Lay’s Salt & Vinegar flavour lovers can rejoice – the snack is back on South African shelves.
This comes after it was discontinued in February 2020, much to the disappointment of consumers.
Last week, speculation was mounting about a possible return as consumers noticed the familiar blue packs on the shelves of various retailers.
Several consumers posted snaps of the chips on their social media timelines to announce they were back.
Facebook user Mekhail Nielsen posted pictures of himself carrying multiple packets of the chips at a food retailer with the caption: “My fellow South Africans, we have done it. Guess who's back."
Twitter user @GlendaAphane also posted a picture of the chips and wrote: “Y’all, salt and vinegar Lays are back!!! (heart emojis).”
In a statement, Lay’s marketing director, Agnes Kitololo, confirmed the return of the chips.
Kitololo said the company had listened to its consumers who had told them Lay’s Salt & Vinegar flavour had a taste like no other.
“Lay’s Salt & Vinegar will be available in all retailers for a limited period. This coincides with the rollout of our Local Lay’s UEFA Champions League 2021 campaign. The Lay’s Salt & Vinegar pack is the traditional dark blue and features one of the official campaign ambassadors. It is still the same tantalising salt and vinegar taste experience made with only the finest quality ingredients and meticulous preparation that consumers have come to truly relish,” she said.
As a reminder of why the flavour was removed from the market, Kitololo said the company’s marketing teams, with its research and development specialists, conducted ongoing research to understand the optimal flavours across the range. She said sometimes when certain flavours overtook others in the race to be consumers’ favourite, the company had to make tough choices about which flavours to prioritise.
“The consumer response really proves that the Lay’s Salt and Vinegar flavour is exceptionally moreish, so we really hope that our consumers will savour every moment of this limited edition, flavour throwback”, Kitololo said.