50 Fun Facts About Junk Food

Legend says cook George Crum invented potato chips in 1853 in which New York resort town?

The story is now known to be untrue, but 'Saratoga Chips' stayed a common name into the mid-20th century.

The saddle shape of a Pringles chip is known mathematically as what?

P&G chemist Fredric Baur spent two years developing the shape and chose the tube; his ashes were later buried in a Pringles can.

In a 2008 London case, P&G argued Pringles were not crisps because the potato content was only what?

They also argued the shape 'is not found in nature'; the Court of Appeal reversed the ruling in 2009 and the VAT bill stood.

Doritos were first created in the early 1960s at a restaurant inside which theme park?

Casa de Fritos in Anaheim made them from leftover tortillas; they went national in 1966 in a single flavour, Toasted Corn.

Which snack, invented by Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin in 1948, is fronted by Chester Cheetah?

Chester first appeared in TV ads in 1986; the Flamin' Hot version was developed at Frito-Lay's Texas headquarters from 1989.

What flavour cream did Twinkies originally contain when they were invented in 1930?

Wartime banana rationing forced the switch to vanilla, which proved so popular that banana never fully returned.

What was a Twinkie's maximum shelf life before stronger preservatives were added in 2012?

Preservatives pushed it to 45 days; a Hostess executive told the New York Times most Twinkies were on shelves for only 7 to 10 days.

The Oreo, launched in 1912, was originally an imitation of which cookie introduced four years earlier?

Oreo so outstripped its rival that most people now assume Hydrox is the knock-off.

Which pharmacist invented Coca-Cola in Atlanta in 1886?

A morphine-addicted Confederate veteran, he was looking for a substitute for the drug; Asa Candler bought the rights in 1888.

In what year did Coca-Cola launch the disastrous 'New Coke' formula?

Taste tests actually favoured it, but nostalgia won; Coca-Cola Classic returned 79 days later.

Pepsi was first sold in 1893 in New Bern, North Carolina, under what name?

Caleb Bradham promoted it as an aid to digestion, and early ads called it 'The Pepsin Drink'.

Dr Pepper was created in the 1880s at a drugstore soda fountain in which Texas city?

Customers at Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store originally ordered it by asking for 'a Waco'.

Mountain Dew's name was originally 19th-century slang for what?

Tennessee bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman created it in the 1940s as a bourbon mixer, and early labels showed a barefoot hillbilly with a jug.

Red Bull was adapted from Krating Daeng, an energy drink popular with truck drivers in which country?

Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz tried it on a business trip and said it cured his jet lag; the name means 'red gaur'.

Kool-Aid, invented by Edwin Perkins in 1927, is the official soft drink of which state?

Perkins created the powder in Hastings by dehydrating a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack to save on shipping.

Which convenience store chain has sold Slurpees since a 1966 licensing deal with the Icee Company?

Its 1990s 'brain freeze' ads by the Brothers Quay were based on a 19th-century photograph of a contortionist.

Which US state has the highest per-capita consumption of Spam, buying about 7 million cans a year?

Spam musubi, a slice on rice wrapped in nori, is a local staple; the meat is made in Austin, Minnesota, 'Spam Town USA'.

Which company introduced Spam on July 5, 1937?

The company says the meaning of the name is known only to a few former executives; 'spiced ham' is the popular guess.

Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, founder of which company?

His first product was Chikin Ramen; the foam Cup Noodle followed in 1971.

Roughly how many servings of instant noodles were eaten worldwide in 2018?

China and Hong Kong alone accounted for about 40 billion; Indonesia was second.

Nutella was launched in 1964 by which Italian company?

Pietro Ferrero's bakery was in Alba, a hazelnut town; the spread began life in 1951 as a solid block called Supercrema gianduja.

Krispy Kreme opened its first store in 1937 in which North Carolina city?

Vernon Rudolph picked the city because his favourite cigarette brand, Camel, was headquartered there.

Hanson Gregory claimed to have invented which snack shape in 1847, aged 16, aboard a lime-trading ship?

Washington Irving had described 'dough-nuts' as balls of sweetened dough fried in hog's fat back in 1809.

Which 1908 song gave Cracker Jack free publicity with the line 'Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack'?

Cracker Jack is caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts, famous for the trivial prize inside every box.

How much did Charles Elmer Doolin pay in 1932 for the recipe and equipment that became Fritos?

He answered a San Antonio newspaper ad placed by Gustavo Olguin, who wanted to return to Mexico.

