Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Bluebird Originals Salt & Vinegar ultra-processed?

150 g Salt and vinegar crisps Sold in New Zealand and France

Pack of Bluebird Originals Salt & Vinegar

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 16 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed salt and vinegar crisps

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

potatoes 62%, canola oil, sunflower oil, sodium diacetate, citric acid, salt, corn starch, mineral (salt (potassium chloride)), maltodextrin, flavour enhancer, sugar, tocopherols, ascorbic acid, rosemary extract

Additives: E262 Sodium acetates , E262ii Sodium diacetate , E300 Ascorbic acid , E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E330 Citric acid , E392 Extracts of rosemary , E621 Monosodium glutamate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E621 Monosodium glutamate.

As written on the pack

POTATOES (62%), CANOLA OIL AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL, FOOD ACIDS (SODIUM DIACETATE, CITRIC ACID), SALT, CORN STARCH, MINERAL SALT (POTASSIUM CHLORIDE), MALTODEXTRIN, FLAVOUR ENHANCER (621), SUGAR, ANTIOXIDANTS (TOCOPHEROLS, ASCORBIC ACID, ROSEMARY EXTRACT).

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.

  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.

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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
5 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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 28 salt and vinegar crisps

From least to most processed, this one ranks 25th. 93% of the salt and vinegar crisps 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 salt and vinegar crisps, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9400566004978, last edited 14 September 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.