Is Doritos Chilli heatwave ultra-processed?

30 g Corn chips Sold in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Pack of Doritos Chilli heatwave

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:

  • 29 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed corn chips

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

Corn (Maize), Rapeseed Oil, Chilli Heatwave Flavour (Sugar (processing marker), Flavourings (ultra-processing marker) (contain Soya, Wheat), Hydrolysed Soya Protein, Acidity Regulators (Sodium Acetates), Citric Acid, Malic Acid), Flavour Enhancers (ultra-processing marker) (Monosodium Glutamate (ultra-processing marker), Disodium Ribonucleotides), Onion, Salt (processing marker), Garlic, Potassium Chloride, Soybean, Wheat, Colour (ultra-processing marker) (Paprika Extract (ultra-processing marker)), Antioxidants (Rosemary Extract, Scorbic Acid, Tocopherol Rich Extract, Citric Acid)

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E262 Sodium acetates , E296 Malic acid , E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E330 Citric acid , E392 Extracts of rosemary , E508 Potassium chloride , E621 Monosodium glutamate

As written on the pack

Corn (Maize), Rapeseed Oil, Chilli Heatwave Flavour (Sugar, Flavourings (contain Soya, Wheat), Hydrolysed Soya Protein, Acidity Regulators Sodium Acetates, Citric Acid, Malic Acid), Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium Ribonucleotides), Onion Powder, Salt, Garlic Powder, Potassium Chloride, Soybean, Wheat, Colour Paprika Extract), Antioxidants (Rosemary Extract, Scorbic Acid, Tocopherol Rich Extract, Citric Acid).

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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 359 corn chips

From least to most processed, this one ranks 281st. 46% of the corn chips 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 359 corn chips, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 51000598, last edited 27 March 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.