Filipinos (snack food)

Filipinos is the brand name for a series of biscuit snacks made by Kraft Foods.cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5166366.stm |title=Kraft buys UB business for £575m |date=2006-07-10 |publisher=BBC |accessdate=2007-04-06] In Spain and Portugal they are produced and sold under the Artiach brand name. Under license to United Biscuits, in the Netherlands they are sold and produced locally under the Verkade brand. Cite web|url=http://www.omintebijten.nl|title=Om in te bijten|accessdate=2006-11-19]

Variations

The standard Filipinos snack is ring shaped and come in several varieties coated in either milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate. Milk or dark chocolate versions feature a light colored biscuit. White chocolate versions feature a dark brown biscuit. These can be purchased in large rolls. The dark and white chocolate versions are also available in the Filipinos GoPack or Mini Filipinos, a smaller loose packet of four biscuits.

Filipinos Agujeros (holes) are crisp doughnut hole sized balls coated in either dark or white chocolate.

Filipinos Bigsticks are crispy 20 cm (8 in) stick shaped snacks covered with puffed rice. These are coated in either dark or white chocolate.

Name

The Philippine [http://www.nhi.gov.ph National Historical Institute] has stated "The cookies were inspired by 'rosquillo' biscuits produced in Iloilo and Negros and the Spaniards added another twist by coating it with brown or white chocolate." Cite web|url=http://www.nhi.gov.ph/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=74|archiveurl=http://www.nhi.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2|title=National Historical Institute|archivedate=2006-12-26|accessdate=2006-12-26 ] Cite news| url=http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/sept/23/yehey/top_stories/20060923top8.html| title=Some Philippine history trivia| accessdate=2006-12-26| date=2006-09-23| work=The Manila Times]

Controversy

The government of the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest with the government of Spain, the European Commission, and then manufacturer Nabisco Iberia in 1999. The protest took offense with the use of the name "Filipinos", a term which can refer to people of the Philippines, to market cookie and pretzel snacks and demanded Nabisco stop selling the product until the brand name was changed.Cite news| url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0WDP/is_1999_August_30/ai_55759591| title=Philippines protests 'Filipinos' as cookie brand| accessdate=2006-11-19| date=1999-08-27| work=Kyodo News]

The resolution's author, Philippine Congressman Heherson Alvarez, claimed that the name of the cookie was offensive due to the apparent reference to their color, "dark outside and white inside".Cite news|title=Philippine ratings board targeted|last=Jazmines|first=Tessa|date=October 25-31, 1999|page=18|work=Variety|publisher=Reed Elsevier|quote=Alvarez ... also spoke out against the naming of a Nabisco chocolate cookie as "Filipinos"] His resolution stated "These food items could be appropriately called by any other label, but the manufacturers have chosen our racial identity, and they are now making money out of these food items." On August 26, 1999 former Philippine president Joseph Estrada called the brand "an insult".

The protest was filed despite Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon's initial reluctance on the matter. Siazon had reportedly said "he saw nothing wrong with the use of 'Filipinos' as a brand name, noting Austrians do not complain that small sausages are called 'Vienna sausages.'"

References

External links

* [http://www.filipinos.com Filipinos official website]
* [http://www.unitedbiscuits.co.uk/80256C1A0047922E/vWeb/pcTSTT5EPFXB United Biscuits - Filipinos information]
* [http://www.verkade.nl/producten.asp Verkade product assortment]