The Olestra Snack Debacle: A Look Back at the 1990s Fat-Free Controversy

In late 1996, Procter & Gamble began market-testing a fat-free version of their iconic Pringles snack. Brand manager Casey Keller described their attempt to innovate the food industry with these calorie-conscious chips as 'the number-one unmet consumer need' of the time.

This new chip, which boasted zero grams of fat and only half the calories of traditional Pringles, was made possible by Procter & Gamble's synthetic fat molecule, olestra, marketed as Olean. Too large to be absorbed by the intestines, it passed through the digestive system far too quickly.

Olestra, found in Pringles and later in Frito-Lay products like Ruffles and Doritos, was plagued by an inconvenient side effect. While the molecule was touted as a breakthrough, a portion of consumers experienced stomach cramps, diarrhea, and loose bowel movements. It also gave rise to terms rarely linked with snack foods, such as 'fecal urgency' and 'anal leakage.'

A 25-Year Quest

Olestra’s history traces back to 1968, when Procter & Gamble researchers began exploring fats that premature infants could tolerate more easily. They eventually discovered that by adding more fatty acids to the sorbitol molecule, they could create a fat that couldn’t be absorbed through the intestine’s mucus membrane, making it completely indigestible.

Due to the high cost of sorbitol, researchers replaced it with sucrose and mixed it with triglycerides. This 'synthetic' fat, made from cottonseed and soybean oils, seemed like the ultimate discovery—an additive that delivered flavor with zero calories, fat, and cholesterol.

The development of olestra took 15 years, followed by another decade before the FDA approved its use in savory snacks like potato chips, pretzels, and other salty foods. However, there were a few challenges. Olestra interfered with the absorption of essential vitamins like A, E, D, and K, and also impacted carotenoids, which are thought to protect against cancer and heart disease. The FDA required that olestra-based snacks be fortified with vitamins and include a warning label about potential side effects like abdominal cramps and loose stools.

Procter & Gamble raised a minor concern over the label—since it can be difficult to sell food with a warning about possible explosive diarrhea—but was otherwise content. After 25 years and an estimated $200 million in development, olestra was finally ready for consumers.

In 1996, Procter & Gamble began test-marketing a fat-free version of Pringles in Ohio. As the company prepared to sell the ingredient to other snack makers, Frito-Lay started experimenting with olestra in Lay’s, Ruffles, Tostitos, and Doritos that same year. Early feedback was positive, and by 1998, the products were launched nationwide.

A Change is Brewing

Olestra caused quite a commotion, especially among a public accustomed to the idea that dietary fats were harmful. Frito-Lay, marketing the chips under the name Wow!, emphasized that the chips contained only 75 calories per serving, half the calories of regular chips, and no fat instead of the usual 10 grams. The potential for bathroom mishaps was brushed off as a punchline for late-night TV. Procter & Gamble downplayed the concerns, likening any gastrointestinal issues from olestra to the effects of eating beans or broccoli.

But broccoli had never been shown to cause an orange-yellow liquid to leak from someone’s backside. The FDA and Procter & Gamble were flooded with 16,700 complaints from consumers claiming that products made with olestra caused everything from flatulence to stained underwear. A meeting hosted by Washington’s Center for Science in the Public Interest, which had criticized Procter & Gamble for overstating olestra’s benefits, featured video testimonies from people suffering from the side effects. One person even compared the cramps they experienced from snacking to early labor pains.

Other reported experiences with olestra included passing orange-yellow ‘globules’ of oil and difficulty with wiping. The Center even revealed a study commissioned by Frito-Lay, intended to be kept confidential, which showed that 3 to 9 percent of participants experienced 'anal oil leakage.' Additionally, 5 percent reported 'underwear spotting,' and 7 percent experienced other gastrointestinal issues.

Despite the potential for leakage, olestra managed to recover from a lot of its bad press. In 1998 alone, Frito-Lay sold $347 million worth of Wow! chips. The fat-free Pringles generated $100 million in sales that same year. It seemed that consumers were drawn to the lower-calorie option, eager to experience first-hand how olestra would affect them.

High Expectations and Loose Stools

It’s hard to determine what percentage of consumers experienced adverse effects, but it’s easy to understand why it could be problematic. Unlike the portion sizes used in studies, consumers often binge on chips, devouring a whole bag at once or pairing them with other foods. While Procter & Gamble advised that chips are just snacks, it was difficult to convince people to not consume an entire bag of chips with half the calories. Even Procter & Gamble admitted that overeating could cause loose stools and cramps.

Procter & Gamble had big plans for olestra, forecasting $1 billion in sales by 2000, with hopes of expanding into a wide array of products like salad dressings and desserts. However, just two years after its highly successful launch, sales were only half of what was expected, and only a few brands like Utz and Herr’s included olestra in their products. Even after the FDA lifted the warning label requirement in 2003, consumers weren’t keen on the idea of runny stools.

In 2004, Frito-Lay rebranded their Wow! chips as Ruffles Light and Doritos Light. By 2009, Procter & Gamble had repurposed olestra as an ingredient in eco-friendly paints and lubricants. Though some products still contain olestra, it no longer holds the revolutionary status the company once envisioned.

Back in 1998, Procter & Gamble’s then-chairman and CEO, John E. Pepper, Jr., expressed confidence that olestra could one day sit alongside other Procter & Gamble products, like Pampers diapers. He did not, however, suggest whether he expected olestra’s sales to boost the sales of diapers.