Tostitos

**Tostitos** is a brand of Frito-Lay that produces different tortilla chips and a range of accompanying dips.

## History

By January 1978, Frito-Lay's product development group led by Jack Liczkowski had completed development of Tostitos. The chips were round, made of white corn and had an authentic "Mexican" flavor. Part of achieving this authenticity occurred after research discovered that Mexicans, after cooking corn with inorganic lime, did not rinse the corn completely and so the resulting stone-ground corn *masa* has a higher content of lime and lower pH. When the calcium hydroxide reacts with oil, it gives the chips this specific taste.

After successful test marketing in 1979, Tostitos Traditional Flavor and Tostitos Nacho Cheese Flavor went into national distribution in 1980 in the United States and reached sales of $140 million, making it one of the most successful new product introductions in Frito-Lay history. The chips are often eaten with a dip like salsa or nacho cheese, both of which the company also produces.

## Varieties

There are many varieties of Tostitos chips:

* Tostitos *Gold* (and bite size *Gold*) - a thicker and larger version of the original, advertised to hold the thickest of dips; the bite size chips are smaller. Initially very popular, this variety has been quietly discontinued.
* Tostitos *Hint of Jalapeño* - a version with jalapeño pepper flavoring added.
* Tostitos *Hint of Lime* - a version with lime flavoring added.
* Tostitos *Hint of Pepper Jack* - a version with pepper jack cheese flavoring added.
* Tostitos *Spicy Quesadilla* - artificial cheese and other spicy flavors added.
* Tostitos *Hint of Multigrain* - a version with whole wheats and grains flavoring added.
* Tostitos *Flour Tortilla* - made with flour (instead of just corn) for a milder flavor for dipping with a broader range of dips beyond Mexican-style dips (salsa, queso/cheese dip, etc.).
* Tostitos *Restaurant Style* - A much larger triangular style chip, similar to what is used in traditional Mexican-style restaurants. Also available in *Light*, advertised to be made with olestra, reducing fat and calories.
* Tostitos *Scoops* - a tortilla chip molded into the shape of a bowl that allows for easier scooping of salsas and dips. Also available in *Baked*, advertised to have half the fat of normal tostitos scoops. Recently released "Hint Of Jalapeño".
* Tostitos *Natural* (or "*Simply* Tostitos") - an organic tortilla chip that advertises "no artificial ingredients". Available in blue corn and yellow corn.
* Tostitos *Rounds* (and bite size *Rounds*) - made to be flat and cut in a circle; the bite size chips are smaller.
* Tostitos *Rolls* - introduced this party staple, a corn tortilla chip, and tube-like shape and hearty crunch.
* Tostitos *Cantina* - introduced in 2012, a style of restaurant-inspired chips that targets the Millennial generation. There are several varieties of Cantina chips, including Cantina Thin & Crispy, and Cantina Traditional.
* Tostitos *Salsa Verde*

Some Frito-Lay brand seasoned products, including some flavors of Tostitos, contain pork enzymes in addition to herbs, cheese and other seasonings. Frito-Lay's web site states that they use enzymes from pigs (porcine enzymes) in some of their seasoned snack products to develop "unique flavors". The presence of pig-derived ingredients makes them unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans, as well as non-kosher and non-*halal*.

## Fiesta Bowl

Starting in 1995, Tostitos became the title sponsor of the Fiesta Bowl, one of the four American college football games that would make up the Bowl Championship Series, the former unofficial national championship of the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona through 2006 before moving to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona in 2007.

Following the 2006 season, Tostitos was the title sponsor for the BCS National Championship Game, a new game matching the number one and two teams in the final BCS standings. The title sponsor for the championship game rotated depending upon which site is hosting the 1 vs. 2 matchup.

On June 9, 2014, Frito-Lay withdrew their sponsorship of the Fiesta Bowl citing the higher costs of sponsoring the event through the new College Football Playoff system.