Firefighters tackled a blaze at a farm shed where 13 tonnes of crisps went up in smoke.
Crews were called to the premises at Castle Eden, County Durham, close to the A19 at just after 8am.
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service send two crews from Peterlee who used jets to tackle the flames.
A spokeswoman said: "It involved 13 tonnes of crisps alight in a farm building."
The crisps were rejects from the nearby Walkers Crisps plant which were destined to be turned into pig feed, firefighter Mick Henderson said.
The watch manager, based at Peterlee, said: "The rejected crisps get recycled at the farm.
"The crisps are full of starch and oil and they have been heated.
"They were dropped in a big pile and they have ignited.
"The crisps were inside a barn and we extinguished it in about two hours."
It was believed the smell of the blaze was similar to smoky bacon crisps.