"Affordable" Cheetos Manufactured in the PH- A Bad Knockoff of the Original US Made (My April Fool's Day Surprise)

Cheetos Made in the Philippines
Image credit: Pinoy Inquisitor

I recently went to the supermarket to do some grocery shopping for my son and his friends. Every afternoon for the week, I'd offer my son and his friends snacks and refreshments to give them a bit of energy while playing. Of course, my snack reserve has run dry so, off to the grocery it is.

While I was selecting cookies and wafers for the kids, I chanced upon an aisle with "international" snack brands on display and was surprised to see that there were bags of locally made Cheetos on display and I was even more surprised to see that it was relatively affordable. I quickly took one. Cheetos were my favorite when I was growing up and up to this day, I still like it. I was actually happy that I can enjoy a small bag of Cheetos for under 50 cents USD. A regular bag of Cheetos (8.5oz) costs  almost US$3 and with that price you can actually buy a loaf of bread (80 cents USD),  some cheese (20 cents USD), a small bottle of peanut butter (60 cents USD), instant noodles (1 pack at around 20 cents USD), instant coffee (one twin pack sachet for 20 cents and is good for 2 cups), a kilogram of rice (at 80 cents USD). All in all, why buy a bag of imported Cheetos when you can buy all of that and subsist for at least a day or 2.

Now that the Philippines is manufacturing its own Cheetos, it does open the world up to possibilities for the Filipinos. The problem is if it TASTES like the original. Cheetos is available in the "King Size" which is slightly smaller than the 8.5 ounce-bag and costs a dollar and is made in the US. When I do crave for Cheetos, I buy that size to satisfy my cravings.

Cheetos King Size
Image credit: Pinoy Inquisitor

As I opened the bag of Cheetos that is made locally here in the Philippines, I did not catch a whiff of that Cheetos smell and just by that I was disappointed. The packaging was nice and not the usual crumpled bag of Cheetos and the orange was a bit lighter and brighter than the original. Now, the taste...it was sweet and not as crunchy. Now, I was really disappointed. It was not at all like the Cheetos from the US. What were they thinking? Why change the original recipe? It tasted like the brand " Cheezy" by the Leslie Corp.

Unfortunately, again the principle of 'you get what you pay for' holds true. Low price, low quality.

I think Frito-Lay and PepsiCo should reassess their "version" of Cheetos. The quality, the unique taste of the version, albeit their packaging is rather nice is not the Cheetos that most expect.

My rate: 4 stars for packaging. For the Cheetos cheese curls 1 star. Price: 2 stars. With that price, I can add a little bit more to get Cheetos originally made in the US in their "king size". Why waste money on substandard Cheetos when I can get the real thing.

Yes, this was my April Fool's Day surprise. A bad knock-off of the original Cheetos.