It’s true. Hot Cheetos, otherwise known as “cheetos” and other brands of spicy corn snacks are made with pig intestine, or “pork casings” as they call it.

The manufacturer, Frito Lay, is not shy about this fact; it even has a page on its website dedicated to answering questions about the ingredients in its products.

The page explains that “casings are used as a way to protect the product during processing and storage.” It also notes that hot dogs and most sausages use casings made from animal intestines.

But what about vegetarian hot dogs? Those use cellulose casings made from plant fibers instead of animal guts.

Hot cheetos are made by frying cornmeal dough into crunchy chips and then seasoning them with cheddar cheese powder. They’re then packed into bags with yellow cheese powder dusting and a big red warning label that says “CHILDREN SHOULD NOT EAT THIS PRODUCT.”

Last modified: October 9, 2022