27 Astonishing Cheetos Facts About One Of America's Favorite Snack Foods

Cheetos are considered to be one of the most famous American snacks.

Cheetos are enjoyed by both adults and kids. It is a snack that you just keep eating because of its addictive nature.

Cheetos, especially the Flamin' Hot Cheetos, have been famous all over the world. It is so delicious that even the orange dust of the Cheetos seasoning on the fingers feels dazzling and mouth-watering. But did you know that this orange dust also has a specific name? It is called the cheetle.

As the name itself suggests, Cheetos are a snack made of cheese and, in turn, milk. Cheddar cheese is the most common cheese used in the cheese seasoning of Cheetos. In order to make Cheetos for a year's worth, about 5000 cows are required.

According to the information provided by Kimberly Scott, who is PepsiCo, Inc/Frito-Lay's director of communications for the North American branch, 11 million gal (41.64 million l) of milk is required for a single year's production. This amount of milk equals about 10 million lb (4.53 million kg) of Cheddar cheese.

Cheetos are such a famous snack that some of the cheetos are even sold for thousands of dollars. For instance, there was a Flamin' Hot Cheeto shaped like a famous gorilla, which was sold on the internet for quite a high price.

Then there was also a Cheeto with a shape that resembled Michael Jackson's 'Moonwalking'. So, be aware of the shapes of the Cheetos; if you find a Cheeto with a unique shape, you can earn lots of money by selling it. Or, you can just eat it and enjoy the rich and cheesy flavor to your heart's desire.

As much as Cheetos are famous, there are some states like New Mexico, Illinois, and California whose schools have banned kids from eating Cheetos. The reason given for this ban is the low nutritional value of Cheetos as well as the possibility of spreading germs through sharing. Moreover, the food's messiness also adds to its demerits.

Yet, this hasn't stopped kids or adults from eating this addictive snack. Research has found that due to its light texture and flavor, it is pretty easy to keep on eating Cheetos without feeling full for a long time.

Whatever the reason, Cheetos are still a pleasant crunchy munch. Read on to discover more intriguing facts about Cheetos.

History Of Cheetos

People have been enjoying Cheetos snacks for a long time. But have you wondered when exactly Cheetos were invented or who invented them? A brief history of Cheetos is mentioned below.

• The very first Cheetos were invented in 1948 by a man named Charles Elmer Doolin, who was also the founder of Fritos.
• The invention took place in Dallas, Texas.
• Doolin did not yet possess the resources required to make Cheetos a nationwide snack.
• He thus partnered with Herman W. Lay, who was a potato chip entrepreneur, and together they released Cheetos as a nationwide snack.
• During this, Doolin also launched Fritatos (1935), which was a potato product.
• When Cheetos became successful in the year 1961, Doolin and Lay merged their companies in order to form Frito-Lay, Inc.
• CE Doolin had tried to make the Cheetos, as well as the other packaged snacks, cheesy.
• He had been able to achieve this goal because of research by the US military.
• The research conducted by the US military was focused on dehydrating cheese to make it part of the dried meals for the troops.
• Powdered cheese was thus born and then got added to Cheetos.
• The first Cheetos created in 1948 were the Crunchy Cheetos.
• Up till the Cheetos Puffs' introduction in 1971, the Crunchy Cheetos remained the only Cheetos product of the company.
• The Flamin' Hot Cheetos were actually invented by the Frito-Lay company's janitor.
• Richard Montanez worked as a janitor at Frito-Lay during the '70s when he experimented with a spicy hack.
• This spicy hack involves adding chili powder to the existing Cheetos.
• Mexican street corn is what inspired Montanez to create a spicier version of the classic or regular Cheetos snack.
• When a sample was created, and a few marketing skills were learned by Montanez in a few nights, he somehow arranged a meeting with Frito-Lay's CEO.
• His presentation was such an impressive feat that it turned Montanez from a janitor to an executive vice president.
• As soon as the Flamin' Hot Cheetos were introduced to the public, they became popular and served as a very lucrative product for the company.

Nutritional Facts Of Cheetos

In order to learn about the nutritional value of Cheetos, it is necessary to understand the ingredients used to make this all-time favorite snack. Some of the facts about the ingredients and the nutritional value of Cheetos are listed below.

• The core of each Cheeto is made from fried cornmeal, which is then covered with cheese powder.
• The cheese powder contains yellow 6, whey, vegetable oil, citric acid, lactic acid, vitamin B, salt, sugar, and MSG.
• Other ingredients might be added to the cheese seasoning too.
• According to the nutritional information provided on the official Cheetos website, a single serving of 21 pieces contains 160 calories.
• This Cheetos serving also contains 0.03 lb (13.6 g) of carbohydrates.
• As per the information put up on the website, the serving of Cheetos does not contain cholesterol.
• This 21-piece serving of Cheetos has about 0.02 lb (9 g) of fat.
• The fat present in Cheetos is saturated fat.
• Cheetos also have trace amounts of calcium, protein, iron, fiber, potassium, sodium, and sugar.

Mascot Details Of Cheetos

Cheetos is a snack food that has its own mascot. However, did you know that Chester Cheetah of Cheetos wasn't the first mascot of the food? Below are some facts pertaining to the mascot of Cheetos.

• The original mascot of Cheetos was an animated mouse that was introduced in 1971.
• The animated mouse was used in the Cheetos commercials to market the snack food to the audience.
• This mouse had no name and a very demure personality.
• The mouse remained as the mascot of Cheetos until the creation and introduction of Chester Cheetah.
• Chester Cheetah was introduced as the mascot of Cheetos in 1986.
• From its name to its swag, Chester Cheetah has been considered the perfect match for the brand it represents.
• Chester Cheetah is a spotted cheetah, the same orange color as the food.
• This mascot has a very bold and smooth personality that quite suits Cheetos, which has made it possible for the cheetah to remain the mascot till now.

Types Of Cheetos

After the initial Cheetos product was first introduced in 1948 and became popular in the later years, many more types of Cheetos have been invented. While some have remained popular and are still in production, others had a popularity that was short-lived.

Some interesting facts about the different types of Cheetos available are listed as follows.

• The production of Cheetos takes place in 22 different countries, including Pakistan, Poland, Cyprus, and Spain.
• Each country has its own flavors, and Cheeto shapes that it produces.
• The Flamin' Hot Cheetos is a classic that is enjoyed by the majority of the population of America.
• The Flamin' Hot Cheetos are also quite famous in other countries.
• The sharp, spicy flavor of the Flamin' Hot Cheetos can be pretty addictive.
• Then there are the Cheetos Puffs, which are even lighter than the other Cheeto options.
• The Cheetos Puff melts right as you put it in your mouth to eat, and the cheesy flavor of the puffs just adds to its appeal.
• In addition to the local flavors produced in each country, there are also some weird flavors of Cheetos that exist.
• These flavors include Pepsi, ketchup, strawberry, and even Japanese steak, which is surprisingly sold in China.
• Sweetos created by the same brand as Cheetos, are sugar and cinnamon snack puffs.
• The Sweetos is available during the spring season, and they taste completely different from the regular cheesy Cheetos.
• In the early 2000s, Cheetos Mystery Colorz were introduced to the market.
• The Cheetos mystery Colorz were different from other Cheetos in the sense that they were the first snacks created to change the color of your tongue.
• Just like your fingers, these Cheetos can also stain your tongue, and the color could be any color, including blue or green.