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Lay's Max vs Ruffles

On overall TruNorth grade, Lay's Max scores higher (Lay's Max: C, Ruffles: D). Both graded from public records across nine values categories.

C
Lay's Max
55.2/100
D
Ruffles
42.1/100

Political donations

Lay's Max

Via parent company PepsiCo: FEC: $8K PAC donations; 50% to Republican, 50% to Democratic committees. [CA CalAccess + NY COELIG + TX Ethics adds state-level totals.]

Ruffles

FEC: $116K in executive political donations; partisan lean split across 6 executive donors.

Environment

Lay's Max

Via parent company PepsiCo: environmental violation: $3.6M in federal penalties (Violation Tracker).

Ruffles

Via parent company Pepsi: environmental violation: $3.6M in federal penalties (Violation Tracker).

Labor

Lay's Max

Via parent company PepsiCo: 236 federal penalties totaling $77.9M since 2000 (Violation Tracker). Supply-chain signals: KnowTheChain 60/100; CHRB 14.2/26; TVPRA exposure; UK MS statement; AU MS statement.

Ruffles

Via parent company Pepsi: 236 federal penalties totaling $77.9M since 2000 (Violation Tracker).

DEI

Lay's Max

Via parent company PepsiCo: HRC Corporate Equality Index: 100/100 — Equality 100 Leader (2025). Top-rated LGBTQ+ workplace policies, benefits, and culture. JUST Capital JUST 100 — ranked #33 of Russell 1000 (2025) for treatment of workers, customers, communities, environment. Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index member (2024) — transparent on female leadership, equal pay, inclusive culture. HRC Corporate Equality Index 100/100 (2025) — top-tier LGBTQ+ workplace equality rating.

Ruffles

No public record found.

Charity

Lay's Max

Via parent company PepsiCo: $90M reported corporate giving in 2024 (~0.10% of revenue) via PepsiCo Foundation. JUST Capital JUST 100 — ranked #33 of Russell 1000 (2025) for treatment of workers, customers, communities, environment. Drucker Institute Management Top 250 — ranked #14 (2024) on customer satisfaction, employee engagement, innovation, social responsibility, and financial strength. Fortune World's Most Admired Companies — ranked #17 (2024). Newsweek Most Trustworthy Companies in America — ranked #4 (2024). Operates the Pepsico Foundation Inc: $38.6M in charitable contributions, gifts & grants paid (FY2023, IRS Form 990-PF).

Ruffles

$90M reported corporate giving in 2024 (~0.10% of revenue) via PepsiCo Foundation.

Animal testing

Lay's Max

Via parent company PepsiCo: Ethical Consumer Avoid — palm oil, plastic packaging, water use, animal-rights concerns. [ethical-consumer]

Ruffles

No public record found.

Firearms

Lay's Max

No public record found.

Ruffles

No public record found.

Privacy

Lay's Max

No public record found.

Ruffles

Via parent company Pepsi: Terms-of-service privacy grade D (poor) via ToS;DR (tosdr.org), CC BY-SA 3.0 — transformed to TruNorth's scale.

Executive pay

Lay's Max

No public record found.

Ruffles

No public record found.

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