Today, Walkers is Britain's largest crisp manufacturer, employing thousands of people in seven locations. Walkers has 16 ranges of crisps and snacks including Walkers Sensations, Doritos and Quavers.
Still based in Leicester, Walkers joined the PepsiCo family in 1989 and makes around 10 million bags of crisps a day. Walkers is worth around £436 million, and our snacks are enjoyed by over 10 million people in the UK every day.
A truly British crisp
All the potatoes we use for our Walkers crisps are British-grown. At Walkers, through working closely with farmers over many years, we know what is required to grow the finest potatoes so that our crisps taste fantastic. Our relationships with some farming families go back three generations.
Primarily three types of potato are used - the Lady Rosetta, the Hermes and the Saturna. These potatoes are chosen for their high quality of appearance, colour, texture and, above all, flavour.
A more sustainable crisp
In 2007, Walkers became the first company in the world to display a carbon reduction logo on a consumer product. The label covers the carbon used from seed to store and through to product disposal.
Working with the Carbon Trust, Walkers reduced energy use per kilo by one third, and water use per kilo by 45%. We have also committed to further year on year reductions to continue to qualify for the label.
As part of our efforts to reduce our carbon emissions by reducing our road miles, we switched to using 100% British potatoes for Walkers crisps in July 2007. As a business with a strong British heritage, we are also proud to support British farmers.
Crisps that are better for you
Since 2003, we have invested over £20 million in research and development to reduce the levels of salt and saturated fat in our crisps and snacks.
As part of this investment, we now use Sunseed oil for most of our products, one of the healthiest oils there is. It is naturally lower in saturates (the ones to watch) and naturally higher in mono-unsaturates.
Today, all Walkers crisps are cooked using Sunseed oil, which has allowed us to reduce the saturated fat content of standard Walkers crisps by at least 70%, and our snacks such as Quavers and Monster Munch by 80%.
In 2006 we reduced the sodium in our standard crisps by at least 25% and in our snacks range by up to 55%. One 34.5g bag of Walkers Crisps* now typically contains half a gram of salt - just 8% of an adult's guideline daily amount.
Broadening our range
As well as reformulating our existing portfolio, we have also launched new better- for-you crisps and snacks - Walkers Baked, Walkers Lights, and SunBites.
Walkers Baked contains 70% less total fat and 45% less saturated fat than standard potato crisps. Each pack contains fewer than 100 calories.
Walkers Lights are a traditional crisp, but contain 33% less fat that standard Walkers crisps.
SunBites is Walkers first ever wholegrain snack, which delivers one third of an adult's suggested daily amount of wholegrain per serving, an important part of a balanced diet.
Informing healthy choices through labelling
At Walkers, we know the importance of a healthy, balanced diet. This is why all our products have a front-of-pack Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) label. This label shows the amount of energy and key nutrients provided in a portion of the product, and the contribution they make to the GDA for that nutrient, making it easier for consumers to make informed decisions about a healthy, balanced diet.
The Walkers family
The Walkers family includes a wide range of popular crisps and snacks, some of which have been household favourites for years.
Walkers Sensations
Designed to share, Walkers Sensations are specially prepared crunchier crisps. As well as a selection of flavours, the range also includes Oriental Crackers, Poppadom Bites, and Sensations Corn Chips.
Walkers Max
Walkers Max is a deep ridge potato crisp, which gives more crunch and fuller flavour.
The Walkers range also includes some of the most celebrated British snacks, dating back over decades. The range includes:
Walkers Salt & Shake
Frst created in the 1920s, Salt & Shake packets contain a sachet of salt that can be added to taste or even not at all, which makes them perfect for a low salt diet.
Quavers
Walkers best-selling snack is light and crispy and is available in classic cheese flavour, as well as salt and vinegar and prawn cocktail.
French fries
A unique snack available in four flavours.
Monster Munch
Shaped as a monster's paw, these corn snacks have been a favourite snack ever since they were launched in the UK in 1977.
Squares
Walkers crunchy potato snack is available in three flavours.
Frazzles
Popular since they were created over 30 years ago, Frazzles are a bacon flavour, corn based snack.
Wotsits
These corn cheese puffs are another classic Walkers snack.
*Salt & Vinegar flavour contains 0.8g and Pickled Onion flavour contains 0.6g
