By Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Western Canada snacks on southern Alberta products

Aug 15, 2017 | 6:25 AM

LETHBRIDGE – “Crunch all you want. We’ll make more,” said Jay Leno in one memorable commercial. And this is where they make them.

The big, boxy white building in Lethbridge’s north end supplies all of western Canada with Doritos, as well as Tostitos, Cheetos, and Munchies snack mix. Down the highway in Taber, another plant turns locally-grown potatoes into Lay’s, Miss Vickie’s, and Ruffles potato chips. And a little bit farther east, in Bow Island, yet another facility turns out Spitz sunflower seeds.

They’re all products of PepsiCo Foods, whose operations in the region date back to 1978 when the Taber plant was first established to produce what were then Hostess potato chips. The Lethbridge plant, which produces corn products, is celebrating its 25th birthday in 2017.

Dan Bruce, PepsiCo Foods Canada West Operations manufacturing director, provided a tour of the Tostitos production line.

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“We take corn that comes in by railcar, and then it gets cooked, and it also has a soak or a preparation time,” Bruce outlined. “Then the corn gets milled into a dough called masa. And then it goes through a process, essentially call it cookie-cutting, where we shape the chip.

“It gets baked in an oven, and then it moves over to a fryer, and then it moves to a tumbler for seasoning if that’s what’s required for the product.”

He said there are approximately 11 varieties of Doritos and 12 Tostitos varieties.

“The products, how they’re made, it’s pretty much the same,” Bruce explained. “But consumers are more choosy these days. So you see more flavours, different types and variations of our brands.”

According to Bruce, PepsiCo Foods employes around 500 people in Lethbridge, 178 at Taber, and 80 at Bow Island.

“We’re really proud of our presence here in the Lethbridge community,” Bruce said. While the type of corn the company needs requires a longer growing season than what is available in southern Alberta, the region’s extensive potato crop is key for the Taber plant.

“I would say, you think about the Taber plant and southern Alberta, and the presence of great raw materials.”

Check out other stories is the Food for Thought series:

Food for Thought – Taking a close look at Food processors

Food for Thought – Exporting Canadian whisky to the world

Food for Thought – Taber and area feeding Canada’s sweet tooth