Actung! No Cheetos allowed
Just because you can get any food you want in the US doesn’t mean that every other civilized country has it, allows it, or provides it in the same way. Cheetos made by Frito Lay are a case in point. (Frito is the company doing the sex reassignment on Cracker Jack.) As Americans we know how Cheetos taste and the orange sticky residue they leave on our hands. The EU science folks want to completely ban Cheetos because the cheese flavoring can get over heated while being cooked and turn into a chemical that can be a carcinogen. The chemical is approved in the US. But Frito Lay has a competitor in Germany particularly who is very good at protecting its market and they are in snack business.
Intersnack is very big, very aggressive and very well connected inside Germany and other countries in that European Union. For starters they have won many lawsuits against competitors and they very broadly protect their trade names from foreign invaders, particularly American snacks. Intersnack makes a product[PH1] they call “Chito’s” every other year and they have banned Cheetos because of the trademark similarity. You can get Cheetos on the black market in Germany and some of the Euro countries, but in Germany the package cannot say “Cheetos” or show the tiger mascot. So some people bring contraband Cheetos into Germany and cover the name and mascot with a big label. Intersnack has gotten so powerful and invasive that they have sued local retailers if people can remove the super label and discover they have been buying American Cheetos. But despite the illegality, Cheetos are in high demand in the country. Part of the reason is the half a million Americans living in Germany who want a small taste of their home. But even Germans themselves have a taste for Cheetos. It’s not difficult to see why. The German snack food market is overwhelmingly dominated by two flavors — plain and paprika. It seems Cheetos are in high demand, perhaps because the local options are so limited. As a result, there’s a veritable smuggling industry around Cheetos in Germany. Whenever shop or restaurant owners visit the U.S., they’ll return with a couple of suitcases full of Cheetos. And then they break out the stickers.
In 1976, Richard Montanez was a janitor at a Frito-Lay factory. He didn’t speak much English and didn’t have a high school diploma. A Cheeto machine broke. The Cheetos came out cheese-less that day and not saleable. Richard took some home, added some chili powder, and BAM—”Flamin’ Hot Cheetos” were born. Frito rewarded Montanez handsomely. Now, he’s known as one of the most influential Hispanics in corporate America. It’s the perfect American rags to riches tale.
Bet you can eat just one
What is the most popular snack in Prague?
Czech’s Mix
What is the official snack food of the Houston Astros and New England Patriots?
Cheat-o’s
U.S. vending machines are displaying calorie information to encourage smarter snack choices.
Apparently, the machine’s reflective glass surface is not doing the trick.
What’s a Jehovah’s Witness’s favorite snack food?
Ding Dongs
April 15th Birthdays
1991 – Emma Watson, 1960 – Emma Thompson, 1998 – Maisie Williams, 1978 – Samira Wiley
1980 – Cooper Barnes, 1983 – Seth Rogen, 1996 – Cody Christian, 1452 – Leonardo DaVinci