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Is Mexicano Corn Chips (Jalapeno) ultra-processed?

300g Corn chips Sold in New Zealand and Armenia

Pack of Mexicano Corn Chips (Jalapeno)

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed corn chips

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

corn, vegetable oil (rapeseed vegetable oil, sunflower vegetable oil), seasoning (salt, maize starch, tomato, lactose, sugar, natural spicy jalapeno flavours, spice blend, contains real jalapeno), hydrolysed vegetable protein (soybean), anti-caking agent (551), acidity regulator (262), yeast extract, rice bran oil, spice extract (colour (160c))

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E262 Sodium acetates , E551 Silicon dioxide

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E160c Paprika extract, E551 Silicon dioxide.

As written on the pack

CORN, VEGETABLE OIL [RAPESEED OR SUNFLOWER), SEASONING [SALT, MAIZE STARCH, TOMATO POWDER, LACTOSE (MILK), SUGAR, NATURAL SPICY JALAPENO FLAVOURS, SPICE BLEND [CONTAINS REAL JALAPENO], HYDROLYSED VEGETABLE PROTEIN (SOYBEAN), ANTI-CAKING AGENT (551), ACIDITY REGULATOR (262), YEAST EXTRACT, RICE BRAN OIL, SPICE EXTRACT [COLOUR (160C)]]. CONTAINS MILK AND SOY.

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.

  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • 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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.

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.

  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
6 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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • 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 359 corn chips

From least to most processed, this one ranks 258th. 46% of the corn chips 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 359 corn chips, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9415684000016, last edited 23 May 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.