Is Lay's Salt & Vinegar ultra-processed?

2.5 oz Potato crisps Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Maltodextrin

13 ingredients
2 additives
Nutri-Score E

Less processed 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 (processing marker) (canola, corn, soybean, and SUNFLOWER OIL), corn maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), and LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL FLAVORS, salt (processing marker), malic acid, citric acid, potassium salt, and VINEGAR

Additives: E296 Malic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL (CANOLA, CORN, SOYBEAN, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), CORN MALTODEXTRIN, AND LESS THAN 2% OF NATURAL FLAVORS, SALT, MALIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SALT, AND VINEGAR

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.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 622 potato crisps

From least to most processed, this one ranks 266th. 66% of the 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 622 potato crisps, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0028400769655, last edited 3 May 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 E (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.