PepsiCo to sell milk shots alongside its newest ‘Extra Flamin’ Hot’ spicy snacks – with research revealing those in the UK can’t handle the heat

LONDON, April 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forget your deep fried Mars bar or peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the latest crazy culinary combo doing the rounds in the UK is milk and crisps.

The newest snack brand from PepsiCo , ‘Extra Flamin’ Hot’, went on sale in the UK last week. The hot new flavour, available across the Walkers MAX, Doritos and Wotsits Crunchy range, has been given ‘spicy’ reviews by some snack lovers for whom the heat has proved too much.

To douse rising temperatures, Extra Flamin’ Hot bosses have decided to sell milk miniatures alongside the snacks…although readers should bear in mind that the news is being released on ‘April Fool’s Day’ where members of the public, alongside organisations and brands, play pranks on the public.

The ‘Not Extra Flamin’ Hot Milk’ will hit the shelves today (Monday 1st April), and be on sale for “as long it takes for the British taste buds to mature to the spice”, said Dalila FopsRoy, Head of Brand Innovation. 

With its spice-neutralising properties, milk was chosen as an antidote to the heat of Extra Flamin’ Hot’ crisps. “Milk contains a protein called casein, which can break down capsaicin in the same way that soap cuts through grease”, said Dr Paolo Salify, Extra Flamin’ Hot’s Director of Heat Transference.

To accompany the April Fools prank, ‘Extra Flamin’ Hot’ has undertaken (real) research to show the parts of the country that can handle the heat of the spicy new snack. It shows that those from Glasgow are the biggest lovers of spice in the UK, with two thirds (67%) claiming to either like or love spicy food. Meanwhile those in Belfast, Northern Ireland like it the least - 41% have either a low, or no tolerance to spicy food.

Dr Salify continued: “We have been considering a milk miniature to sell alongside Extra Flamin’ Hot Wotsits Crunchy, Doritos and Walkers MAX for some time. With the arrival of this new data, we decided to expedite that decision and get it on the shelves as quickly as possible.”

‘Not Extra Flamin’ Hot Milk’ will go on sale initially in Belfast, and a nationwide rollout is expected to come in the coming days and weeks…or not!

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e4d4e65f-8cb3-48b3-8247-628f0f7e7b36

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cf6eb5a3-fb12-44c7-85e1-082d9357f384

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