**Company History and Ownership**:
– Smiths Snackfood Company founded in the UK in 1920 by Frank Smith and Jim Viney.
– Smiths Potato Crisps founded by Frank Smith and Jim Viney after World War I.
– Smiths established in Australia in 1932 by Frank Smith.
– Smiths purchased northern rival Tudor Crisps in 1960 and expanded into biscuits and nuts.
– Smiths purchased by General Mills in 1966 and later sold to Associated Biscuits in 1978.
– Associated Biscuits acquired by Nabisco in 1982, bringing Smiths under Walkers ownership.
– PepsiCo acquired Smiths and Walkers from BSN in 1989.
– Smiths reunited under PepsiCo ownership in 1989 in the UK and 1998 in Australia.
– In the UK, the Smiths brand is now a sub-brand to Walkers, while in Australia, it’s the main brand.
– Walkers had a third of the crisp market in the UK when acquired by PepsiCo.
**Product Range**:
– Chipsticks: extruded corn starch snack in salt and vinegar flavour.
– Frazzles: extruded corn starch snack in bacon flavour.
– Bacon Fries: extruded cereal starch snack in bacon flavour.
– Scampi Fries: extruded cereal starch snack in scampi flavour.
– Funyuns: extruded cereal starch snack in onion flavour.
– Mainstay flavours of Smiths Crisps in Australia since the 1980s: Original Salted, Salt & Vinegar, Chicken, Barbecue, Cheese & Onion.
– Introduced first flavoured chip in Australia in 1961 – chicken.
– Mention of unique snack products like Batburger, Battle Tanks, Battle Planes, and Ribs.
– Various vintage snack items like Horror Bags and Cheezers.
– Different flavors and shapes of crisps produced by Smiths.
– Overview of the Smiths product range through the years.
– Packaging and branding evolution of Smiths products.
**Recalls**:
– Crinkle Cut chips recalled multiple times due to foreign objects like rubber pieces and plastic pieces.
– Recalls occurred in February 2007, December 2008, June 2009, October 2022, and May 2023.
**Misleading Representation**:
– Fined $10,800 in July 2016 for misleading representation on Sakata Paws Pizza Supreme Rice Snacks.
– Product logo misrepresented meeting School Canteen Guidelines.
– Disclaimers were in small font on the packaging.
– Several snack products manufactured in the 1970s.
**Further Reading and Historical Background**:
– Mention of the impact of Smiths Crisps on the snack industry.
– Historical background on Smiths Crisps flavors and their evolution.
– Impact of crisps on British culture.
– Smiths Chips history in Australia.
– Various advertisements and references to Smiths Crisps in different eras.
– Article on Smiths saving water waste in December 2008.
– Legal case ‘Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc.’
– Partnership with Ekaterra for production outside the U.S.
– List of notable people associated with the company.
– Mention of other companies like Yum! Brands and Wilson Sporting Goods.
The Smith's Snackfood Company is a British-Australian snack food brand owned by the American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation PepsiCo. It is best known for its brand of potato crisps. The company was founded by Frank Smith and Jim Viney in the United Kingdom in 1920 as Smiths Potato Crisps Ltd, originally packaging a twist of salt with its crisps in greaseproof paper bags which were sold around London. The dominant brand in the UK until the 1960s when Golden Wonder took over with Cheese & Onion, Smith's countered by creating Salt & Vinegar flavour (first tested by their north-east England subsidiary Tudor) which was launched nationally in 1967.
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| Company type | Proprietary company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 1920 in Cricklewood, England (UK branch). 13 May 1932 (Australia branch) |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | , Australia |
Area served | Oceania United Kingdom |
| Products | Snack foods, potato chips |
| Parent | PepsiCo |
| Website | smiths-chips.com.au |
After establishing the product in the UK, Smith set up the company in Australia in 1932. Both versions of Smiths have had various owners, but were reunited under PepsiCo ownership, with the UK business being purchased in 1989, and the Australian business in 1998. Smith's Snackvend Stand is the branch of the company that operates vending machines. The Smith's brand in the United Kingdom is now a sub brand to the main Walkers brand, while in Australia, Smiths is the main brand.