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Is Quest Nacho Cheese Tortilla Style Protein Chips ultra-processed?

1.1 oz (32 g) Crisps Sold in the United States and Bolivia

Pack of Quest Nacho Cheese Tortilla Style Protein Chips

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:

  • 45 ingredients
  • 6 additives

Less processed 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

protein blend (milk protein isolate, whey protein isolate), vegetable oil (sunflower oil, canola oil, soybean oil), calcium caseinate, corn starch, natural flavors, soluble corn fiber, psyllium husk, salt 2%, cheddar cheese powder (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), romano cheese (milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), buttermilk, butter (cream, annatto), tomato powder, onion powder, garlic powder, spice, nonfat dry milk, whey powder, chia seed, paprika extract (color), turmeric oleoresin (color), lecithin (sunflower, canola, soy lecithin), calcium carbonate, yeast extract, stevia (sweetener)

Additives: E160b Annatto , E160c Paprika extract , E170 Calcium carbonates , E170i Calcium carbonate , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin

As written on the pack

PROTEIN BLEND (MILK PROTEIN ISOLATE, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE), VEGETABLE OIL (SUNFLOWER OIL, CANOLA OIL, SOYBEAN OIL), CALCIUM CASEINATE, CORN STARCH, NATURAL FLAVORS, SOLUBLE CORN FIBER, PSYLLIUM HUSK. 2% SALT, CHEDDAR CHEESE POWDER (CULTURED MILK, SALT, ENZYMES), ROMANO CHEESE (MILK, CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), BUTTERMILK POWDER, BUTTER (CREAM, ANNATTO), TOMATO POWDER, ONION POWDER, GARLIC POWDER, SPICE, NONFAT DRY MILK, WHEY POWDER, CHIA SEED, PAPRIKA EXTRACT (COLOR), TURMERIC OLEORESIN (COLOR), LECITHIN (SUNFLOWER, CANOLA, SOY LECITHIN), CALCIUM CARBONATE, YEAST EXTRACT, STEVIA (SWEETENER).

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.

  • E160b Annatto Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E160c Paprika extract Paprika extract is a red-orange colour extracted from paprika peppers.
  • E170 Calcium carbonates Calcium carbonate is chalk.
  • 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.
  • 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.
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  • Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of sugar.

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.

  • 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.
  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
7 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.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,471 crisps

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1404th. 64% of the 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 1,471 crisps, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0888849006632, last edited 3 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.