Via iStockphoto / @phantomhearse TikTok
A TikTok user has gone viral after using supermarket scales to ensure that they get the best value Zombie Takis possible.
With shrinkflation invading all our favorite packaged snacks, some of us just accept it. However, before purchasing some Zombie Takis, one TikToker had a genius idea.
The video, which has garnered 1.3 million views, shows the TikToker along with another woman putting a bag of Takis on some traditional grocery store scales.
After putting the first bag on the scales, one of the women says there’s a “little more” in one of the bags. The other then encourages her to put a different bag on the scale, saying, “Try this bag, try this bag.”
Was There A Difference Between The Takis Bags?
As they put the second bag on the scale, the dial shows a small weight difference between that and the previous bag.
“You were like, lowkey right!” the second woman exclaimed.
“I told you,” the first replied, “I have a way with the bags.”
On-screen text accompanying the TikTok read, “Fattest thing I’ve done all week.”
In the video description, the TikToker added, “Need that extra o.05 oz of seasoning bro.”
BroBible reached out to the TikToker via TikTok direct message, and Taki’s parent company, Grupo Bimbo, via email.
Viewers Could Relate
Other commenters admitted that they go to similar lengths to ensure value for money.
“As a real chip eater I can do it just by sight,” one claimed.
“I do this s— too,” another said. “But I always get mine from gas stations so I feel out which ones heavier since I don’t have a scale and try to press down to see where the air stops and chips begin.”
Meanwhile, a third shared, “I always pinch the bottom of the bag to feel for the dust and always get the most dusty Takis ever.”
And a fourth commented, “I hope every store sees this and starts putting a scale in the chip aisle.”
“I’d be calling the number on the bag and threatening to get weights and measures involved,” a fifth added.
While a sixth wrote, “My fata– did not need to know about this.”
Why Is There So Much Air In Bags Of Chips?
However, at the same time, the fact that bags of chips can sometimes have more air than chips isn’t always about tricking the consumer. It actually serves a functional purpose. According to EatingWell, the air you see in bags of chips isn’t oxygen—it is nitrogen gas. The site reports that the official name for this empty space is “functional slack fill”—and moreover, it serves multiple purposes.
One reason for functional slack fill is to help the chips survive transit (mostly) unscathed. The basic idea is that by filling the gaps in the bag with nitrogen gas, it gives a “pillow-like” effect so that, when in transit, the chips don’t get crushed, remaining whole and tasty for the customer.
Another reason is to ensure that the chips remain fresh. Per Eating Well, if these chips were exposed to oxygen, they would oxidize and go stale pretty quickly. However, this reaction doesn’t happen when the chips interact with nitrogen gas, meaning that they get a prolonged shelf life.