Chocolate aficionado that I am, the recent headline of the possible buyout of The Hershey Company instantly grabbed my attention. Hershey has been around for well over a hundred years; the American brand most associated with chocolate (no matter what you think of their products). But one detail caught my attention even more than the chocolate. Mondelez, the purported buyer of Hershey, also makes Wheat Thins snack crackers. Suddenly this announcement is downright riveting.
If you don’t have a box of them in your pantry right now, you’re at least familiar with Wheat Thins. The flat, square, unashamedly crunchy crackers have been around forever (that is, if 1947 is the same as forever). Wheat Thins are packaged in the bright yellow box with the distinctive red Nabisco logo in the upper corner. The box top encourages you to “Open for 100% Awesome” and boy do I ever. I sometimes wonder whether Nabisco has baked more Wheat Thins or Oreos over the course of their respective existences. As a kid I would’ve hoped that winner would be Oreos. These days I nosh more like an adult and prefer the ultimate snack cracker.
Here’s where you come at me with your own “ultimates”. Maybe your pantry is stocked with Cheez-it crackers instead of Wheat Thins. Maybe “everything sits on a Ritz” in your house. Or you like Premium saltines because they’re, well, saltier. Are you’re one of those inexplicables who actually prefer table water crackers? You must’ve really liked communion wafers as a kid. Nothing says “Styrofoam” like the taste of a table water cracker.
Wheat Thins was (were?) introduced to my palate at a very young age. My dad was obsessed with them. I can’t think of a time I entered our pantry where the big yellow box wasn’t present. My dad would eat them right out of the box instead of bothering to pair with cheese or dip. My dad was never one to talk with food in his mouth, but I swear I can still hear him holding conversations with my mother while simultaneously crunching a mouthful of Wheat Thins. Apparently obsessions are hereditary.
Wheat Thins are described as “100% Whole Grain”, which is a sly way to throw you off the canola oil, sugar, cornstarch, and other garbage you’ll find on the ingredients list. Admittedly there were several years where I strayed from Wheat Thins. At the time our pantry morphed into a collection of decidedly more healthy options, and many, many boxes of Wheat Thins gathered dust on grocery store shelves. We indulged in almond, baked, and organic wheat crackers instead, as if any of them held a candle to Wheat Thins.
I can’t say exactly when they made their comeback, but suddenly Wheat Thins is a pantry staple again. Probably because I missed their “indescribably delicious taste”; a spot-on advertisement because I can’t describe what makes a Wheat Thin so delicious. Whatever the attraction, the recommended serving size of “16 pieces” is laughable. Heck, I grab that many in one handful. On that note, I’m eternally grateful to Nabisco for creating a “Party Size” box of Wheat Thins (and I’m perfectly content to be the only one at the party).
To be clear, we’re only talking about the “original” here. I was horrified to learn there are over twenty spins on the taste of Wheat Thins, including “lime”, “chipotle”, and (gag) “dill pickle”. Then Nabisco went completely off the rails and created sweet versions of Wheat Thins, including “honey” and “lightly cinnamon”. Those last two have been discontinued because, c’mon, did they really think the king of sweet crackers – the graham – could be dethroned?
Like a lot of food products I was raised with, Wheat Thins are not as “original” as they claim to be today. They just aren’t. I can’t say how many of them I’ve eaten in my life but let’s go with a billion, shall we? That makes me an unquestionable Wheat Thins expert. And I’m here to tell you the taste may be the same but the consistency is suspect. Wheat Thins are a little crunchier these days than they used to be. If they’d just let me into their factories I bet I could figure out exactly which ingredient they swapped out (in the interest of profit margin, of course).
If I were you (wait… reverse that; if you were me), keep an eye on Mondelez. You know them by their former name: Kraft Foods. Mondelez is quietly consuming the entire snack aisle. Chips Ahoy, Triscuit, Sour Patch, Toblerone, Dentyne, even Tate’s Bake Shop (another “thin” delight) all belong to this foody conglomerate. Hershey Kisses (and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!) may soon join the list. But if someday we all wake up and finally realize these products are terrible for us, I hope the one cracker Mondelez is still making on the day it closes its doors is Wheat Thins. I’m not sure I can live without them.
Some content sourced from the CNN Business article, “Hershey’s stock explodes higher on report Mondelez offered to buy it”, and Wikipedia, “the free encyclopedia”.
