Is Hardbite Potato Chips Rock Salt & Vinegar ultra-processed?

150g Crisps Sold in the United States and Canada

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Maltodextrin

9 ingredients
1 additive
Nutri-Score D

Less processed crisps

Veggie Straws Made With Avocado Oil From the Ground Up 11 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 2
Regular Potato Chips Ruffles 3 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 2
Tortilla Pops Finement Salé N.a ! Nature Addicts 10 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Organic Tortilla Chips Kirkland Signature 5 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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, sunflower, canola oil, Sugars (processing marker) (maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), cane sugar), White distilled vinegar, Sea salt (processing marker), Malic acid

Additives: E296 Malic acid

As written on the pack

Potatoes, Non-hydrogenated sunflower and/or Non-hydrogenated canola oil, Sugars (maltodextrin, cane sugar), White distilled vinegar, Sea salt, Malic acid.

What makes it ultra-processed

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.

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 1,471 crisps

From least to most processed, this one ranks 601st. 64% of the 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 1,471 crisps, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0673513021505, last edited 1 April 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.