Don’t tell the Y.N.Rich Kids but Flamin’ Hot Cheetos may not be as hot in some schools.
The feisty snack has come under fire in several school districts because of its lack of nutritional value (what a shocker). ABC News reports that a bag contains 26 grams of fat and a quarter of the mount of salt that’s recommended for the entire day.
A school in Illinois has swiped the chips off their menu after selling 150,000 bags each year. “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 said. “We’re not going to be providing those kinds of foods.”
Clinical psychologist Ashley Gearhardt says that its artificial coloring and flavoring makes the orange-y goodness addictive. “Our brain is really hardwired to find things like fat and salt really rewarding and now we have foods that have them in such high levels that it can trigger an addictive process.”
Parent company Frito Lay, that produces and distributes Cheetos, says it is “committed to responsible and ethical practices, which includes not marketing our products to children ages 12 and under.”
Even if the popular finger snack may be a health hazard, we can all agree that young’uns spitting about it is still a treat for all.