The family behind Siete Foods, which manufactures a line of popular chips, just got a big payday. PepsiCo has recently purchased the brand for a whopping $1.2 billion.
And while Siete’s shareholders may already be shopping for spinning rims and crunk cups, fans aren’t celebrating.
TikTok user Jacky (@jacquelinemehdi) documented her disappointment in a viral clip. In addition to garnering over 874,000 views, it also racked up nearly 1,600 comments. Several viewers voiced their sadness Siete’s line will be commandeered by PepsiCo.
Pour one out
“When you find out Siete sold out to Pepsi for $1.2 billion, the end of an era,” Jacky writes in the text overlay. She records the video as she walks through the aisles of a grocery store, tossing several bags of the brand into her shopping cart.
The TikToker added in a caption, “Congrats to the family but this one hurts time to find a new brand.”
Siete is a beloved chip brand that has amassed a die-hard fan base. The company states on its website that it’s a “Mexican-American food brand, rooted in family.”
Their “heritage-inspired products” are also said to be made in a way that promotes healthier eating habits. Healthy Crush praised Siete chips for being made with Avocado Oil. Comparatively, the outlet writes, “Most chips are made with GMO corn and highly refined vegetable oil.” Many consider Siete a superior food alternative to other chip brands based on this ingredient alone.
Siete’s grain-free tortilla chips are also lauded for their cassava flour base. These two ingredients are part of a short list of fixings that comprise the brand’s offerings.
The Pepsi connection
When it comes to mass food manufacturing, Pepsi Co. is one of many corporations mired in controversy. Analysts have said that Pepsi has contributed to the slew of food items that prioritize short-term profits over health. Dr. Mark Hyman has said the nation’s “food industry is slowly killing” human beings. Additionally, Harvard Public Health magazine has slammed processed foods for “making us sick.”
The university’s publication called upon the Food and Drug Administration to invest in further regulation of “junk” food items. Moreover, Harvard stated that up to 678,000 Americans are dying every single year due to “chronic food illness.”
The National Institutes of Health have published extensively on “dietary factors influenc[ing] disease risk.” Better diets have proven to reduce the risk of illness exposure, and other medical bodies agree. Such as the Mayo Clinic, which wrote, “Eating an unhealthy diet can have serious consequences.” Failure to secure proper nutrition “can increase someone’s risk of dying from heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes.”
Reuters reported in August that Pepsi can be sued for health claims made for Gatorade protein bars. In this situation, the brand’s marketing was slammed for being “deceptive.” This is because the bars “have more sugar than protein and more sugar than typical candy bars.”
Siete: in memoriam
One of the top comments in response to Jacky’s clip was an immediate recommendation for another chip brand. “Boulder chips are just as good too!!! different flavors but clean ingredients,” one wrote.
Another lamented the sale as Siete was the sole brand they could reliably enjoy. “Siete is the ONLY brand I can eat (I’m anti-inflammatory),” they said. “I already know Pepsi is going to change the ingredients to cut cost.”
She wasn’t the only one who feared Pepsi would swap out ingredients for cost-efficacy. “No they’re the only good clean brand,” someone else penned.
Other users hoped the Siete family would launch another product line. “Fingers crossed there weren’t some sort of non competes signed and maybe just maybe they start another small business that focuses on snacks with clean ingredients!” one said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Siete and Pepsi via email and Jacky via TikTok comment
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