My Guilty Snackin' Pleasure

Snacks come in a variety of forms including packaged, processed, and right out of the bag or box. A snack is meant to be a small portion of food that is eaten between meals however, snacks have become so popular that for many it has become the meal. What makes these guilty pleasures so irresistible is the enormous amount of choices and textures: salty, crispy, sweet, savory, chewy, smooth, and gooey. Many U.S. corporations have seized the opportunity and are now worldwide giants in the production of snack foods with Frito-Lay, Nabisco, Kellogg's, Pillsbury, and Hershey leading the charge. Here are 5 of my "guilty pleasures".

Quaker Oats finally became its own company in 1901 after 50 years of effort by several oat millers throughout the Ohio River Valley and Chicago, The cylindrical container came on the scene in 1915 but, 4 years before a more important Quaker event occurred when the recipe for oatmeal cookies appeared on the box. Oatmeal has become a breakfast staple, smooth, rich, creamy, and most important, healthy. Oatmeal is great for lowering cholesterol. Recently Quaker has diversified purchasing Gatorade, Fisher-Price, and Snapple along with other companies. Quaker is best known for cereals including my favorites Quake, Quisp, Life, and Cap'n Crunch.

Planters was founded by an Italian immigrant Amedeo Obici in the late 1800s and after a partnership in 1906 the company took off. One of the most beloved icons in the food industry was created in 1916 by a grade-schooler named Antonio Gentile. His creation… of course, Mr. Peanut. After a long history of mergers and takeovers Planters eventually became part of the Heinz-Kraft company in 2015. Today Planters packages not only peanuts but practically every type of popular nut. My personal favorite is cashews. Beyond nuts Planters has many other branded food products which include Cheeseballs, Cheesecurls, CornNuts, peanut bars, and cooking oil.

Ritz Crackers are a true snack food treasure introduced by Nabisco in 1934.

They were created to compete with Sunshine Biscuit companies crackers which looked very similar. The name Ritz had more of an appeal than their rival during The Great Depression and sales quickly surpassed Sunshine. In the states, Ritz Crackers have taken on numerous flavors such as honey, garlic. And bacon. In the U.K. 2 varieties are available regular and cheese-filled. Cheddar cheese spread is sandwiched between 2 crackers creating a super salty snack. My favorite marriage is with Cadbury milk chocolate, enveloped by 2 Ritz Crackers. Nothing beats salt and chocolate.

Hostess Brands creates some of the most iconic sweet snack foods known to man. I could enjoy a cup of coffee and a lemon filled fruit pie every morning. One problem though, Hostess snack cakes aren't the most healthy treat making them a true guilty pleasure. These delectable treats go back to 1919 when the cupcake was introduced. In 1930 Hostess Brand's most popular cake was introduced, the Twinkie. Which brings us to some of their most popular mascots which include: Twinkie the Kid, Fruit Pie the Magician, Chauncey Chocodile, and Happy HoHo. Other cakes include Sno Balls, Ding Dongs, and Suzy Q's. Yum!

Frito Lay has to be everyone's numero uno guilty pleasure. The company began in 1961 when the 2 brand owners formed a partnership and merged the 2 snack-food giants. Recently they have been generating over one billion dollars in worldwide sales annually and makeup 40% of America's "savory snacks" sold. The brand is recognized across the globe in places like Africa, Asia, The Middle East, Europe, and Central and South America. Several years ago my wife and I stopped outside of Bakersfield to take a tour of one of their plants. We tried everything: Fritos, Doritos, Ruffles, Cheetos, Rold Gold pretzels, chips, and even Cracker Jack. That was one tasty tour.

In the United States, snack foods have almost become an essential part of the American diet. Don't think that the word snack means unhealthy, peanuts and popcorn are 2 of the most popular American snacks. Other healthy options include cheese, fruits, vegetables, and grains. On occasion everyone needs a cheat day, myself included. That's where the cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, and candy bars take over my healthy consciousness. Like a zombie, I power up the turntable and play that 70s hit Junk Food Junkie by Larry Groce and pop another twinkie in my mouth.