PepsiCo-owned Walkers has unveiled a new range of popular snacks for the UK market under the Wotsits and Monster Munch brands. The snacks are made with chickpeas and are classified as non-HFSS (high in fat, sugar and salt).

The Walkers range of chickpea snacks is less than 100 calories, 25% lower in salt than the average extruded product and provides a source of fiber, offering consumers “smarter snacking options without compromising on taste,” notes the brand.

According to PepsiCo, the new range follows years of testing and refining the recipe to create light and airy puffed snacks made with chickpeas that serve as “an ideal base” for Walkers’ flavors and seasonings.

Investments to change
The rollout was made possible by parent company PepsiCo’s £58 million (US$73.5 million) investment in its Walkers factory in Leicester last year. The investment established a new manufacturing line and upgraded facilities at the site to increase snack production.

This was followed by an £8 million (US$10.1 million)  in its Pipers Crisps manufacturing site located in the UK to boost production of the popular snack by nearly 80%.

Evolving its portfolio
According to Karen Scott, head of Portfolio Transformation at PepsiCo, the company is always looking for new ways to bring people a greater variety of products that include diverse ingredients while maintaining the trademark taste and quality Walkers is known for.

“After years of continuously evolving our portfolio and working closely with our R&D teams, we’re excited to be launching our first chickpea-based product with three brand-new flavors of our popular Wotsits and Monster Munch classics,” she explains.

With innovations like the new chickpea range, PepsiCo aims to achieve its goal of having 50% of snack sales come from products that are non-HFSS or sold in portions of 100 calories or less by next year.

This has been supported by the success of new products, including Walkers 45% Less Salt, Doritos Dippers and PopWorks, alongside top-selling brands such as Walkers Baked and Snack A Jacks.

This commitment forms part of the company’s health and sustainability plan. It also contributes to PepsiCo’s global strategy to expand the use of diverse ingredients, such as chickpeas, across its portfolio.