Cheetos Were a Byproduct of Cleaning an Animal Feed Mill

It's safe to assume that Cheetos is a well-known snack given its 2017 sales of more than $1 billion. The origin of the cheese curl, a phrase used to refer to any of those puffy, Cheetos-like treats, is however an intriguing one. Technically, these were never intended for human consumption. Really not much food at all.

The Flakall Corporation produced cheese curls for animal feed. The facility that processed grain into animal feed occasionally experienced machine jams. Workers would clean it by putting wet corn through it. The moist maize baked into a puff as it heated up internally.

Keep in mind that this was never intended for human consumption. However, some diligent workers decided to try the puffs since they looked appetizing. Factory worker Edward Wilson brought some home and seasoned it. Hence, the cheese curl was created.