The Rise And Fall Of America's Favorite Junk Foods | Rise and Fall | Insider Business

Kraft cheese, Jell-O and Twinkies are iconic American brands that are lucky to be alive. Here's the story of how they became dinner table staples - and why they almost disappeared.
00:01 Intro
00:30 Kraft Cheese
8:24 Jell-O
15:30 Twinkies
WATCH MORE RISE AND FALL VIDEOS:
The Rise And Fall Of Kraft Cheese | Rise And Fall
• The Rise And Fall Of K...
The Rise And Fall Of Subway
• The Rise And Fall Of S...
The Rise And Fall Of Jell-O
• The Rise And Fall Of J...
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#RiseandFall #Kraft #Jello #Twinkie
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The Rise And Fall Of America's Favorite Junk Foods | Rise and Fall | Insider Business

[@Monsux]

I always thought that Twinkies were good tasting because I saw them always in movies. I finally tested Twinkies on my US trip. Holy hell, it was just horrible! The same was true on most other processed food products. This made me appreciate most of my local food products.

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

A mouthful of mock cream with a bit of oily sponge cake. The concept and the taste is simply vile.

[@daniels-mo9ol]

Same here, movies kept the scam alive. I also tried a Twinkie on my US trip and it was probably top 5 of the worst snack I've ever eaten.

[@Firebeat.]

​@@daniels-mo9olhaha yes tasted like rubber lol

[@its_nozie1439]

I also don't get it, they are awful and overly sweet. Just really don't like them

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

Movie marketing. Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Ghostbusters, Zombieland. Gratuitous product placement at its best.

[@Itsmarkyoung]

“What went wrong, and can they recover” *Should* they recover? 😂

[@akirataifu8470]

Lol right

[@PHlophe]

sounds like something chat gpt managed to spit out. its making me laugh , low key !

[@alidaweber1023]

No!

[@rhyno8644]

There is no recovery after seeing the affects on family members bodys after years of consumption.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

Look at the video from times of insanity... How shameful to witness the mass insanity and the masks on everyone...

[@girlinvt]

Twinkies, Ring Dings, Devil Dogs all used to be creme filled. Now Twinkies' white filling isn't made up of cream but a sugar and vegetable shortening mix that has been blended with corn syrup, water, salt, and cellulose gum. Shortening, by definition, is any fat that is solid at room temperature and used in baking. This actually includes a few things that you may have thought were definitely not shortening before-like lard, and margarine, and hydrogenated vegetable oils, for instance. Now you know why they aren't as popular. Creme filling to doctored lard, to be blunt it doesn't taste the same not even close.

[@ChiCityLady]

I thought they tasted different than I remember as a kid.

[@mirthiful1]

Yep... shelf stability and profits over taste/quality... it's the story of America these days.

[@michaeltb1358]

@@mirthiful1 Changing the recipe to extend shelf life only happens in the USA, as it inevitably means introducing ingredients which do not belong in foods. It just allows the use of the cheapest distribution methods possible.

[@t84t748748t6]

a few times i got a product where the changed the recipe (probably because it was cheaper)and hated it so much and i rather switch to a different Brandt than to accept a recipe change

[@Skyking6976]

WTF🤬 Shame shame…

[@itypethetruthnobshere8975]

People educated themselves and learned about processed crap thats what happened

[@LatinaCreamQueen]

Yes that's what the video talks about?

[@767corp]

and still live of mcdonald's

[@cassieoz1702]

And still, American health continues to decline

[@user-xp8rh5yt5k]

@@cassieoz1702 THATS CAP

[@cassieoz1702]

@@user-xp8rh5yt5k 'cap'???

[@TheLightFish]

I had vanilla roll cake in Japan yesterday. It was so good...like a gourmet twinkie. Not like anything twinkies are today,closer to a 70s twinkie. It was amazing.

[@scoobtoober2975]

That's the key. Food was made sort of close to how homemade, top tier ingredients, foods were made back then. Full fat. Make your own cheesecake compared to store-bought. Or cookies with eggs and butter. Japan is keeping is real. Korea is for the most part. Those two places make hamburgers better than 80% of burger joints in the states. eat all the fat you want. fat free, fiber free foods are super damaging to your body.

[@michaelcalibri3620]

Where is ours?

[@Zebra.Lionfish]

I never understood the hype of Twinkies until I read this. I remember having vanilla roll cakes here in Australia as a child and they were the best! Tried a twinky sold over here and it tastes like a log of preservatives and the cream feels oily in your mouth. Sad what cost cutting greed can do to quality

[@ksjanna]

I also lived in Japan and their sponge cake treats are so much better than America. Real light vanilla sponge with cream filing that's real cream

[@ecebear3]

Food in Japan is so much better than the US. There’s a reason why Tokyo has more Michelin starred restaurants than any other city in the world.

[@CraftEccentricity]

Its great to see more, and more people moving away from junk food. If they knew how many junk food businesses held shares in the pharma industry no one would ever buy it again. They earn on both ends! They make you sick, and then they try to cure you.

[@bravob6344]

How do you know ?

[@pancakes_go2940]

Source?

[@VB-zx1yk]

@@pancakes_go2940 they have plenty of documentaries on netflix/other platforms that talk about junk food and how the meat market is directly tied to big pharma and cancer foundations, its pretty disgusting actually. Educate yourself instead of asking "source?" lol

[@jjoanes4196]

Anyone questioning, just Google. Plenty of articles talking about it

[@zaratustraishere]

He/She doesn't have to prove anything. I mean it's obvious can't you see it?

