Who Owns Walkers?

Walkers operates under PepsiCo's PepsiCo Positive (pep+) sustainability framework, which focuses on positive agriculture, positive value chain, and positive choices. The strategy aims to spread regenerative practices across seven million acres and improve livelihoods of more than 100,000 people in its agricultural supply chain.

In 2025, Walkers replaced the outer plastic packaging of its crisp multipacks with a flexible paper solution, reducing 180 tons of plastic annually. PepsiCo invested approximately $18 million in sustainable food packaging innovations for Walkers, expected to remove 250 metric tons of virgin plastic from the packaging system. PepsiCo's broader goal is to eliminate virgin fossil-fuel based plastic from its crisp and snack bags across Europe by 2030.

In March 2026, PepsiCo UK began installing a 3.56 MWp rooftop solar array at its Leicester distribution centre. The £3.6 million investment will generate 2.84 GWh of renewable electricity annually, supplying the distribution centre's full annual electricity needs with surplus power feeding the adjacent Walkers factory. The project follows earlier sustainability investments including electric ovens at Leicester (May 2025), upgraded manufacturing lines in Coventry (2024), and more efficient fryers at Brigg (2024), collectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 2,400 tonnes per year.

PepsiCo refined its sustainability goals in May 2025, extending its net-zero commitment deadline from 2040 to 2050 to reflect system-level challenges. Walkers supports these climate goals through energy efficiency, renewable energy investments, and transportation logistics optimization.

As a major user of potatoes, Walkers has established responsible sourcing practices supporting British farmers. The company established its own sunflower farms in Ukraine and Spain to produce SunSeed oil, which is higher in monounsaturated fat than standard sunflower oil.

Walkers' long-running advertising campaigns featuring Gary Lineker have been among the most recognized in British television history. Lineker has been the brand's spokesperson since 1994. The campaigns have received numerous advertising industry awards for creativity, effectiveness, and brand building.

The "Do Us a Flavour" campaign won awards for consumer engagement and innovative marketing approaches. Walkers' sustainable packaging initiatives, including the transition to paper-based outer packaging, have received industry recognition.

Walkers maintains its position as the UK's dominant crisp brand with approximately one-third of total market share. This market leadership has been recognized through various industry awards and business publications.

No specific independent awards for the 2026 calendar year have been verified for the Walkers brand.

In March 2026, Walkers issued an urgent recall of its Hot Honey Crisps 6-pack after discovering certain packets may have been filled with Mild Cheese and Onion seasoning instead of the correct flavoring. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued an allergy alert warning that the product may contain milk not listed on the packaging, posing a health risk for anyone with a milk allergy or intolerance. The affected products carried batch code GBB 584 031 and a best before date of May 16, 2026. Walkers advised consumers to contact their Consumer Care Line for a full refund and issued point-of-sale notices to retailers. A PepsiCo spokesperson stated: "The quality and safety of our products is of paramount importance to us and we sincerely apologise for the error."

In 2025, Walkers appealed a VAT classification decision to the upper tribunal. The tribunal upheld that Walkers crisps fall within the non-exempt category subject to standard VAT rates, rather than the zero rate applied to some other food products.

In June 1999, PepsiCo transferred ownership of its Walkers brands out of Britain and into a Swiss subsidiary, Frito-Lay Trading GmbH. According to The Guardian, this corporate restructuring resulted in UK tax authorities receiving less than a third of what they might have received under the previous structure. The move attracted criticism regarding tax avoidance strategies.

As a major snack food producer, Walkers has faced ongoing scrutiny regarding the nutritional content of its products and their contribution to public health concerns about obesity. The company has responded by reducing saturated fat content by 70% in 2006 and launching lower-fat alternatives like Sunbites in 2007. Healthier options have had mixed commercial success.