Too much snacking can be bad for the health, but one chip manufacturer has unveiled a packaging concept that's designed to save lives.
According to USA Today, Tostitos has teamed up with Uber and Mothers Against Drunk Driving to create a bag that uses a sensor to detect alcohol on your breath.
If the package confirms the presence of alcohol, the bag will light up with a message urging snackers not to drink and drive. It doesn't act as a Breathalyzer and can't give an exact measurement of blood-alcohol level, but it can detect whether or not traces of alcohol are present.
Tostitos doesn’t want to leave you high and dry without a ride home, however. If the bag detects booze on your breath, it will flash a code that you can use for a discount on an Uber ride home.
"We wanted to make sure that as people were celebrating (the Super Bowl), they were also partying responsibly," Jennifer Saenz, chief marketing officer for Tostitos maker Frito-Lay, told USA Today. "We thought it was an opportunity to begin a conversation with consumers about drinking and driving, and about responsibility, in a really fun and engaging way."
The bad news is that the company isn't releasing the bag for retail sale. According to Yahoo, Tostitos is only sending out 1,000 of the bags to pre-identified fans of the brand. But the company still wants you to get home safe, so it's offering the Uber discount to 25,000 people with the purchase of any bag of Tostitos between now and the Super Bowl.
At least one police department has already poked fun at the concept.
"If you have to blow into a Tostitos bag to know if you're intoxicated, for the love of all that is holy, DO NOT DRIVE," police in Lawrence, Kansas, tweeted.
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