Bugles (snack)

Bugles are a corn snack produced by General Mills and Tom's Snacks (under license from General Mills).[1][2]

History

Bugles were developed by a food engineer, Verne E. Weiss of Plymouth, Minnesota.[3] Horn-shaped Bugles were test-marketed in 1965 and introduced nationally in early 1966 as one of several new General Mills snacks,[4] including flower-shaped Daisys [sic]; wheel-shaped Pizza Spins;[5] tube-shaped Whistles;[6] cheddar cheese-flavored Buttons; and bow-shaped, popcorn-flavored Bows,[7] all of which were discontinued in the 1970s.[8]

From the time of their creation in the 1960s, General Mills' Bugles were manufactured at a plant in West Chicago, Illinois,[8]

Ingredients and varieties

General Mills Bugles are fried in coconut oil, which contributes to their being significantly higher in medium-chain triglyceride saturated fat than similar snack foods, which are typically fried in soybean or other vegetable oils. Bugles contain no hydrogenated oils.

The ingredients of Original Bugles are degermed yellow corn meal, coconut oil, sugar, salt, baking soda, and BHT. Ingredients for all variations of Bugles are listed on the General Mills website.[11]

Bugles produced under the Tom's Snacks label no longer use coconut oil, but rather "vegetable oil (contains one or more of the following: canola oil, corn oil, or sunflower oil)."

They have been available in the following flavors: Original, Nacho Cheese, Salt & Vinegar, Sour Cream & Onion, Ranch, Chili Cheese, Salsa, Smokin' BBQ, Churros, Southwest Ranch, Sweet and Salty Chocolate Peanut Butter, Sweet and Salty Caramel, Cheddar, Ketchup, Coriander, Cookies and Cream, Hot Buffalo, Shrimp, Jalapeño Cheddar, Hot & Spicy, and Hot & Spicy BBQ (exclusively manufactured by Tom's). In addition to original flavors, the brand has also had crossover flavors like with Hidden Valley Ranch

International sales

As of November 2014, Bugles were sold as Bugles in the United States, Canada, China, Denmark, Iraq, The Netherlands, and several more countries in Central America and the Caribbean.[14]

Bugles were discontinued in Canada in early 2010 due to a decrease in customer demand,[15] but were soon brought back in November 2011 due to a renew in demand.[16] On November 14, 2022, the official Bugles Twitter account confirmed that their products were again no longer available in Canada. In the United Kingdom, Bugles were available in the early 2000s and manufactured by Golden Wonder. They were discontinued after several years, but were brought back in 2016, and are now manufactured by Walkers.[17]

General Mills also licenses the name and shape to other manufacturers of the same product:

External links