At 800 calories per 5oz bag, Frito-Lay’s chocolate-covered Wavy chips could prove a little rich for most consumers, said Matthew Hudak, packaged foods analyst at Euromonitor International.
Despite this, he added: “It’s very, very indulgent but in a great way – the product tastes really great.”
“It’s just I think there might be a little too much chocolate going on,” he told BakeryandSnacks.com.
Hudak said the chocolate layer is fairly thick on some chips and at the current ratio the saltiness of the potato chip doesn’t come through strongly.
“You just notice some chips have an unnecessary amount of chocolate on. Maybe some chocolate lovers would get past it but I think consumers will be looking for saltiness to come through.”
'It could very well work'
Even though there could be a little too much chocolate, Hudak said the product still has huge potential because of the taste.
“It’s a very, very indulgent product but in a great way. It could very well work.”
However, he said that consumers would probably consume the chips with friends, as a shared item, because they are so heavy and rich.
Asked if it was a winning product, he said: “I don’t want to say it’s a winner because of the health ramifications, but there’s a lot of potential. In terms of taste, I think it’s a winner.”
“...Considering sweet and savory is so big, they are striking at the right time.”
Dark chocolate variant should come next
Hudak said a dark chocolate variant would be a good move for the snack titan next.
“Dark chocolate is very big in the US. Some people really enjoy the flavor and then on top of that there are more health benefits associated with it because there’s more cocoa,” he said.
If Frito-Lay does develop a dark chocolate product, he said it should market it in the same way it has with the milk chocolate product.
Hudak and his colleague David McGoldrick did a taste test in Euromonitor’s Chicago office this week.