Is Andy Capp's Hot Fries ultra-processed?

3oz Puffed salty snacks made from potato Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Dextrose
Flavouring
Glucose
Whey
E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
E621 Monosodium glutamate

21 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score E

Less processed puffed salty snacks made from potato

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

Degermed yellow cornmeal, vegetable oil (processing marker) (palm vegetable oil, cottonseed vegetable oil), oil, potatoes, water, whey (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), dextrose (ultra-processing marker), torula yeast, spices including mustard, tbhq, monosodium glutamate (ultra-processing marker), spice extractives including paprika, tomato, mono- and diglycerides (ultra-processing marker), soybean oil (processing marker), silicon dioxide, natural and artificial flavor (ultra-processing marker), garlic powder

Additives: E319 Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (tbhq) , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E621 Monosodium glutamate

As written on the pack

Degermed yellow cornmeal, vegetable oil (palm and/or cottonseed oil), dried potatoes, water, whey, salt, dextrose, torula yeast, spices including mustard, TBHQ, monosodium glutamate, spice extractives including paprika, tomato powder, mono - and diglycerides, soybean oil, silicon dioxide, natural and artificial flavor, garlic powder.

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.

3 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Salty snacks Products in the category "Salty snacks" are at least group 3.
Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 28 puffed salty snacks made from potato

From least to most processed, this one ranks 26th. 86% of the puffed salty snacks made from potato here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 28 puffed salty snacks made from potato, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0026200471594, last edited 31 July 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of E (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.