[@jaredsummers1846]

I think it is a shame and a disaster these food processing companies DIDN’T go out of business. The more of them that go bankrupt, the healthier Americans and America will be…

[@dennisp8520]

Processed foods have their place. I don’t eat processed foods often but sometimes a thing of instant ramen can be a satisfying meal in a real pinch. Yeah it’s empty calories and missing nutrients but atleast it will feel your belly and warm you up. The same can be said with Kraft Mac & Cheese it’s a cheap warm meal. No one should be living off it and there are other cheap foods like potatoes or rice that are better, healthier sources for calories and carbs. However, life is short and sometimes just eating something nostalgic is worth while. Kraft singles btw are not that bad all things considered

[@MWaqas-kt9dk]

your ideology is messed up people are responsible for what they eat and everyone feels like eating sugary unhealthy stuff at times but if someone is eating too much its his own fault not the ones who are making it

[@deenibeeniable]

Oh stop. No one is holding a projectile-discharging metal thing to anyone's head.

[@boohere2]

People will loose their jobs

[@user-un8tv1pp8m]

Doubtful. Offering convenient, kinda tasty stuff that stills hunger and has giant shelf-llife for cheap? Will not go away. No matter if it is long-term unhealthy. Many of those companies have moved some in their recipees and additives - mostly getting pushed either by market demand or regulation. But poor folk who neither have the time nor money to eat healty every meal will not go away. The US with its large wealth inequality and super-capitalist ideology is hit harder by that than most other developed nations, but poor folks just being happy to have something to eat will always be there and need to be fed. Only thing to be done about that is regulate to make sure they dont get actually hurt by bad food.

[@CinnamonQuills]

I remember when the reformulated Hostess snack cake line hit shelves again in 2013. The products are terrible compared to what they used to be. They're smaller, more chemical-tasting, blander, and made with taste-ably cheaper ingredients. I used to LOVE Ding Dongs, but the "new" version is tiny, wrapped in plastic instead of foil, has cake that's identical to the chocolate cake in their Cupcakes instead of a denser cake, a tiny jot of frothy cream in the middle, and has the world's thinnest chocolate coating that tastes way too sweet instead of the thick, darker outer shell they used to have. They likely could've fixed most of Hostess's problems just by fixing the supply chain and automating a lot of the manufacturing, but by cheaping out on every step for the sake of the bottom line they ruined what they had. Now instead of buying an occasional box I buy zero boxes.

[@CharleneCTX]

If you like Ding Dongs go to Mod Pizza and get their No Name Cake. They're a really good version of Ding Dongs.

[@tnate6004]

The fruit pies are no longer any good, either. Based on the video, I'm assuming something was done to them to extend their shelf life and lower costs (i.e. cheaper ingredients and fillers).

[@privateme7192]

@@tnate6004 All you have to do is the read the ingredients. Artificial flavoring, corn syrup, etc...

[@toddprater144]

When hostess went bankrupt in 2012 ( had a friend lose his delivery job) and they came back they tasted gross, but they changed them in the early 2000’s as well and that was the first. Step at nasty taste the 2013-present version is even worse…hostess ruled in the 70’s and 80’s and the first half of the 90’s …Twinkie’s used to be so good as a kid and the cupcakes too..now you hafta eat 4 of them to compare to a 80’s 2pk.

[@julesverneinoz]

@@tnate6004 They made it sound like extending the shelf life was the solution, but I was thinking... er, that's not the point? They don't taste good and people would've bought them if they have a more 'natural' taste because that's where the trend is heading.

[@Dave-zt7su]

My dad was a truck mechanic for Hostess back in the 70's. Everytime a truck broke down he would go out to repair it and the driver would give him a case of twinkies. We gave them to anyone that wanted them!

[@jishan6992]

How was the driver allowed to give out a case?

[@Dave-zt7su]

@@jishan6992 I don't know. As a kid I never thought to ask.

[@toddprater144]

He gave them the stock that was close to outdated that the delivery driver picked up and replenished with new stock -guaranteed…I had a buddy that was a driver from 98-2012… he used to always give me packages he would bring them home cause they would throw them away..

[@azjeep26]

@@jishan6992 most of the drivers were independent from the company

[@ZS89908]

As with many products these products seem to start with real ingredients like the twinkie with banana cream filling which probably had whole milk. But once you start selling to the masses and not just your neighbors you cut all good things out. Now their products have barely anything real in them to cut costs. And like the video states delivery is a huge cost as well so that's another thing that eats up the budget leaving you with a piece of sugar wrapped in plastic essentially. They've stripped all nutrients from their items and its all artificial so that they can make more. Nothing but greed.

[@sizanix]

Those old style Twinkies sound like Tokyo Banana.

[@nickgreatpwrful5754]

Im sorry, what 'nutrients' exactly are in twinkies and Jell-O? 💀

[@samuelmaucaille702]

Agree 100%

[@tex6929]

And it works lmao

[@artheemisia]

A friend’s cat loved cheese. But she wouldn’t touch a piece of a Kraft Single…

[@Hremo_158]

I agree with that Cat! They taste like Pure Plastic! 😅

[@ReyOfLight]

Smart kitty!

[@alinaivanov1824]

The cat has his pride...unlike some humans😂😂😂

[@ruekurei88]

That's because it's not actually 'cheese'. The FDA calls it, "pasteurized processed American cheese food".

[@ronswansonsdog2833]

As a kid, my mom was very strict about us not getting junk food cakes like snowballs, Dingdongs, etc. Every once in a while, though, she’d let us get one as a treat if we needed a sack lunch for a school field trip. I remember loving them. I tried one as an adult and was completely underwhelmed. What was I thinking? lol

[@VGBNDGRL]

I do think the recipes have changed since then, its all super artificial now

[@pishop.ot7692]

Child’s pallet is different from adult, I think when we grow up and taste many different food we have more references to compare to. Childhood favs don’t hit the same

[@plumeria66]

You had a conscientious mom unlike most other American moms would feed their kids crap.

