Takis (snack)

Takis are a Mexican brand of flavored rolled tortilla chips produced by Barcel, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo since 2019. The shape of Takis is fashioned after the taquito, it comes in numerous flavors, the best selling of which is the chili-lime "Fuego" flavor, sold in distinctive purple bags, introduced in 2006. Besides the rolled corn chips, Takis produces other snacks with the same flavor lines, including different potato chip varieties, corn "stix", and peanuts.

Takis were invented in Mexico in 1999 and introduced to the United States in November 2001 (originally as Taquis, before being renamed to Takis in 2004) and Canada in 2015. Barcel originally intended to aim Takis towards a Hispanic demographic, but its popularity has quickly spread among Gen Z.

Flavors

Takis are prepared in a variety of flavors, including:

* ''Angry Burger'', a spicy hamburger and dill pickle flavor (green packaging)
* ''Authentic Taco'', a hot taco flavor (green packaging)
* ''BBQ Blast'', a savory barbecue flavor, non-spicy. (brown packaging)
* ''BBQ Picante'', a spicy barbecue flavor (brown packaging)
* ''Blue Flame'', an extreme barbecue flavor (blue packaging)
* ''Blue Heat'', a hot chili pepper flavor (blue packaging)
* ''Buckin' Ranch'', a non-spicy ranch flavor (light blue packaging)
* ''Churro Charge'', a limited edition cinnamon sugar flavor released for the 2024 holiday season (pink/magenta packaging)
* ''Cobra'', a Worcestershire sauce flavor (red packaging)
* ''Crunchy Fajitas'', a chicken fajita flavor with a yellowish appearance (green packaging)
* ''Dragon Sweet Chili'', a sweet and spicy flavor with a dull red-orange appearance (black packaging)
* ''Fuego'', a hot chili pepper and lime flavor. It is the spiciest of all varieties, as well as the most popular flavor (purple packaging).
* ''Fuego azul'', a spicy snack topped with a blue mystery spice powder, with a similar taste to Fuego. This flavor was released in the U.S. in 2019 as ''Blue Heat'' (blue packaging).
* ''Guacamole'', a spicy snack topped with a style of salsa guacamole (white packaging)
* ''Intense Nacho'', a non-spicy cheese flavor and the first ever non-spicy flavor of Takis (orange packaging)
* ''Kaboom'', a ketchup and sriracha flavor (purple, red and white packaging)
* ''Lava'', a cheese and chipotle flavor (orange packaging)
* ''Nacho Xplosion'', a spicy nacho-cheese flavor (purple and orange packaging)
* ''Ninja Teriyaki'', a spicy teriyaki flavor
* ''Nitro'', a habanero chili flavor (black-red packaging)
* ''Original'', a slightly spicy snack (green packaging)
* ''Outlaw'', a spicy barbecue flavor (dark red packaging)
* ''Party'', A mildly spicy flavor of cheese and chile, know in Europe and the UK as "Volcano" (purple & orange packaging)
* ''Rock'', a presentation with flavor of chorizo
* ''Sal De Mar'' (formerly "Classic"), a mild snack topped with sea salt
* ''Salsa Brava'', a slightly spicier snack than the original (yellow packaging)
* ''Scorpion BBQ'', a barbecue flavor (brown and purple packaging)
* ''Titan'', a chipotle and lime flavor (dark red packaging)
* ''Volcano Queso'', a habanero cheese flavor (yellow-green and orange packaging)
* ''Wild'', a hot buffalo flavor (sky blue packaging)
* ''Xplosion'', a spicy cheese-flavored and chili pepper variety (orange packaging)
* ''Xtra Hot'', a hot flavor similar to ''Fuego'', but less spicy (black-purple packaging)
* ''Zombie'', habanero and cucumber flavor (black-green packaging)

Other products

In July 2020, Razor released their scooter designed with the Takis brand. Also in that month, Totino's released ''Totino's Takis Fuego Mini Snack Bites'', consisting of pizza rolls covered in ''Takis Fuego'' seasoning. In October 2020, Takis introduced ''Takis Hot Nuts'', featuring peanuts in a crunchy shell coated with Takis seasoning. Its flavors include ''Fuego'', ''Flare'' and ''Smokin' Lime''. In 2021, Grupo Bimbo expanded the Takis snack portfolio to include:
* ''Takis Waves'', ridged potato chip
* ''Takis Watz'', cheese snack
* ''Takis POP!'', ready-to-eat popcorn (distinguishable from Popcornopolis branded Takis popcorn, Groupo Bimbo owns both)
* ''Takis Stix'', corn snack stick
* ''Takis Crisps'', potato chip shaped like Pringles
* ''Takis Kettlez'', kettle-cooked potato chip snack
* ''Takis Hot Nuts'', peanuts coated in crunchy corn snack
* ''Takis Chippz'', thin-cut potato chips
* ''Takis Mix'', a variety containing several types of other Takis snacks, such as Takis rolls, stix, popcorn, and wheat snacks similar to chicharrones

Health concerns

There have been multiple claims on the Internet that Takis and other spicy snacks cause ulcers and cancer. Though the aforementioned claims have been confirmed as false, scientists and doctors have attributed gastritis and other stomach-related problems to Takis, though this has only been recorded to occur when ingesting too much of the snack.

California public school ban

In March 2024, a bill was proposed by Californian politician Jesse Gabriel, aiming to disallow the use of food coloring additives blue 1, blue 2, green 3, yellow 5, yellow 6, and red 40 in public schools to stop food with these additives from interfering with their learning or hurt them. These additives are found in Takis and other food like Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Gabriel made it clear that this bill would not ban Takis and other products that would be affected by the bill outright.

On the topic of the bill, he said that it "would not ban specific foods or products, but rather encourage companies to make minor modifications to products sold in California and could help prompt a nationwide transition to safer alternative ingredients."
The bill, Assembly Bill 2316 (also known as the California School Food Safety Act), was sent to Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond supported the proposal. In a statement, he said:

The way the bill changes the law is through an amendment to Section 49431 of the Education Code. Newsom signed the bill on September 28, 2024 and it will be put into effect on December 31, 2027. Once enacted, it will not prohibit students from bringing their own snacks to school that contain the aforementioned chemicals.

References

{{Bimbo

Grupo Bimbo brands
Brand name snack foods
Mexican brands
Products introduced in 1999