Eagle Snacks

by Anheuser-Busch

1979 – 1996 GONE FOREVER

Gone since 1996. A 2007 licensing deal announced a comeback, but no Eagle Snacks are on shelves today, and the original trademark was cancelled in 2002.

Last verified Nov 7, 2026

Anheuser-Busch put honey-roasted peanuts on airline flights in 1979, then built a full chip-and-pretzel line to fight Frito-Lay head on. Seventeen years later, the beer company called it off.

🧾 One more thingAnheuser-Busch announced the shutdown on February 7, 1996, sold three snack plants to archrival Frito-Lay, and sold the Eagle brand itself to Procter & Gamble that April — booking a $205.7 million charge on the way out.

Filed under: Snacks & Chips · the ’70s & earlier

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📅 Timeline

1979April 9 — Anheuser-Busch's sworn first-use date for the EAGLE snack mark; the honey-roasted peanuts debut on airline flights.
1982A-B begins manufacturing Eagle Snacks for retail, taking the fight to Frito-Lay's aisle.
1996February 7 — Anheuser-Busch announces it is closing Eagle Snacks, taking a $205.7 million after-tax charge; three snack plants go to Frito-Lay and the Eagle brand itself goes to Procter & Gamble in April.
2002The original EAGLE trademark registration is cancelled.
2007A licensing deal announces an Eagle Snacks comeback; nothing lasting reaches shelves.

❓ People also ask

Why did Anheuser-Busch stop making Eagle Snacks?

After roughly seventeen years it had never beaten Frito-Lay, and in February 1996 A-B shut the unit down, taking a $205.7 million charge — then sold three of the snack plants to Frito-Lay itself.

Are Eagle Snacks coming back?

A 2007 licensing deal promised a revival, and a later attempt surfaced around 2021, but no Eagle Snacks are on shelves today.

🧾 Sources

USPTO TSDR, EAGLE trademark record, serial 73220098 (1979)
SEC EDGAR, Anheuser-Busch Companies FY1995 Form 10-K405 (Eagle Snacks closing announced February 7, 1996) (1996)
Encyclopedia.com (International Directory of Company Histories), Frito-Lay, Inc. — company history (2004)

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