Smartfood

The kernel

Smartfood is white cheddar in a bag you can find without a map. Amazon US popcorn search showed the 40-count variety pack twice. The kettle search listed the brand tile. Grocery 2026 roundups still name it as the cheddar RTE default.

The pot

There is no pot. This is ready-to-eat from the chip aisle. Frito-Lay has owned it since 1989. Annie Withey, Andrew Martin, and Ken Meyers started it in New England in the mid-1980s. The corn is a vehicle for cheese powder. That is the honest file.

Hulls

Hulls come with a butterfly flake under a cheddar coat. You are not buying a variety. You are buying a cheese-corn people already know.

Company

White cheddar on a butterfly flake. The cheese is the product. PepsiCo is the truck.

Founder

Annie Withey, Andrew Martin, and Ken Meyers

Since

1984–1985, Marlborough, Massachusetts / Hampton, Connecticut

Parent

Frito-Lay, a PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) division, since 1989.

HQ / farm

Frito-Lay: Plano, Texas. Brand born in New England.

Sources: Smartfood · NYT on Withey / Smartfood, 1993

Where to buy

• smartfood.com
• Amazon search

• Grocery chip aisle, Target, Walmart, Amazon. White cheddar is the default bag.

No affiliate hop. No Stripe. Official and search links only.

How we score

Directory listing. Unscored until Barron tastes it. Other testers' rankings are cited, not copied. Tiny But Mighty stays #01. Farm varieties outrank flavor labs. Read the method in the how we score guide and on the about page.

The record

Unscored until Barron opens a bag. smartfood.com. Grocery, Target, Walmart, Amazon.

Directory listing. The national white-cheddar bag. Pepsi/Frito-Lay distribution. No farm, no Atlas number.

Brand site: smartfood.com.