Twistees are one of Malta’s most popular packets, and it’s pretty easy to see why once you try the cheesy snacks for the first time. The packaging for the savoury cheese sticks is just as iconic, with a very big part of the branding remaining unchanged for generations. Now, an altered version of the famous brown and yellow packet has surfaced online for a new Twistees edition, and as expected, Maltese people felt very strongly about it.

The new design boasts a collaboration between the local super snack and the Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture foundation. The announcement was made on Twistees’ Facebook page earlier this morning, with the post showing off the V18 design variant of the original cheesy Twistees (that’s #cheesy, actually). A further search on the Twistees website actually brings up five other designs, including a grey truffle one a bright pink roast beef one.

The Facebook post wasn’t even up for more than two hours before people started sharing their opinion on the design… and it doesn’t seem too positive. More than half of the first 13 shares had some very strong negative feedback.

“I couldn’t find the right (non-vulgar) worse to describe this,” one person said, with others going on to wonder whether the design was actually a troll. “I’m hoping that #cheesy is self-aware and ironic at least,” another comment read, with others (jokingly?) declaring they might just switch to another snack for the next year.

In certain comment threads on some of the Facebook shares, rumours were flying that V18’s graphic designers had very little input and say in the whole matter. Lovin Malta reached out to Valletta 2018 for a comment on the matter.

“Strand Palace Agencies, who own the Twistees brand, have come up with the designs in line with others within their brand,” the committee explained. “Whilst Valletta 2018 was in discussion with Strand Palace Agencies, the company came up with the concept and the new flavours.”

What do you think of Twistees’ latest design? Let us know in the comments below.

READ NEXT: Here’s How To Get Your Twistees Fix If You’re Not In Malta

David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).