Judge rules Pringles chips are food

LONDON, July 4 (UPI) -- A British judge has ruled that Pringles potato chips are food, a determination that could save Proctor & Gamble millions in tax.

The ruling means the chips -- or as the British call them, crisps -- are not subject to value added tax, The Telegraph reported. The High Court judge found that more than half of the ingredients are something other than potato and also pointed to Pringles' shape and packaging.

Six years ago, Marks & Spencer, the famous department store chain, won a similar victory when a court ruled that its marshmallow tea cake is a cake. Tax officials had classified the cake as a sweet or snack.

While the cases can seem frivolous, the 17.5 percent tax is serious business, the newspaper noted.