A Sea Of Red

A British court has decided for us all the question that has perplexed snack food fans for decades ....

In Big Win for P&G, Pringles Found to be ‘Not Potato Crisps’

Posted by Ashby Jones



We’ve often wondered about Pringles, the chips that come neatly and unnaturally stacked in a can, but we’ve never had reason to question whether they’re actually potato chips. That is, until now.

On Friday, a British tax court ruled that Pringles are not, in fact, potato crisps — and therefore are not subject to Britain’s 17.5% sales tax. Here’s coverage from Bloomberg and Paul Caron’s TaxProf Blog. Click here for a copy of the opinion.

According to the Bloomberg story, most food in the U.K. is not taxable. The national tax office, however, had argued that Procter & Gamble’s Pringles fall into a category of taxable food for potato chips “and similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch.”

But at a hearing in May, P&G’s lawyers claimed that Pringles don’t look, feel or taste like a regular potato chip (you’d get no argument from us on that). The lawyers also claimed the snack isn’t made like a chip since it is cooked from baked dough, not potato slices. According to the judgment, P&G’s lawyers had argued that potato chips “give a sharply crunchy sensation under the tooth and have to be broken down into jagged pieces when chewed.” A Pringle, they continued “is totally different . . . a Pringle is designed to melt down on the tongue.”

Click Here for Full Story

The lawyers also claimed the snack isn’t made like a chip since it is cooked from baked dough, not potato slices

So we've been eating "baked dough" all these years?

Mmmm. Sour cream & onion dough.

jalepeno is the best

I like Pizza-flavored dough myself...but this raises the question, is it false advertising if they call it "potato crisps?"

i'm going grocery shopping tonight...will be pickign up some salt and vinegar pringles while i'm there...mmmm

You know, I eat Pringles every day in my lunch, and I've never bothered to actually see what they're made of. Not that it will be changing my lunch, but this is sort of a revelation for me.

ATrain wrote:I like Pizza-flavored dough myself...but this raises the question, is it false advertising if they call it "potato crisps?"

the pizza ones are good too, i'll give that to ya

don't be misled by the flavor called "cheesy fries." it literally tastes exactly the same as the cheddar ones, so don't waste your money if you are interested in trying this "new" flavor...