Schools ban Flamin' Hot Cheetos

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CHICAGO, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Schools across the United States are banning Flamin' Hot Cheetos out of concern for the popular snack food's lack of nutrition.

The Noble Street Charter School Network in Chicago and the Rockford, Ill., school district said they have banned the snacks, which were created 20 years ago by the Frito-Lay company, due to the high content of salt, fats and artificial coloring with very little fiber or other nutritional benefits, the Chicago Tribune reported Friday.

Renita Weiskircher, director of nutrition services for Rockford Public Schools, said the district used to sell about 150,000 bags of Flamin' Hot Cheetos each school year, but students "have learned to adjust" since the ban was imposed in 2010.

Rita Exposito, principal of Jackson Elementary School in Pasadena, Calif., said faculty members at her school specifically target the snacks.

"We don't allow candy, and we don't allow Hot Cheetos," she said. "We don't encourage other chips, but if we see Hot Cheetos, we confiscate them, sometimes after the child has already eaten most of them. It's mostly about the lack of nutrition."