Tostitos New Super Bowl Bag Knows If You’ve Been Drinking and Will Call You an Uber

By Margo Gothelf 3 min read

If you plan on drinking during the Super Bowl, you might want to pick up a bag of Tostitos to help get you home safe.

Tostitos has partnered with Uber and Mother’s Against Drunk Driving to create a limited edition “Party Safe” bag — a bag of chips that’s basically a mini-breathalyzer. The bag comes with a built-in sensor and can detect traces of alcohol on your breath.

“We wanted to make sure that as people were celebrating, they were also partying responsibly,” Jennifer Saenz, chief marketing officer for Tostitos maker Frito-Lay, said in a press release. “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.”

While these bags sound super innovative, it might be a little hard to get one. Only a limited number of bags will be sold and they will not be available at local retailers.

“Whether watching the big game at a friend’s house or at a local bar, a safe ride home is just a few, easy taps away,” Saenz said in the press release.

So, how does the bag work?

According to USA Today, the bag is not officially a breathalyzer, but will recognize if there is alcohol on your breath.

“A sensor at the top measures your breath, while lights below the logo flash the results,” USA Today reports. “If the bag doesn’t detect alcohol, the front will light up green. If alcohol is present, then the front of the bag will flash a red steering wheel with a ‘don’t drink and drive’ message along the bottom.”

The bag is also equipped with near-field communication, “allowing fans to tap the bag with their phone to call a ride,” reports AdWeek.

In addition to the high-tech chip bags, Tostitos will provide 25,000 $10 Uber discount codes on their normal bags to make sure everyone gets a safe ride home.

“We’re proud to introduce to the world the first bag of chips that gets you home safe,” says Roger Baran, a Goodby Silverstein & Partners creative director, said to AdWeek. “For a football fan, there is a lot of emotion involved with a game. It’s easy to drink more than you planned. And a lot of times all you need to stop short of driving after drinking is a friend who calls you off. On Sunday of the big game, we want Tostitos to be that friend.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 45 people were killed in alcohol-related incidents on Super Bowl Sunday in 2015.

Delanie Walker, tight end for the Tennessee Titans and a MADD volunteer, is speaking out against drunk driving. A drunk driver killed Walker’s aunt and uncle after they watched him play in the Super Bowl in 2013.

“Having a good time and being safe go hand in hand,” Walker told AdWeek. “Drunk driving is 100 percent preventable. Thanks to Tostitos and Uber, it’s easier than ever to make a safe choice if your plans include alcohol.”