Is PopCorners White Cheddar Flavored Popcorn Snacks ultra-processed?

28g Corn chips 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 D

Less processed corn chips

Tortilla Pops Finement Salé N.a ! Nature Addicts 10 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Organic Tortilla Chips Kirkland Signature 5 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Sweet Potato Chips Sea Salt Jackson's 3 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Grain Free Tortilla Chips Siete 7 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3

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

yellow corn, sunflower oil whey, maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), cheddar (processing marker), blue cheese (processing marker) (cultured milk, salt (processing marker), enzymes), canola oil, salt (processing marker), citric acid, lactic acid, ingredients

Additives: E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

yellow corn, sunflower oil whey, maltodextrin, cheddar and blue cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes) canola oil, salt, citric acid, lactic acid, allergens: contains milk ingredients

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.
Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 359 corn chips

From least to most processed, this one ranks 212th. 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 0893594002051, last edited 6 September 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.