The massive British snack firm Walkers announced that from the beginning of February 2013, it was going to add real meat to its chicken and bacon flavoured crisps, despite almost nobody complaining that the snacks didn’t taste meaty enough already.
Previously, these crisps, along with the rest of the Walkers range, were perfectly suitable for vegetarians, who constitute a significant proportion of the market.
Adding meat products won’t make the crisps any healthier and is unlikely to significantly change the taste. It is basically nothing more than a marketing gimmick.
It might sound a harmless promotional stunt, but with environmentalists pointing out the necessity of reducing meat consumption and the animal welfare issues always being there, it is actually a particularly wasteful one.
Killing yet more animals to promote a product that didn’t need any changes in the first place is unnecessary and pointless.
Tell Walkers to keep their products vegetarian.
We the undersigned ask that you reconsider the plan to add pork and poultry derived ingredients to your “roast chicken” and “smoky bacon” flavoured crisps. Those of us who are vegetarian are disappointed that a favourite snack has now been made unsuitable for us. Those of us who eat meat still don’t want to see animals killed for nothing more than a marketing gimmick.
There was nothing wrong with the crisps as they were and adding meat will not make them better. It will be, however, bad news for the environment and animal welfare. It will also alienate a significant proportion of your market.
It also does not in any way assist with Walker’s stated goal of reducing its carbon footprint. All in all, this is a counter-productive and pointless move.
We ask that you find a less wasteful and more sensible way to promote your snacks.
Thank you for your attention.
