Chipping away

The makers of Mister Bee potato chips in West Virginia thought they were doing the right thing when they moved to a low-fat recipe for its product - but the move was not welcomed by its customer base. Sales dropped 6 per cent and the company has received (and keeps receiving) numerous phone calls from angry customers. The new recipe, using cottonseed oil which is free of what was called "artery-clogging trans fat" in the item I read, produced a noticeable, and not pleasant, taste difference. Experimentation with other oils has not helped - and the company is going to revert to its original recipe - once stocks of the newer product are depleted (which could be a while!). Of course, the company's efforts should be applauded - sales only dropped 6% after all - so not everyone was of the opinion: "if we wanted healthy, we wouldn't be eating chips!".