[@narajayde520]

The ingredients were most likely different back then

[@shanac5536]

Another fun fact: Kraft makes lunchables in the same building that used to make cool whip and pudding pops, and is in the same town as Barilla noodles and is only a couple miles away from Leroy, NY where the Jello factory is and the next town is the old factory that made Fisher-price toys❤

[@heinrichmuller7974]

i find that all these "foods" don't taste the same as they once did. a great example is coca-cola, the closest you'll get to that O.G taste is Mexican coke in a _glass_ bottle made with cane sugar not corn syrup *they've substituted one ingredient for a cheaper variant, thinking people wouldn't notice, and while they boost their profits for a short time their dedicated customers move on to something else*

[@jeremybeau8334]

Coca Cola is stealing mexican wather. It should be bann from Mexico.

[@renewii]

Sadly since 2021 mexican coke is made of corn syrup, no more cane sugar 😢

[@Mahlak_Mriuani_Anatman]

I tasted a cola called "original" a couple months ago, its insane how good it was, i cant find it anymore

[@StarryWaters-gq1oj]

I had Kraft mac n cheese yesterday and it was just bland. They changed the recipe

[@norainnoflowers1551]

my high school anatomy class was sooo excited when we started our dissection lessons with twinkies. more than half the class had seen twinkies in popular tv shows and movies, but never tried them. Well, when we finished “dissecting”, our teacher gave us the ok to eat the twinkies. And seconds later there was a collective groan of disgust from about 30 students packed into the small classroom. They were _gross_ We flooded the prof with questions, thinking we were gypped and he simply got expired twinkies. He adamantly denied it and showed us the receipt that he’d picked them up only an hour or two before school that day started. In one blow, a good 30 kids’ delicious twinkies dreams were broken. 😩

[@jeremybeau8334]

They don't call it junk food just because.

[@IM2MERS]

Lets be real the ad against healthy food wasn't targeted at children. They dont care about ads. It was targeted at the parents of picky children.

[@msain81]

exactly! It's the parents who have the money and do the shopping and meal-planning.

[@tnate6004]

Another casualty of the Hostess bankruptcy was the longtime chain of Hostess Thrift Stores where you could buy expired or close to expired Hostess products (but still tasted fine) for dirt cheap. Now even "fresh" Hostess products don't taste good.

[@queenbeetrendinghomefashio4093]

Yessss the Hostess Outlet!! We used to get Leopard Twinkies there (twinkies with chocolate chips in the sponge cake). They were so good but I haven't had a twinkie in years so I'll take everyone's word for it that they suck now lol

[@omacjames1969]

When I was a child and my father would visit America, when he came back to Jamaica he would bring Twinkies, bubba gum and Pringles. Those are the days I remember most.

[@Mahlak_Mriuani_Anatman]

Everytime someone say Jamaica i feel weird

[@alex-hc3sk]

@@Mahlak_Mriuani_Anatman why lol

[@slbellue6874]

As a kid I loved all this crap. As an adult, trying them again after so many years….it ruined what I remember from my childhood. As much as processed foods disgust me, I still crave these horrible treats when I’m feeling nostalgic. It’s a shame that our government is so wrapped up in taking money and power, that they’re in bed with the industries (medical, pharmaceutical, insurance, veterinary, meat, dairy, etc.) that they push for the citizens and pets to consume foods and beverages that are wholly unhealthy.

[@ShawnLH88]

They don’t do that shit in Europe

[@graysoncampbell3459]

I agree. The nostalgia of these tastes way better than the foods themselves

[@manictiger]

I make far superior version of mac and cheese that I just call "fancy mac". I often also add organic spinach or broccoli to it for an additional dimension of flavor. I think if I was served this stuff as a kid, I would have loved it, the parmesan notes, the cheddar, the olive oil to add another dimension of flavor, the basil and slight cayenne to lighten up the otherwise very heavy dish. But, usually, kids are served overcooked, unseasoned veggies, with all the flavor dumped down the sink drain, and then people wonder why we have a health epidemic. Healthy, tasty and filling aren't mutually exclusive.

[@ecoideazventures6417]

Classic example of ignorance is bliss - kids care a damn about ingredients and health!

[@emaarredondo-librarian]

If you don't like that companies can do whatever they want, that's not the government's fault. That's American capitalism for ya, freedom *from* the government's interference. FYI, the government issues regulations so the food companies don't give you poisonous, carcinogenic and inedible stuff without consequences. It's the government the one that forces the companies to list the ingredients in the envelopes. That's what laws are for. Please remember that if you consider to vote for some candidate to lawmaker whose program is to repeal regulations, defund the government, fire government employees, eliminate federal agencies - the F in FDA means Food. You should read a bit about the history of that entity, starting by the "poison squad." You'll certainly be amazed. Maybe a bit grateful. ✌

[@yourpaljake6024]

Last year I went on a 2 week holiday to the US & Canada, and found myself making sure to not eat too much, because all the food I did have was so powerful especially in the US, it made me glad that here in the Netherlands and EU our food isn’t too artificial and less sugary

[@titheproven954]

You missed out then. America has tons of good food and food from all over the world you could have had.

[@49lucky]

Yup America loves there processed foods😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@AdmiralFroggy]

@@49lucky We don't we are just cursed with the fact MOST things in the USA are made so cheaply.

[@49lucky]

@AdmiralFroggy Most things are cheap, but they're from China not America

[@JordiLA]

I visited some Netherlands supermarkets and the food was awful (for me) from the black bread to the less tasty vegetables, it made me value more our Mediterranean Diet. I think it deppends on where you live and your eating habits.

