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Is Doritos Sweet chilli pepper flavoured corn chips ultra-processed?

145g Flavoured corn crisps Sold in the United States

Pack of Doritos Sweet chilli pepper flavoured corn chips

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:

  • 38 ingredients
  • 12 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed flavoured corn 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

Maize 69%, vegetable oil (palm fruit and maize germ and sunflower seed), antioxidant (tbhq), sugar, hydrolysed vegetable protein, acidity regulators (e262, e296), vegetable powders (onion, garlic), potassium chloride (e508), flavor enhancer (e621), salt, yeast extract (barley gluten), spices (paprika, red pepper), anticaking agents (e551, e552), colourants (e160 (c), e110, e122), flavour enhancers (e631, e627), aspartame, non-nutritive sweetener (e951), flavourings

Additives: E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E122 Azorubine , E160 Carotenoids , E262 Sodium acetates , E296 Malic acid , E319 Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (tbhq) , E551 Silicon dioxide , E552 Calcium silicate , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate , E951 Aspartame

As written on the pack

Maize (69%), vegetable oil (palm fruit and/or maize germ or sunflower seed), antioxidant (TBHQ), sugar, hydrolysed vegetable protein (soya), acidity regulators (E262, E296), vegetable powders (onion, garlic), potassium chloride (E508), flavor enhancer (E621)], salt, yeast extract (barley gluten), spices (paprika, red pepper), anticaking agents (E551, E552), colourants [E160(c), E110, E122], flavour enhancers (E631, E627), aspartame* (non-nutritive sweetener (E951)], flavourings.

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.

  • E110 Sunset yellow FCF Sunset yellow FCF is a synthetic orange azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 6 in the US).
  • E122 Azorubine Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E160 Carotenoids A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
  • E551 Silicon dioxide A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • E627 Disodium guanylate Disodium guanylate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
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  • E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • E951 Aspartame Aspartame is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, used in diet drinks and sugar-free products.
  • 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.

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.

  • Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.
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.
  • Anti-caking agent Anti-caking agents are substances which reduce the tendency of individual particles of a foodstuff to adhere to one another.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • 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 21 flavoured corn crisps

From least to most processed, this one ranks 20th. 62% of the flavoured corn 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 21 flavoured corn crisps, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 6009710723234, last edited 12 December 2025), 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.