Tiktok user claims Target gave out chips and salsa ‘in support of’ Hispanic Heritage Month

A Target employee has taken to Tiktok to document the department store’s interesting snack selection “in support” of Hispanic Heritage Month: Chips and salsa.

TikTok user @Jessicasilva01 posted a video of the Hispanic Heritage Month festivities, panning over a table spread of multiple bags of Tostitos tortilla chips and various (then empty) salsa cans. Towards the end, she zoomed in on a printed graphic specifically promoting Hispanic Heritage Month.

“Target gave out chips and salsa in support of Hispanic Heritage Month…” the text overlay reads.

Viewers of the video are understandably startled, given how insensitive (and genuinely inauthentic) serving chips and salsa in celebration of Hispanic and/or Latinx heritage would be. “They think Hispanic and Mexican are synonyms,” one user noted, with another adding: “The effort??? NO THE LACK OF EFFORT,” attaching four crying emojis.

“Yasss authentic Mexican food,” one TikToker quipped, while another said, “It’s giving middle school Spanish class.” One viewer theorised that based on the contents of the offerings from the clip, they were “literally just giving what they didn’t sell.”

“I feel like…I feel like this counts as a hate crime,” one wrote. Another concurred: “It really is and also they always bring Americanized Mexican food like I’m Mexican but they can try an d bring authentic food and also dishes from other country…They could’ve supported local authentic latino restaurants by using catering.”

But one devil’s advocate then chimed in, asking, “Can any of you be grateful for anything?” to which Jessica replied: “There’s more to Hispanics than chips and salsa.” One user,  named Adriana, acknowledged the comments demanding the Hispanic and Latinx communities be “grateful,” asking: “Y’all are saying we should be grateful for a stereotype?”

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Hispanic Heritage Month, which lasts from September 15 to October 15 in the U.S., is a period intended to “to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success,” according to its official government website.

Well, in Target’s defence, the tortilla chip was popularised by Mexican immigrant Rebecca Webb Carranza, which we would certainly consider an achievement and contribution. As reported in the San Diego Union-Tribute, “In the late 1940s, the Carranza family’s Los Angeles-based El Zarape Tortilla Factory began making tortillas by machine, but at first many of the corn and flour disks were misshapen and had to be thrown away. Ms. Carranza took some of the rejects home for a party, cut them into triangles and fried them. They were a huge hit with her guests and she began selling them for 10 cents a bag.”

And the rest, as they say, is history. That said, there are surely better ways to celebrate Hispanic heritage than with only chips. Everyone knows that Hispanic mothers wouldn’t allow for any celebration to serve so little food.

indy100 has reached out to Target for comment.