[@HallidayASR]

Americans don't seem to realize how greasy, rubbery or extremely sweet their snacks actually taste because most of them have been mainly sustaining on highly processed food. Good thing that their society is slowly realizing it and moving towards healthier (and tastier) options.

[@clintcountryman4849]

Yes we do. Not all Americans eat these things like you all think. A lot of us eat real food. People who eat this garbage are the same people who keep McDonald's open.

[@keithbender2061]

American here and ​ @clintcountryman4849 is correct.

[@javierechevarria4579]

​@@clintcountryman4849hey now, they sell a fine apple pie and cheap coffee

[@HallidayASR]

@@clintcountryman4849 Sorry for generalizing

[@nicklasschmltt6959]

​@HallidayASR that's okay. It is hard not to.

[@Lemonz1989]

I'm European, and always wanted to try Twinkies because they were so ubiquitous in American media. Finally a store close to me started selling them... Literally one of the worst snacks I've tried. I'm not a picky eater, and usually eat things I don't like just so it doesn't go to waste, but I was only able to eat 2 of them and then gave up and threw the rest in the trash... Not only is the taste bad, but the consistency is horrible as well. The cake part was really dry, and the cream part coated my mouth in what felt like margerine or something.

[@jthymesthree602]

Haha. Honestly a lot of Americans don't like them either. I don't have a single friend or family member that buys or likes Twinkies. They taste like chemicals and sugar.

[@robinier]

They _used_ to taste good, otherwise they would never have gotten popular. But they don't taste very good now. I recommend trying a Japanese version if you can

[@julesverneinoz]

@@robinier when you mention 'Japanese version', do you mean Tokyo Banana?

[@robinier]

@@julesverneinoz Yeah Tokyo Banana is a good one! I wasn't thinking of one in particular, I just know you can find cream-filled cakes that don't taste as bad as Twinkies.

[@julesverneinoz]

@@robinier Thanks! I've had TB and always brought a few boxes back when I visit Japan. I am always on the lookout for more yummies though so I thought I'd check if there's something else I need to try.

[@rlux7069]

If they weren't so profit hungry to pay the various CEOs colossal salaries perhaps the products would sell better at a lower cost tier like they had always done in the past. As of now they appear to charge a premium for a low cost food item.

[@RabbitWatchShop]

I sometimes buy these things to relive the 90s, since I'm a 90s child. But I consume them sparingly and in small amounts.

[@imagographics5096]

As with one of the posters below, I grew up outside the US (1970s) and had put Twinkies on a pedestal because Spider Man comics really pushed them. When we moved to the States when I was nine, I was so looking forward to trying these things supposedly so good that Spider Man put his name behind them... but all I could taste was crushing disappointment.

[@user-pn9db8sm5w]

I used to eat Hostess products occasionally, they did taste good before they were sold off. Then the new buyers changed the recipes which don't taste very good. The twinkies and cakes are smaller, much less cake and way too much filling and frosting. By the time you peel off that horrible frosting and try to discard at least half that cream filling, your left with a small amount of cake that just doesn't taste like it used to. The pies on the other hand are mostly crust, very little gel filling, no real fruit. A very disappointing experience I now avoid.

[@anotherpenny1942]

Totally agree about the pies. As a kid I loved the Hostess fruit pies. So much filling it was messy. Not there maybe a couple of teaspoons of filling, if that much. Mostly tasteless crust. I don’t buy them anymore.

[@K9010]

​@@anotherpenny1942 Yes, I bought an apple pie a few days ago. It was nasty 🤮.

[@phillysnowguy]

I’m from Minnesota… Jell-O salads are one of the pillars of our culture.

[@Hremo_158]

WI here, Same! Drives me crazy that the stores, have eliminated the regular Jell-O, flavors, and replaced them with the Aspartame Loaded Zero Sugar flavors! The body can metabolize real sugar much easier than it can its Diabetes promoting Zero Sugar products. Not to mention they just plain taste awful. Sorry for the Rant! 😂

[@gman6081]

Ufda😅

[@Endie_Music]

this is not food bro. hahahaha

[@quidquopro1185]

That is so sad :( Do you want to talk about it? It usually help to talk about trauma!

[@rayshellgoretee2891]

Dont cha know

[@Bum_Hip]

As a 50 something year old, I still love an OCCASIONAL Twinkie. But they hurt themselves when they changed the cream filling 30 or so years ago. It’s still yummy, but it’s not the same.

[@jshound1508]

I MISS the banana flavored cream in Twinkies. Plus they're not as soft and feel like I'm chewing rubber.

[@vickiephelps5169]

Bring back Banana Twinkies!

[@stoundingresults]

Try "submarinos" they're mexican twinkies

[@azjeep26]

they were forced to change it and thanks they did better for ya

[@nicklasschmltt6959]

What ? Eat up fatty patty and Matty. Yum yum yum

[@leekoss7083]

When we moved to NJ in 1985, my neighbor told me about the “Wonderbread Store” in the next town. It was wonderful! The store was in Hostess factory and sold breads (and Twinkies I think) were overstock for NJ grocery stores. Nothing past sale date. Great prices, changing inventory. ❤

[@sutherlandA1]

If theres a silver lining to these large processed food conglomerates declining is that they are relinquishing overseas brand aquisitions. In Australia kraft had sold off the iconic vegemite brand to local dairy producer Bega, Campbells soup offloaded the Arnotts biscuit brand and savoury pastry brand Four n Twenty was bought back into Aussie ownership from Simplot nearly 2 decades ago

[@thegatestoavalon]

Correct, however, Australia bought Vegemite back from Kraft to make sure it's Australian made once again. The British tried to copy Vegemite and bought out Marmite. 🤮 Sorry, but there is only one Vegemite, although one of my siblings liked Marmite, so, you still have a supporter.

