Each 2.6oz (73g) chip bag contains 21g of protein and contains between 30-50% less calories than regular corn chips.

The company’s founder Danny Fillmore told BakeryandSnacks.com that making chips that contained real meat was new and complex R&D territory, “Chips with meat don’t happen overnight, and the ones that do tend to fail,” says Fillmore .

The company started with a range of ideas for meat and grain combinations, from beef and rice through to turkey and quinoa, but finally settled on corn and chicken.

Meat Chips worked closely with the USDA to ensure active water levels in the chicken ingredient and cook times and temperatures ensured a safe product, were some of the NPD challenges.

The firm grinds the chicken meat in-house before blending with corn in a 40:60 chicken to corn ratio, ahead of a baking and frying step.

Fillmore says incorporating chicken into the production line was difficult because of its sticky texture. “I do think this is partly why no-one has ever come close to creating what we have,” he notes.

Currently Meat Chips offers four flavours: Pepper, Nacho, Salsa and Ranch.

“This isn’t a health food company,” says Fillmore. “We’re a snack food company. We focus on using real ingredients and flavours that make people crave this stuff. Our goal is to make people love us for the taste, and then benefit from the ingredients.”

“It’s interesting,” says Fillmore. “The biggest hurdle I have is not getting on retail shelves…but which retail shelves. This is a new category – stores don’t know if they should put us next to the beef jerky, Doritos, or in the health food aisle.”

Meat Chips retails for $2.99 per bag.

Meat Chips www.meatchips.com