Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Lay's Lays cheddar imp ultra-processed?

155g Stacked extruded potato crisps Sold in the United States

Pack of Lay's Lays cheddar imp

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:

  • 40 ingredients
  • 10 additives

Less processed stacked extruded potato 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, Vegetable Oil (Cottonseed Vegetable Oil, Sunflower Vegetable Oil), and Corn Oil, Unmodified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, and Less Than 2% Of The Following (Salt), Sugar, Maltodextrin (Made From Corn), Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), mono- and Diglycerides, Dextrose, Soy Lecithin, Whey Protein, Whey, Monosodium Glutamate, Onion Powder, Corn Syrup Solids, Buttermilk, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Lactic Acid, Spice, Lactose, Sodium Caseinate, Skim Milk, Disodium Inosinate, and Disodium Guanylate, ingredients

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E270 Lactic acid , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate

As written on the pack

Dried Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Cottonseed, Sunflower, And/Or Corn Oil), Unmodified Potato Starch, Rice Flour, And Less Than 2% Of The Following: Salt, Sugar, Maltodextrin (Made From Corn), Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Mono - And Diglycerides, Dextrose, Soy Lecithin, Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey, Monosodium Glutamate, Onion Powder, Corn Syrup Solids, Buttermilk, Citric Acid, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Artificial Color (Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Yellow 6, Yellow 5), Lactic Acid, Spice, Lactose, Sodium Caseinate, Skim Milk, Disodium Inosinate, And Disodium Guanylate. CONTAINS MILK AND SOY INGREDIENTS.

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.

  • E102 Tartrazine Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 5 in the US).
  • E110 Sunset yellow FCF Sunset yellow FCF is a synthetic orange azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 6 in the US).
  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E471 Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids are made from fats and glycerol.
  • 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.
Show 2 more
  • E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
  • 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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
  • 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.
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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 48 stacked extruded potato crisps

From least to most processed, this one ranks 44th. 96% of the stacked extruded potato 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 48 stacked extruded potato crisps, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0028400055116, last edited 29 August 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.