[@catmelvin997]

if the jell-O cups were a little bigger, came with a spoon, and advertised their collagen content i would totally buy more

[@norainnoflowers1551]

I still buy the boxes and make them for my kids in pyrex tupperware to eat at home.

[@SonnyDarvishzadeh]

Last month, I went on a 2 week trip to Malaysia and bought a cheddar cheese in a supermarket. After half of the block of cheese was consumed, I noticed the clear plastic wrapping was tainted orange. Then I checked where the cheese was made from and wasn't so surprised to see California, USA. I have never seen cheese taint something else.

[@RealUlrichLeland]

American companies have ruined the reputation of cheddar cheese. A well made vintage English cheddar can easily hold its own against the best cheeses in the world, but mild processed versions have convinced everyone that it's just cheap, generic and crap. It makes sense why the Italian government has such strict laws regarding what can be officially labelled as Parmigiano Reggiano.

[@SonnyDarvishzadeh]

@@RealUlrichLeland I live in Germany and most of the Cheddar I buy are English. They are amazing.

[@filippetrula1234]

​@@RealUlrichLelandit's not Italy it's whole Europe and for every original product

[@JerryMau5]

"I have never seen cheese taint"

[@PHlophe]

@@SonnyDarvishzadeh if i was you i'd actually stick to DE cheese. I was raised there. The cheese and cheddar companies from the UK over the past 20 years . the US bought 5 of the big ones and they homogenized recipe across the pond too . Alle diese Fresserei , Ach je , lohnt sich net ! Pass auf !

[@jnak974]

American here and hated twinkies and all that other stuff. It’s funny cuz people used to scoff at the stuff I grew up with like taro mochi and halohalo but y’all’s be seeing the light now. And YES, you could always get that in America if you know where to look.

[@easycake3251]

So one thing you should take away from this ? The US always used predatory methods to targets kids for profit. These snacks look horrible..

[@msms-wy2xd]

Amazing video - more like this PLEASE !

[@kierbaudy]

I’m in my 50s and ate twinkies, Kraft cheese slices, devil dogs then as a kid. I haven’t had any in 30 years. I’m shocked to learn from the comments that the fillings are different and they changed it. That killed any nostalgia.

[@sumitshresth]

I have lived in US for almost10 years and only now discovered what Twinkies is. I used to eat singles frequently but not anymore. I have seen jello around the grocery stores but never had them.

[@jonsmith7659]

Twinkies are great if you a greasy cake that’s also dry at the same time. I know some people love them but they’re not that good. Or cheap. There are tons of options now and many are better.

[@avagrego3195]

Terrific helpful informative video.

[@TheRealEnergyTv]

Love your content guys, keep up the good work 🫶🏿

[@FigaroHey]

I'm glad my parents were born before the Great Depression (same age as my classmates' grandparents) and didn't waste money on junk food. My dad worked for the USDA and knew all about additives. He made sure we ate food that was as close to the stuff they grew on the farm (when everything was organic because artificial fertilizers and pesticides hadn't been invented yet). I attribute the unusually good health my siblings and I still enjoy into our 60s and 70s to the wholesome, real, cooked-from-scratch foods we ate growing up. Dessert was Sunday only. No soda or chips. Snacks were homemade or home-grown fruit...

[@robinguertin574]

You were blessed with smart parents.

[@gmaureen]

My parents grew up on the farm, and my mother was one of 9 children. Everything she cooked was homemade, from scratch, as a result I never liked these junk products...and still don't.

[@sarahrean7174]

🙄 you love sugarly food now you don't eat that well too junk food found the way always

[@wasimdbala349]

@@sarahrean7174Please try this again in intelligible English

[@OofusTwillip]

It says a lot about a country when its foods are so heavily processed and chemical-laden. Meanwhile, Japan and Korea pride themselves on much higher-quality, authentic food ingredients. Even cheap convenience store ready-meals contain high-quality ingredients. And bakeries use real cream and butter, and hand-cracked eggs.

[@noelopez3437]

Ah yes, the widely accepted addiction (sugar) and the various ways we eat it.

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

The irony is that companies loaded more sugar into the food and removed sugar from sodas in favor of high fructose corn syrup.

[@Mallaien]

A lot of the BIG companies in the U.S. really got their start by creating some form of shelf stable food product. In turn they got a lot of funding during WW1 and 2 to provide shelf stable food for the military. When all the troops came home, they were already accustomed to the food, and just made it a popular item.

[@SchwarzeBananen]

Calling a processed cheese cheese is like calling spam processed steak.

[@Gertyutz]

American "cheese" isn't cheese. People are finally getting smart. Macaroni and "cheese" contains a lot of chemicals in their "cheese." Hostess went bankrupt, and we hoped Twinkies were gone, but another company bought the products and their names.

[@josephlin5766]

American processed foods in mass production should be criminalized.

[@PsychicInsignia]

Jello is a huge hit in Minnesota/ Wisconsin. Is very popular in the winters to make a Jell-O salad.

[@fredrezfield1629]

is it really $1.99? in the states? we pay $.99 at walmart canada we are so lucky i guess

[@brooklynbandit6788]

Not only did they raise the price of items they also made items smaller customers paying more for less doesn't make sense i loved Twinkies

[@brettbrown9261]

As a Child of the early 60's I was surrounded by Jello from our mother and grandmother, it was in everything, everywhere, for every single occasion, including the picnics on a Sunday... I should make a real trifle in honor of my Gran

[@fenceman95]

I appreciate the fact that you made note of the product shrinkage in the come back stories.

