning-label requirement in 2003, Frito-Lay renamed the line 'Light' in 2004; the olestra-based Light products (including Ruffles Light Original and Ruffles Light Cheddar & Sour Cream) were discontinued by 2016.

Community Rating

Not rated yet — be the first!