Has PepsiCo India tampered with its hugely popular Lay’s Magic Masala? Chip lovers across India are up in arms over a ‘new’ version of Magic Masala. which they claim is sweeter than the original spicy flavour. I’ve had the misfortune of tasting this watered-down version. You don’t play with people’s emotions like this.
The flavour of Magic Masala or Blue Lay’s as it’s colloquially called is the fragrance of childhood for a generation of Indians. It’s something we took into the adult world with us because it has the power to transport us back to simpler times.
And now, there’s panic that it’s being cancelled. Reddit, Instagram and X are currently blowing up with memes alleging tampering with the flavour of India’s most beloved snack. Draped in new packaging, the chips don’t taste the same any longer. And if the outrage is anything to go by, people are a toolkit away from taking to the streets to protest the change.
Things don’t have to go that far down the road. PepsiCo has messaged an outraged user and clarified that the current flavour on the racks is only ‘limited edition’ and that their favourite flavour will be back soon.
But why do brands even think of changing flavours that have become part of a culture, only to backtrack later? One can only imagine the costs incurred.
And the outrage continues. Take this Instagram reel as an example, where Mumbai-based influencer Zervaan J Bunshah goes on an unhinged rant about Lays tampering with ‘his’ magic masala.
“The magic is no longer there. You have made it into a meetha masala!” He yells at the camera, throwing the packet of chips on the ground. “Are you out of your mind? This is MY junk food. This is the time of my life when I get to enjoy it,” he continues. Zervaan speaks for all of the Magic Masala junkies out there. And there are a lot of us.
Even on Lay’s Instagram post boasting the new ‘bowled out edition’, people are begging for the original flavour to be brought back. “Magic Masala has become TRAGIC MASALA,” wrote one user.
A generation of chip lovers enjoyed it with Thums Up first and gradually moved on to Lay’s with Thums Up and rum. It’s been a part of the most memorable, liveliest group hangouts, birthdays and Netflix watch parties. It is a cardinal sin to alter the flavour we associate with bliss.
Magic Masala is not a product. It’s an emotion. Don’t mess with it. It will backfire.
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Magic nostalgia
The current snack aisle at any grocery store is much more diverse than it was in the early 2000s. After 2014, if achhe din has come anywhere, it is in the snack food industry. Now, we can be promiscuous with our junk food loyalties—there’s a flavour, preparation, and ingredient for almost every mood. The potato also doesn’t rule the roost anymore. From ragi chips, to popped chips, to makhanas, to nachos and popcorn—there are too many things to choose from.
GenZ is spoilt for choice, and brand loyalty goes only so far with them unlike millennials who grew up on Kurkure (devoured even after endless plastic tests) and four flavours of Lay’s at the local kirana store.
People’s choice of flavours was even telling of their personality traits. And anyone who didn’t choose Magic Masala was not worth talking to.
With minor tweaks, the Lay’s brand has survived and kept up with the times. Losing the original Lay’s recipe is akin to your mother forgetting the recipe for your favourite dish. If this outrage is based on truth, then logic eludes me.
Brands tread cautiously when it comes to making changes to cult classics. In 1985, Coca-Cola tried to market a sweeter version of the drink, branded the ‘new Coke’, to beat Pepsi. There was instant backlash, and the flavour was cancelled. The original flavour was re-launched as ‘Classic Coke’.
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Another casualty
On Reddit, people are already comparing the new flavour to Balaji Chips. And no disrespect to Balaji chips, it offers more for the same price, but it caters to a different target audience.
And it’s not like fierce competition in the market doesn’t already exist. There is Bingo with its elite spicy flavour, the Doritos flaming hot and of course the Balaji chips.
There should also be a good reason behind the change in flavour. A market survey perhaps? But if a market survey showed that people aren’t able to handle the spice quotient of the magic masala, then why would Lay’s launch the ‘sizzling’ hot flavours, which straight up causes a wildfire in the stomach when one eats it?
There’s enough in the world that’s changing at an unprecedented pace. Only a few things feel permanent or even familiar now. We don’t want our favourite snack to be added to the long list of casualties of anything good in the world.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)