[@OctaneStreet]

Fascinating episode, I remember hearing about Hostess going bankrupt in 2012/13 but never knew it was their second time lol. Kudos to the 2 lads who realized Hostess' initial mistakes and capitlizing on the sale of the brand and turning it into what it is today. Well done!

[@VS-kr4qm]

When it comes to food, even for the most basic cookies from the supermarket, I must admit that we French have been spoiled. Whenever I find imported US products at the supermarket, there's a "contains GMO" label or some additives that look so suspicious that I don't buy them even when the product looks good.

[@rochester212]

French food contains more additives than any similar product from any other european country. Read the labels, french processed foods are scary. Most of the stuff they put in, i don't even know what it's for. Toxic stuff, just like in the USA.

[@Peekaboo-Kitty]

Everyone should cook the way the French do. The problem is American Companies are only interested in making huge profits and don't care about the Health of their people like France does.

[@Goliath1337]

GMO really doesn't mean much, it means genetically modified, most of our crops are genetically modified through breeding, so it's basically a buzz word used to scared you at this point. There is this weird thought proces that automatically assumes that anything natural is good and otherwise it's bad. That's bull

[@1SuperTempest]

Your produce has been selected for a millennia for desirable traits, the only difference is GMO selected them in a lab to gain the desired characteristic.

[@purushottampujabgp]

Amazing❤❤

[@erawanpencil]

I know the internet is adamant that 'prepared cheese product' is the only acceptable cheese for burgers, but I still think it's disgusting. It totally overwhelms and ruins every food you put it on.

[@eastafrica1020]

Fully agree.

[@StopcensoringFreespeech]

Agree. It's gross

[@gordonliddy9418]

Twinkies have been my all time favorite junk food in a package. I don't get them often, but they're such a treat when I do!

[@wisdomlounge4452]

With the new Twinkies, it's funny how they totally skipped telling us how they were able to increase the shelf life of the product from 25 days to 65 days! The packaging looks the same.The Twinkies now sitting on store shelves are probably loaded up with more preservatives than ever. I honestly didn't expect investor/owner "Andy" when talking about how they were able to expand distribution of those Twinkies to untapped markets thanks to the dramatically increased shelf life of the Twinkies to come clean and tell us that it was due to them pumping a whole lot more preservatives into those new bad boy Twinkies, lol! Good journalism would have included asking the obvious question of HOW they managed to increase the shelf life of the product. Off camera, there's no way to know for sure if 'Andy' got asked that valid question or not. If so, he probably told the interviewer that it was a "trade secret" so that's why he couldn't reveal how they did it. If that question got asked, he probably requested to not include that question and response (not in the company's best interests) within the official aired interview.

[@JordanHowellMusic]

Lol @ how you keep putting “Andy” in quotations! Haha😂 And yes, it’s definitely a great job they did in finding this brand and restructuring it, but I’m sure there’s more preservative than sugar even in all this stuff now

[@X2yt]

Through my entire almost 30 year life, I've been seeing twinkies as the default American dessert, mostly because of their abundance in shows and movies. I'm in EU, so we don't actually have twinkies here. At this point I'm really looking forward to trying them at some point in my life, but at the same time I'm apprehensive as hell, as everyone says they suck.

[@FranzKafkaRockOpera]

As a fellow European who got to taste them before the original company keeled over, I can confirm they really are vile. I don't think we have a mass-produced sponge cake here that feels quite as oily and unpleasantly dense.

[@angelachouinard4581]

Fair warning. I am a 70+ American woman who was considered a bad kid because I hated all those junk snacks and horrible American white bread and wouldn't eat them. My Irish grandmother understood though. This is why i am healthy while all those around me are sick. I wish you would get to try some real locally made American snacks. I have taste tested products made for Europe or Asia versus the US versions from the same companies and the overseas versions are always better. When my late father pined for Ovaltine and bought some he was crushed at how bad it was. I brought him a jar from the Thai market near me and it was just like he remembered and loved.

[@JennandChad19]

dont even think about trying one. Drink a beer instead. Theyre one of the most processed taste that can cross your tongue.

[@DNYLNY]

I love them

[@Kn0wl3dge]

As an American, THEY SUCK. Don’t waste your money.

[@JoiskiMe]

We have "Jell-O" here in Norway but call it "Gelé". It doesn't really have marketing campaigns, but is associated with holidays and family feasts such as the cake tables at a christmas or easter party, or maybe at a birthday party. It's still very much appreciated in those contexts here.

[@turdwranglers2517]

Loved the shot of people taking jello shots.

[@cynot71]

I was never a "Twinkies" guy. I was more of a Raspberry Zinger guy, and it has been over 35 years since I last bought a box of Zingers. I sure do miss the good old days--unhealthy and carefree and no internet or cellphones.

[@boohere2]

I didn't really care for Twinkies either!! They weren't my favorite. My favorite were the hoho's. They were so good! I also liked the mini doughnuts. Either the chocolate or powered ones were good. The cupcakes were okay. The chocolate pies they made were okay. Like I said I was more of a hoho's person. I actually never tried a Zinger. They are similiar to the cupcake though. So I think I would say the same thing....they are okay if I were to try them

[@tanikokishimoto1604]

I never cared for Twinkies. Hostess made some chocolate items so much better than any Twinkie.

[@macngeeseyt6029]

Guys, come on, i just ate and now im hungry again because of this.

[@TimorDa]

Nothing in this video made me hungry, if anything, I was disgusted. Fake cheese, artificially-flavored water with colagen, sponge-oily cake with sugar-flavored creme? I wouldn't eat any of this if it was all free.

