Potato Chips and Corn Chips - Level 4

The story goes that the potato chip was invented in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. in 1853. Multi-

millionaire Cornelius [bad word] to the chef that his fried potatoes were 
sliced too thickly. Chef George [bad word] responded by slicing the potatoes paper thin and 
frying them in hot oil. The potato chip became an instant success. 
 [bad word] have made large profits on chips. The most successful brands are 
associated with the [bad word]  Herman W. Lay of Nashville, Tennessee, was 
selling potato chips from the back of his car in the early 1930s. He soon became a 
successful distributor for a brand of potato chips, which were made in Atlanta, Georgia. 
When [bad word] ran into financial problems, Lay arranged to buy them out. It now 
became H. W. Lay [bad word]  
Meanwhile in Texas, Elmer Doolin was trying to sell chips made from corn dough. This 
was an old Mexican recipe, which Doolin had found in San Antonio, Texas. At first, these 
Fritos corn chips were made in Mr. Doolin's mother's kitchen. It took a few years before 
they sold very well. Mr. Doolin moved [bad word] to Dallas and began to expand his 
market. In 1945, he granted the H. W. Lay Co. the rights to make Fritos corn chip for the 
American southeast. In 1961, the [bad word] merged to [bad word] Frito-Lay Inc. In 1965, 
Frito-Lay merged with Pepsi to [bad word] PepsiCo. Inc., one of the largest snack food and 
 [bad word] in the world. 
In 2000, Frito-Lay sold 58% of all the snack chips in the U.S.A. In Canada and the United 
States, Frito-Lay products had sales of $9.9 billion. The most popular brand was Lay's 
potato chips, followed by [bad word]  Tostitos, Cheetos, and Fritos. Internationally, 
Frito-Lay has 28% of the market worldwide. That amounts to $5.9 billion annually. 
Why are potato chips and corn chips so popular? Well, they are versatile. You can eat 
them by themselves or with a sandwich for lunch. They can replace other forms of 
potatoes and corn. They can [bad word] in various flavours. For example, potato chip 
flavours include ketchup, salt and vinegar, barbeque, dill pickle and cheddar. Potato 
chips can be thick or thin, ridged or flat, spicy or bland. Chips can be made from many 
things besides potatoes. There is corn dough and tortilla dough, of course. But chips can 
also be made from sweet potatoes, parsnips, taro root, peppers and other vegetables. 
One caution about potato chips is that they are not a good source of nutrition. Parents 
who send their children to school with a bag of potato chips for lunch need to remember 
that these are just a snack. Because snack chips usually contain a lot of fat, they can 
also lead to weight gain. It is better not to eat snack chips too often, and not to eat them 
instead of healthier foods. 
In Canada nearly $2 billion is spent on snack food every year and half of this is spent on 
chips. People are always looking for new flavours to try. Spicy chips are gaining in 
popularity. The snack chip industry just keeps on growing.