Is Lays Baked Popped Mix ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 15 ingredients
- No additives
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
Popcorn, Vegetable Oil (processing marker), Corn Oil (processing marker), and Canola Oil, and Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Natural Flavors (ultra-processing marker), Whey (ultra-processing marker), Maltodextrin Made From Corn, Buttermilk, Cheddar Cheese (processing marker), Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt (processing marker), Enzymes, Salt (processing marker)
As written on the pack
Popcorn, Vegetable Oil, Corn Oil, And/or Canola Oil, And/or Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Whey, Maltodextrin Made From Corn, Buttermilk, Cheddar Cheese, Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes, Salt
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
- Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0028400679732, last edited 7 November 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.
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.