[@lsmith8659]

a recent study linked ultraprocessed foods to depression and also found that the body can actually become addicted to some of these chemical additives 😱😱

[@monkeyboydc]

this is a business insider youtube channel... that should tell you all you need to know about these relics

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

Countries outside the US wonder how anyone could eat this sh!t.

[@chegu613]

tbh, I am German and really curious to try Kraft Mac N Cheese though

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

@@chegu613 Germany and neighbouring countries have the best cheeses in the world and Europe has the best pasta. Why would you want to eat something from a box?

[@ReyOfLight]

Indeed... I'm Swedish and wouldn't call most of it food even. I've had the "cheese" and it's just not good, at home it's really better to take a slice of Gouda instead of that plastic garbage, even the cheese in a McDonald's burger is better... Mac and cheese I've tried, though not from Kraft, and boxed Mac and cheese is really pretty nasty. I'd rather just make it from scratch at home, using real cheese, and get a proper meal with real ingredients instead of some overly processed powder with little or no nutritional value. Twinkies just look and sound outright nasty... I've seen them in American snack stores here, but haven't bought any because just no... I did however buy a box of pop tarts once, and will never again make that mistake! Jell-O just seems rather ehhhh... I haven't had that particular brand, but have bought other brands of the same type dessert to mix at home, but it's far between for me to buy it. Can be refreshing in summer and in moderation.

[@letzrock1675]

@@PhantomFilmAustraliaMaybe people want to eat something from a box because it’s cheap? Or in the instance of our German friend, simply out of curiosity? Show us on the doll where the mac and cheese touched you.

[@aaam2748]

I remember buying a twinkies pack years ago when they made a comeback and honestly it wasnt hyped up to be what people were saying and I havent had one since. The cake part of it is too fluffy & the filling is just bland.

[@Knight_Kin]

They were always like this, it's how i remember it in the 90's too.

[@corvettesbme]

Great video! I love my jello!😂

[@iancameron8391]

I always pictured twinkies and jello as a dessert rather than a snack. To see how ubiquitous they used to be, its weird to me. As for Kraft, i hate the taste of the singles, but occasionally eat the mac and cheese if I’m really pressed for time.

[@noazucar519]

As an American that grew up eating a lot of those foods (occasionally), I honestly think they’re too sweet or too salty. I’ll eat one if someone gave em to me for free, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy them. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@sawahtb]

Twinkies and Hostess cup cakes use to actually taste like a "cake", but they only look like it now.

[@johnhenderson131]

Those individually wrapped cheese slices drive me crazy trying to find the hidden flap to open them. No matter which way I turn the slice I can’t find the opening and become convinced they forgot to put an opening flap on the slice I’m fighting with! I wish they would put a small black dot indicating the opening…..it may save my sanity! 3:39

[@Internetwinning]

My husband makes the best tall box of kraft mac and cheese. He makes a sauce out of the powder by melting butter, then putting milk into it and the moment the milk begins to boil he takes it off the stove and puts in the powder and wisks it. He sets it aside as the noodles boil and after they are done he drains them then puts the cheese sauce onto the noodles and voila you have kraft mac and cheese with a cheese sauce instead of noodles that are dry and covered with powder

[@eljanrimsa5843]

using real butter and milk to improve the original ingredients reminds me of how to make stone soup

[@seamonkeys12y]

seems weird that they said they had to increase the shelf life to 65 days when bread has been made and sold for thousands of years and they have always a 1 week shelf life, which is perfectly acceptable

[@abovewater99]

Kraft shortened most of American lives during that time period. 😂 “Pure evil exist” 😂

[@BrendenFP]

Kraft being bought by a tobacco company summarises it all.

[@Nonsensically]

I lost my desire for Jello after several stays in the hospital.

[@nikkimendoza2720]

Love that fact that I don’t want to put any of this in my body anymore

[@kevingriffith598]

I stopped eating Kraft macaroni and cheese when I started reading the labels. Kraft macaroni and cheese has more sodium in it per serving than Spam.

[@christianpalmer]

Damn that's crazy

[@Dude-etiquette]

I always thought twinkies would be delicious, I finally found them at a Us candy store in Australia, it was about $15 for a box which was expensive. I bought it and it was horrible

[@jbfletche]

This made me want to buy some Jell-O, lol. It's been a LONG time since I had it. I used to really like it with whipped cream on top. Twinkes are just ok. In Canada we have Vachon brand cakes - Flakies and Jo-Louis reign supreme. If you know, you know!

[@Private-GtngxNMBKvYzXyPq]

You are what you eat. I confess I enjoy the _occasional_ mac and cheese, but not very often. And I stopped buying most of the products precisely because they aren’t part of my goal of healthy eating and, frankly, because the layoffs left a bad taste in my mouth. By the way, I was sent a promotional two-pack of Twinkies in 1997. They still _look_ the same inside their original packaging to this day.

[@echofoxtrot2.051]

They totally changed their ingredients. Worst mistake we ever made: Letting someone else grow and make our food. The separation from the process isn't natural.

[@norainnoflowers1551]

I still buy boxes of jello. Especially their banana cream pudding so I can make banana pudding casserole with Nilla wafers and cool whip. My kids love eating it almost as much as they love making it with me, slicing the bananas, mixing the pudding together, and layering the cookies in.

[@markdoney4918]

I like how they gloss over getting rid of pension obligations and labour contracts to save Twinkies

[@angellynn7701]

I think the problem with craft is the prices have gone up. You can’t give me crappy food and give me overpriced food.

[@silveritea]

Twinkies taste changed in the early 90s. They went from tasty even when frozen to what is this nasty chemical taste?

