Is it ultra-processed?
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Is popchips BBQ Flavored ultra-processed?

Puffed salty snacks made from potato Sold in the United States

Pack of popchips BBQ Flavored

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 2 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed puffed salty snacks made from potato

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

potato, rice flour, oil (sunflower oil, safflower oil), seasoning (sugar, tapioca maltodextrin, salt, brown sugar, torula yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, tomato, yeast extract, spices, citric acid, natural hickory smoke flavor, natural flavors, paprika extract (color), paprika), potato starch

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

Dried potato, rice flour, sunflower and/or safflower oil, seasoning (sugar, tapioca maltodextrin, salt, brown sugar, torula yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, tomato powder, yeast extract, spices, citric acid, natural hickory smoke flavor, natural flavors, paprika extract [color], paprika), potato starch.

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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
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.
  • 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 28 puffed salty snacks made from potato

From least to most processed, this one ranks 20th. 86% of the puffed salty snacks made from potato 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 28 puffed salty snacks made from potato, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0082666500902, last edited 2 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.
  • 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.