Nachos were invented in 1943 by Ignacio Anaya at a restaurant in which Mexican border city?

He improvised them at the Victory Club for a group of US Army wives from Eagle Pass, Texas, when the cook was missing.

Carl and Neil Fletcher introduced their 'Corny Dogs' between 1938 and 1942 at which event?

Pronto Pup of Rockaway Beach, Oregon, claims it invented the corn dog first, in 1939.

The deep-fried Mars bar was reportedly invented in 1992 at a chip shop in which country?

John Davie of the Haven Chip Bar in Stonehaven claimed it; The Lancet later commissioned a study after Jay Leno joked about it.

Pop-Tarts were rushed to market in 1964 by Kellogg's to beat a rival product from which company?

Post announced its 'Country Squares' too early; Kellogg's built its version in four months, and frosting that survived the toaster arrived in 1967.

A 1994 experiment showed a strawberry Pop-Tart left in a toaster could produce flames roughly how high?

Kellogg's had been sued in 1992 over a toaster fire, and Dave Barry's column about it made the risk famous.

Cheez-It crackers were introduced in 1921 by the Green & Green Company of which Ohio city?

Sunshine Biscuits bought the company in the early 1930s, and Kellogg's later bought Sunshine.

Roughly how much bigger does a popcorn kernel get when it pops?

Steam from the 14-20% moisture inside builds until the hull ruptures; the oldest popped corn found in Peru is over 1,000 years old.

Movie theaters have served popcorn since which Depression-era decade?

Theaters commonly pop it in coconut oil, which is why the saturated-fat numbers are so alarming.

Which US president served 'potatoes served in the French manner' at a White House dinner in 1802?

A recipe in his own hand describes 'potatoes deep-fried while raw, in small slices'; Belgium and France still argue over who invented fries.

The chicken nugget was developed in the 1950s by food scientist Robert C. Baker at which university?

He called them 'Chicken Crispies' and published the method as unpatented academic work, so anyone could use it.

The Big Mac was created in 1967 by franchisee Jim Delligatti in the suburbs of which city?

He admitted he copied the Big Boy double-decker; The Economist now uses the burger's price to compare currencies.

Which magazine publishes the Big Mac Index comparing the cost of living across countries?

The 1974 jingle listed the ingredients: two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun.

Which president made Jelly Belly the first jelly beans in space, sending them up on Challenger in 1983?

He had taken up jelly beans after quitting smoking and kept a jar in cabinet meetings as governor of California.

Skittles were introduced in 1971 by a distributor in which country before reaching the US in 1979?

Jack Candies made them for Mars; Mars's Wrigley division took over the brand in 2008.

The first known Girl Scout cookie sale took place in 1917 by a troop in which state?

The Mistletoe Troop of Muskogee sold them at their high school; Thin Mints, added in the 1950s, are now the best seller.

In which city did Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield open their first ice cream parlour in 1978?

They started with a $12,000 investment; the factory is now in Waterbury, Vermont.

Coining 'junk food' in 1972 is often credited to Michael Jacobson of which advocacy group?

The phrase actually shows up in print as early as the 1950s.

Which slogan did Lay's introduce for its potato chips?

Herman Lay began as a snack salesman in Nashville in 1932 and later merged his company with Frito.

Which country became the first to pass comprehensive junk-food labelling and marketing rules in 2016?

Its Law of Food Labeling and Advertising mandated front-of-pack warnings and banned in-school sales of high-sugar, salt or fat foods.

Which country introduced the world's first fat-food tax in October 2011, scrapping it after about a year?

It hit any food with more than 2.3 percent saturated fat, natural ingredients included, and proved deeply unpopular.

On which date does the United States mark National Junk Food Day?

It is one of about 175 US food and drink days, most invented by people who want to sell more food.

Which 1976 US top-ten hit described a secret binger of Twinkies, Fritos, McDonald's and KFC?

Its narrator pretends to follow a healthy diet by day and gorges at night.

In which Ohio newspaper did the headline "'Junk Foods' Cause Serious Malnutrition" appear in 1952?

It reprinted a 1948 Dr. Brady health column originally titled 'More Junk Than Food'.

Which US senator chaired the 1968-77 select committee that controversially targeted junk food in the American diet?

It began by investigating hunger and malnutrition before widening its scope to diet and eating habits.

A 2008 study suggesting junk food alters rat brains like cocaine was carried out at which organisation?

The rats' pleasure centres became desensitised, and when switched to healthy food they starved for two weeks rather than eat it.