[@GaryCat899]

Theres so many cool tidbits in here! like i get why we call it Kraft Dinner in Canada because Mr. Kraft made it and was canadian!

[@Anonymous594]

Maybe it’s because I’m in Texas, but I literally see everything in here all the time. Gas stations, grocery stores, etc. As far as I’m concerned, the junk food industry is alive and thriving in Texas.

[@jelsner5077]

I never experienced Kraft Mac and Cheese until college (my mom made it from scratch). I had a roommate who ate it every day and left the dirty dishes behind. So I never liked it, partially because of my sloppy roommate but mostly because it's not delicious. Jell-O was something camp that grandma made. Bill Cosby had no sway on my opinion. I remember loving Twinkies. They were a rare treat as my mom didn't buy prepared foods. I tried one recently for nostalgia's sake, but it tasted nothing like what I remembered. It was too cloyingly sweet. I'm not sure if they changed the recipe or if my taste has changed, but I won't be buying them again.

[@naturazpolski9213]

It's just that your taste changed over the years. This is for kids, and for them sugar is not that scary, but adults feel it much stronger

[@atengawolsrep]

They also changed the ingredients, as this show will tell you!

[@RealTaIk]

Due to the movie zombieland I always wanted to try twinkies and snowballs but since I'm from Germany I never really had the chance to. 3 years ago I was found a shop to buy american products from in Germany and I was finally able to try them. I have to say, twinkies are really not that good, I would give them a 3/10, snowballs on the other hand were way better but still not that good, I would give them a 5/10. If I wanted something similar I would rather eat a filled donut.

[@pippa3150]

They used to be good, but mow they are terrible!

[@christianpalmer]

Man I wish I could visit Germany someday

[@OofusTwillip]

In Canada, ourmain snack cake brand is Vachon. I really liked those cakes when I was a kid...until I got a tour of its factory when I was 12. The cakes tasted incredible when they were still warm from the oven. The ones in the stores were no match.

[@vanessameddles2240]

I lived 2 years in Canada and ate myself trough all the grocery. O Henrys Bars were my fave, Tim Hortons Coffee also and all the Donuts.Jello was o.k. but weird cause its not from the fridge. I also ate Reeze the first time was good but today I cant stand them any longer. Of course made myself some Mac & Cheese, was loving it to be honest hehe. What I miss here in Europe the most is the Poutine.

[@kha0sv4ktor72]

i always wanted to try Twinkies or Snoballs (mostly because of the movie Zombieland). But im a german and, even tho amazon has these products, i dont know if these are the actual real deal and if they are kinda fresh or so. i think i will never be able to taste test these

[@katymello3547]

You’re not missing anything. They’re not good.

[@StopcensoringFreespeech]

They're disgusting. Americans have a weird habit of falling in love with nasty tasting crap. Mostly because of aggressive advertising. People think because they see it over and over again that it must be good and then they gaslight themselves to think it is because everyone else is buying it. The people that buy and consume this utter nasty shit are incapable of independent thought. That's just my take on it..

[@garypalmer5441]

Funny how most kids weren't over weight before the 80s and we ate everything

[@user-gv8sd7zn4f]

They don't have to change and balance what they make. " You " have to change you're balance and what you eat. What you eat is what you are. Junk food does not jump into you're mouth. It,s you're eating habbits and you're nutrition life style. You are responsible what you eat and not what they produce!

[@yournan6546]

You know it's getting closer to Christmas when every video has 4 ads and two are unskippable 20s jobs.

[@MySpiritualJourney-rg4hx]

Even though I very rarely eat them, I'm quite pleased that Twinkies have made an amazing comeback and are still with us!

[@diverman1023]

My issue is that they're 90% ripped off a french desert called "buche de noel" or "chrismas log", which not only tastes better but is way healthier as well. These US brands struggle because they're straight up not good, and as more and more Americans travel and are exposed to how it's supposed to taste, you can't go back

[@carboncarbonx43]

Did you forget to take your meds, or do you work for Hostess?

[@nicklasschmltt6959]

You would have to expect that any defense of or praise would only be stated by an employee of or a hired sponsor of. .

[@guymontag2948]

Based on my experience, you cannot feed a family of four on a single box of Kraft dinner. Maybe people used to be really, really tiny?

[@BrendenFP]

Shrinkflation: maybe the boxes used to be larger back then?

[@valp1992]

People eat wayyyyy more than 50 years ago. As an example, look at nowadays european portion vs North american. The portions are ridiculous here!

[@guymontag2948]

@@valp1992 A box of KD, prepared, is about 875 calories. That might feed a family of four if they're gnomes, possibly hobbits, but that's about it.

[@Mikeywhatitdo]

its about 4 servings, a side of macaroni. never intended for people to consume entire boxes with nothing on the side but their drink

[@guymontag2948]

@@Mikeywhatitdo Even using that more logical interpretation, which is not what the video said btw, a box is still only about 2.5 servings.

[@planetruths1373]

It's insane, how you define your heroes.

[@Lakshmi1118]

6:54 Looks like someone was having a good time throwing cheese slices. 😅😂😅

[@user-yh1xo6bz2v]

Twinkies, Ring Dings, Devil Dogs all used to be creme filled. Now Twinkies' white filling isn't made up of cream but a sugar and vegetable shortening mix that has been blended with corn syrup, water, salt, and cellulose gum. Shortening, by definition, is any fat that is solid at room temperature and used in baking. This actually includes a few things that you may have thought were definitely not shortening before-like lard, and margarine, and hydrogenated vegetable oils, for instance. Now you know why they aren't as popular. Creme filling to doctored lard, to be blunt it doesn't taste the same not even close.

[@lovelysakurapetalsyt]

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