·
Enriched Corn
Meal
(corn meal, ferrous sulfate, niacin, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, and
frolic acid)
·
Vegetable Oil (corn, canola,
soybean, and/or sunflower oil)
·
Flamin’ Hot
Seasoning
(Less than 2% of the following: maltodextrin [made from corn], salt, sugar,
monosodium glutamate, yeast extract, citric acid, artificial color [red 40
lake, yellow 6 lake, yellow 6, yellow 5], partially hydrogenated soybean and
cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, cheddar cheese [milk, cheese cultures, salt
enzymes], onion powder, whey, whey protein concentrate, garlic powder, corn
syrup solids, natural flavor, buttermilk, sodium diacetate, sodium caseinate,
lactic acid, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, and skim milk)
·
Salt
 |
| http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/cheetos-flamin-hot.html |
Of course, each of these main
ingredients, with the exception of salt, are composed of even smaller
ingredients. The Flamin’ Hot Seasoning
is a very important part of Hot Cheetos.
As mentioned above, the Flamin’ Hot Seasoning has many components that
make up the specific taste of Hot Cheetos.
For instance, artificial color is used in the seasoning. After careful research on Frito-Lay’s website
(www.fritolay.com), the company uses “plant-based
or synthetic dyes to enhance the color of some of [its] snacks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is
responsible for regulating all color additives used in food manufacturing in
the United States.”
Enzymes are also used in the
manufacturing of Hot Cheetos, specifically in the cheese used for making the
Flamin’ Hot Seasoning. Enzymes are added
to milk during the cheese-making process to separate the solids from the
liquid. I was very happy to find that
Frito-Lay cooks all of its snack chips in healthier oils such as corn, canola,
sunflower, and soybean (which make up the vegetable oil used in Hot
Cheetos). These oils are lower in
saturated fats and have zero grams of trans fat (www.fritolay.com).
Hot Cheetos are made in the United
States at plants throughout North America.
Frito-Lay’s main plant is located in Plano, Texas. Frito-Lay actually has contracts with special
farmers who plant and grow the potatoes and corn used in its snacks. After the potatoes and corn are harvested,
they are delivered to nearby Frito-Lay factories to be made into various
snacks. The farmers that grow the
potatoes and corn that go into the snacks all operate within the United States,
in various regions throughout the country (www.fritolay.com).
A great initiative that Frito-Lay
took in packaging its products, like Hot Cheetos, is that its bags are now
biodegradable over time. This means that
if the bags do not find their way to trashcans or landfills, they will not hurt
the environment. In addition, Frito-Lay
has implemented a partnership with TerraCycle, which is a company that recycles
by turning waste into a new product.
Consumers can send in their used packaging, free of charge, to
TerraCycle so the company can “upcycle” the used product into a new product,
such as a clipboard, tote bag, or trashcan.
Frito-Lay will also donate $0.02 per chip bag sent in, to the school or
non-profit organization of the consumer’s choice. I am very happy that Frito-Lay has a
corporate social responsibility in recycling for a greener planet.
