You're Not Imagining It: Smartfood Popcorn Doesn't Taste The Same As It Used To - Tasting Table

"Smartfood became hugely popular for providing perfectly popped kernels with a delicious, strong cheesy flavor. But then something happened. Have you noticed that it doesn't taste the way it used to? For several years now, people on Reddit and across social media have claimed that Smartfood popcorn just doesn't taste as bold and cheesy as it used to. It's also decidedly cleaner, leaving your fingers spotless after eating instead of caked with powdery cheese residue."

"Sometime around 2020, Frito-Lay changed the Smartfood recipe, moving cheese further down the list of ingredients. Where once it was front and center, it is now the second-to-last ingredient, right above salt. It's no wonder the flavor doesn't stand up the way it used to. Whether it was a cost-cutting measure or for another reason, Smartfood switched to an inferior product that does not contain the core flavor component in any appreciable amounts."

"Frito-Lay developed numerous flavors of Smartfood but always kept the original white cheddar in the lineup. Though it was called White Cheddar, the recipe has changed over the years. The original recipe included popcorn, vegetable oil, and cheddar cheese as the first three ingredients. You can find these ingredients on bags from as recently as 2019. But now cheddar cheese is the seventh ingredient in Smartfood behind popcorn, vegetable oil, natural flavors, whey, maltodextrin, and buttermilk."

Popcorn has been eaten for millennia, but modern flavored varieties like Smartfood white cheddar became popular for intense cheesy taste. Smartfood launched in 1985 and was sold to Frito-Lay in 1989; founders later created Annie's Homegrown. The original White Cheddar recipe listed popcorn, vegetable oil, and cheddar cheese as the top ingredients. Around 2020 Frito-Lay reformulated Smartfood, moving cheddar down the ingredient list to seventh place behind natural flavors, whey, maltodextrin, and buttermilk. The reformulation led to a less bold, cleaner-feeling product with reduced powdery cheese residue and diminished cheddar flavor.

Read at Tasting Table