[alamortsubite]

Tastykakes[1] are about the same price as Twinkies but have half the shelf life (or less, depending on the product) due to fewer preservatives and better ingredients. They don't have the distribution that Twinkies have, but it's grown to include the entire East Coast at this point, I think. Still pretty bad for you but several rungs up the garbage ladder, for sure. I don't understand how Twinkies are able to compete in their market.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tastykake

[nebula8804]

I don't think thats true, I looked them up and this looks just as processed: https://www.heb.com/product-detail/tastykake-butterscotch-kr... (scroll down to see the ingredients)

Perhaps you are referring to a Tastykake from a bygone era?

[alamortsubite]

It is true. The shelf life of those Tastykakes is three weeks. A Twinkie's is six. The shelf life of a Tastykake pie is seven days. They haven't changed much or at all since I was a kid.

Have you tried a Tastykake (and a Twinkie)? The difference is obvious if you can spare the calories.

[ChoGGi]

> I don't understand how Twinkies are able to compete in their market.

Branding is very powerful.

(Never rebrand, it'll just disturb pleasant memories)

[alamortsubite]

True, I imagine the Twinkie Pavlovian response is a tough one to shake.