Life In A Word 
I always loved Wheat Thins but also strayed for some healthier options, especially when no one else in the household was eating them. But my 20 year old grandson lives with us and buys his own food. Now he is wondering who sneaks into his supply of Wheat Thins!
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If my dad were still around he’d wonder the same thing!
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Does that mean that soon we’ll have a chocolate wheat thin?
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That’s where I thought this was headed too. I got excited.
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I’m not holding my breath over the possibility. Admittedly I like a chocolate graham, but savory crackers are meant to be savory!
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I also loved Wheat Thins Dave but had to banish them from the house as they were so addictive. It is the crunch that makes them so satisfying (like those Tate’s thin and crispy cookies). I also convinced myself Wheat Thins were healthier than say the White Cheddar Cheez-its (another favorite), but really, who was I kidding? I know we chatted once about Triscuits with Sea Salt which I now prefer to bread. Yes, they are healthy (six is a serving), but I have more than one serving. Like your example of a serving of Wheat Thins, who are they kidding? I think Hershey’s should not merge with Mondelez, but maybe I am a chocolate purist about such things.
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Triscuit and Wheat Thins are side by side on our counter whenever we snack. You could call it a vain attempt to reduce my intake of Wheat Thins. I do enjoy the taste spins on Triscuit (esp. Rosemary & Olive Oil). I absolutely eat more of them now because they are flavored.
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I haven’t tried that type – it sounds good. The Cracked Pepper was good – I tried it once. Nothing beats the crunchy texture and yes those wimpy water biscuits are a disgrace to label as a cracker!
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That’s kind of creepy for one company to own so much. Gobbling up the snack aisle indeed.
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Growing up, it was Triscuits that had a stranglehold on our pantry, and I think I still prefer them (though Wheat Thins are not a bad alternative). I convinced myself that Triscuits are the healthiest of snacks – just look at all that fiber!
Just last night I discovered a new favorite – Cheddar flavored Goldfish crackers that I dredge through some peanut butter!
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Goldfish recently returned to our pantry thanks to visits from our young granddaughters. It’s hard not to sneak a handful when they ask for them. And Triscuit is almost as much of a staple as Wheat Thins. As I told Linda above, now that Triscuit is flavored they have more appeal to my taste buds.
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You showed a picture of some spreadable cheese, but I note that you didn’t mention Port Wine Cheese, in its little brown ceramic crock. It, too, was a staple in the pantry and went really well on both Wheat Thins and Triscuits, as I recall. But then again I haven’t had either in a while. I’m thinking I need to get some…
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If you Google “WisPride images” you’ll see one of those little brown crocks, which I don’t think you can get anymore. It’s interesting to note that “Kaukauna” appears to be the parent company of WisPride now. I opted for the Port Wine/plastic cup since that’s what I pair with my Wheat Thins these days 🙂
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I just spent a week with friends in Houston and there was not a wheat thin to be found! But Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in various sizes and in a Blizzard at Dairy Queen helped me temporarily forget the pounds that I undoubtedly packed on my hips…
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I’ve had my fair share of Reese’s too and I’ve noticed the “non-standard” sizes of the cups have the wrong proportion of chocolate to peanut butter. Too much of one or not enough of the other. They just don’t taste the same as the ones you buy in the two-pack at the grocery store register. Having said that, I’d take any size cups in a Blizzard, almost like peanut butter ‘n’ chocolate ice cream. Great choice!
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You’re right, Dave–sounds like Mondelez is working toward a monopoly on everything in the snack aisles. I’m glad you mentioned Triscuits. That’s my cracker of choice because of the simple ingredients–nothing but whole wheat, canola oil, and salt. We even opt for the low-sodium variety. (I don’t even miss that extra salt.) The box changed not long ago and I wondered why. It’s less attractive in my view! Your post provides a logical explanation: Mondelez changed it when they bought the rights to the product. My main concern is they don’t change Triscuits or discontinue them. You no doubt feel the same about your Wheat Thins!
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Triscuit is a close second in our house, Nancy. We like the “Rosemary & Olive Oil” in particular, and they pair so well with cheese. You make an even better case for them with the very short ingredients list!
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I like Wheat Thins but have not had them for a long time. We grew up on Premium saltines, well, the unsalted ones.
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