Pringles Facing Crunch Time

Procter &Gamble Co. has unleashed the four-decade-old snack in a barrage of new flavors, shapes and sizes with new marketing even as speculation grows that Pringles could be among the next P&G brands to be sold or spun off.

"More and more, we're hearing from Procter &Gamble that the food business doesn't fit in with the rest of their portfolio,"said Ali Dibadj, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein, which hosted P&G officials at a New York conference in late May.

Since P&G sold Folgers coffee, Jif peanut butter, Crisco shortening and Sunny Delight drinks in recent years, the Pringles potato crisp is the last major food brand the Cincinnati-based company has left.