Business Blooper: The Chip That Passed (Through)

Sometimes the product works exactly as advertised, and that is precisely the problem.On January 24, 1996, the FDA approved olestra (oh-LES-trah), a synthetic fat substitute developed by Procter & Gamble researchers Fred Mattson and Robert Volpenhein, who had originally stumbled onto the molecule in 1968 while researching fats for premature infants. By February 1998, Frito-Lay had licensed the ingredient and launched WOW chips nationally, a fat-free line spanning Lay's, Ruffles, Doritos, and Tostitos. First year sales hit $347 million, making WOW the best-selling new food product in the United States that year. But every bag carried an FDA-mandated warning label that mentioned abdominal cramping and loose stools, late night comedy did the rest, and consumer complaints eventually topped 20,000. Sales dropped by half between 1998 and 2000. The WOW brand was quietly retired in 2004. Olestra eventually found its way into eco-friendly deck stains and industrial lubricants.bsnsBloopers is part of the bsnsDAILYpodcasts lineup from bsnsBasics, hosted by Ron Trucks.New episodes drop every weekday. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen.Start at www.bsnsDAILYpodcasts.com