Update: Pringles *are* potato chips, after all
We blogged last summer about what we thought was the definitive ruling on the subject of "potatoness." But no -- a higher authority has determined otherwise. Yes, a Pringle is a potato chip (or potato "crisp") for purposes of the British value-added tax.
Up next: Is a fat-free cookie "food"?
Meanwhile, in other tax news... [Via TaxProf Blog.]
| Posted at 9:26 AM | Permalink |
|
Comments (9)
If a fat free cookie is not food, how about defining it as a nutritional supplement or stool softener.
And watercress isn't food either: it should be classified as a freshwater fish tank ornamental.
Posted by Mister Tee | May 25, 2009 10:05 AM
My guess is that a fat-free cookie is still technically food, although I've never had one.
Posted by Bill McDonald | May 25, 2009 10:15 AM
A pretzel is a fat-free cookie. Is a pretzel food?
Posted by Allan L. | May 25, 2009 10:51 AM
I'm stunned. There's only 42% potato in those? I shudder to think what the other 58% is.
Posted by Dave | May 25, 2009 1:53 PM
...I shudder to think what the other 58% is....
INGREDIENTS: DRIED POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL (CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: CORN OIL, COTTONSEED OIL, SOYBEAN OIL, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), RICE FLOUR, WHEAT STARCH, MALTODEXTRIN, SALT AND DEXTROSE.
CONTAINS WHEAT INGREDIENTS.
NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS ยท NO PRESERVATIVES
Posted by Pete | May 25, 2009 3:08 PM
It always tickled me to read that Velveeta called itself, "cheese food." This sounds like a product you would feed your pet Cheddar rather than something meant for human consumption.
Spam must also occupy a unique niche in the "food" chain.
Posted by NW Portlander | May 25, 2009 8:10 PM
Spam, as I understand it, is an abbreviation for "spiced ham." Hormel didn't do so well with Spish.
Am I reading the Pringles case wrong? Did Pringles try to argue that by making a product less natural, it was therefore more a real food and not a snack?
Posted by Gil Johnson | May 25, 2009 10:59 PM
I think their argument was that there were so many other ingredients in Pringles besides potatoes, and they processed them all so heavily, that you couldn't call the resulting product a potato chip (or potato crisp, as they say in England).
Posted by Jack Bog | May 25, 2009 11:53 PM
I wondered for years if there was some sort of addictive chemical in Pringles. You know, some weird brain-melting chemical like Nutra-Sweet that our military chemists stumbled upon, that was then sold to some giant Frankenfood purveyor.
Because, you know, you literally can't eat just one. I would crack open the can, eat one, and then wind up eating like a third of the thing before I even figured out what I was up to, like it was just totally unconscious automatic behavior.
Gave those nasty little treats up in favor of good ol' plain tortilla chips and various salsas a long time ago...
Posted by Cabbie | May 26, 2009 5:16 AM