Forget good old-fashioned potato chips. These days America’s kids are
munching on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Maybe you’ve noticed kid stuffing
their mouths with these fiery, cheesy nuggets. Maybe you’ve seen a teen
on the bus with a copy of the Hunger Games in one hand, iPhone in the other, and a big crinkly orange bag in the lap. That bag of Cheetos just might be breakfast.
All of this Cheetos-munching has nutritionists concerned. One bag
packs in a whopping amount of fat and salt—”26 grams of fat and a
quarter of the amount of salt that’s recommended for the entire day,”
according to ABC News.
These airy puffs have no nutritional value—zip, zilch, nada. And as you
might expect, the salty snacks are like crack and highly addictive—as
in once you stick your hand in the bag there’s no turning back.
Schools across the country, from New Mexico to Illinois, are
concerned about the number of bags their students are consuming and
principals are yanking Flamin’ Hot Cheetos off their menus. A Chicago
school district, which once sold 150,00 bags a year, no longer carries
the snack. “If children were to bring in snacks that are high in fat,
high in calories, that’s their choice,” Rockford School District Interim
Superintendent Robert Willis told ABC News “We’re not going to be providing those kinds of foods.”
One California school isn’t even allowing kids to pack in their own
Flamin’ Hots. “We don’t allow candy, and we don’t allow Hot Cheetos,”
Rita Exposito, principal of Jackson Elementary School in Pasadena,
Calif., told the Chicago Tribune.
“We don’t encourage other chips, but if we see Hot Cheetos, we
confiscate them — sometimes after the child has already eaten most of
them. It’s mostly about the lack of nutrition.”
Flamin’ Hot Fritos first hit store shelves in the early 90s, according to the Chicago Tribune,
“to target urban convenience stores.” The snack flew off shelves and
led Frito-Lay to make several other similar varieties including Flamin’
Hot Fritos, Flamin’ Hot Fries and XXTra Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
Just how hot are Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? Frito-lay hasn’t released sales
figures but many store owners say this is their top-selling product.
“It’s my No. 1 seller,” said Ali Bawazir, owner of Touchdown Food Mart
in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, told the Chicago Tribune.
“Kids get ‘em for breakfast too. They’re crazy about them.” In other
words. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are so hot that they’ve replaced a proper hot
breakfast. Bring back the oatmeal, please!
Have you ever finished off a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? Do you love em or hate em? Are they any more addictive than other popular snacks such as Pringles?
