The article discusses Hostess Hickory Sticks, a Canadian snack food that has been revived from its parent company's past lineup. Chris Agro posted about his love for the snack on social media last October, saying they're comforting due to their unique packaging and taste. The snack is notable for being one of the few remaining products under the Hostess brand after a merger with Lay's in 1988. The article also mentions that Hickory Sticks have inspired similar snacks from other Canadian companies, such as Straight Outta The Sticks by Hardbite Chips.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-24,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Hostess Hickory Sticks have become a popular snacking choice among Canadians, with some fans eating them by the handful and others consuming them one at a time. Chris Agro, a commenter on Facebook and Instagram, shared his affection for the snack in October last year, describing its comforting qualities and distinctive packaging. Hostess Hickory Sticks are still manufactured in Canada, despite many other Hostess products disappearing from shelves over the years. The snack seems to be dividing consumers into two camps: those who eat them by the handful (like Agro) and those who savor each one individually.
Written for “Canadian Snack Food Options” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 2044 · logged 2026-08-27
We independently select everything we recommend.
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we → select → everything
Buying through us may earn us a commission, which supports our work.
uncertain
which → buy → work
A thousand tiny choices await inside every bag of Hostess Hickory Sticks.
The diminutive indulgences seem to divide ind ulgers into two camps: A stick a bite, and Ravenclaw.
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indulgences → await → camps
“There’s something comforting about them,” Chris Agro posted on the Made in Canada – Canadian Products Facebook group and on Instagram last October.
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Agro → ’ → Instagram
“That crinkle of the brown and yellow bag, the burst of hickory smoke, and the fact that they’re still ours.”
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they → ’re → smoke
He said he eats them by the handful and his wife eats them one at a time.
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wife → say → time
Either way, each are likely to have less salt and other toppings on their hands than they would if they were disagreeing about a more conventional chip.
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they → have → chip
Or are you like this sensible commenter: “I tilt the bag directly into my mouth ahaha.”
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I → tilt → mouth
Canadians of a certain vintage will remember all manner of Hostess snack products on the shelves in decades past.
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Canadians → remember → decades
The smoky little survivors are the last product bearing the brand after a merger with Lay’s in 1988 (parent PepsiCo bought out General Foods’ remaining interest in 1992).
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PepsiCo → bear → 1992
The Hostess brand chips were revived as Munchies in 2024.
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chips → revive → 2024
Hostess the company started with Edward Snyder cooking chips on his mother’s kitchen stove in a village outside Kitchener, Ont. in 1935.
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company → start → 1935
It wasn’t until the 1950s that potato chips entered the snacking zeitgeist.
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chips → enter → zeitgeist
Recent limited edition variations have included salt and vinegar and ketchup hickory sticks, both also favourite Canadian flavours.
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variations → include → salt
As is, it would seem, a similar snack called Straight Outta The Sticks by Hardbite Chips, founded in B.C. in 1998.
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snack → seem → 1998
“Made for those who like to kick in the sticks and crush a bag of chips solo,” the company’s website reads.
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website → make → chips
