Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream Flavored ultra-processed?

8 oz Potato crisps Sold in the United States

Pack of Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream 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:

  • 42 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

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 (Canola, Corn, Soybean, and Sunflower Oil), Maltodextrin (Made from Corn), Salt, Whey, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Onion Powder, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Buttermilk, Sour Cream (Cultured Cream, Skim Milk), Lactase, Butter (Cream, Salt), Sodium Caseinate, Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Skim Milk, Blue Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Latic Acid, Garlic Powder, Artificial Color (Yellow 6, Yellow 5), Whey Protein Isolate, and Milk Protein Concentrate

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E330 Citric acid , E621 Monosodium glutamate

As written on the pack

Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Canola, Corn, Soybean, And/Or Sunflower Oil) Maltodextrin (Made from Corn) Salt, Whey, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Onion Powder, Monosodium Glutamate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Buttermilk, Sour Cream ( Cultured Cream, Skim Milk), Lactase, Butter (Cream, Salt), Sodium Caseinate, Yeast Extract, Citric Acid, Skim Milk, Blue Cheese (Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes) Latic Acid, Garlic Powder, Artificial Color (Yellow 6, Yellow 5), Whey Protein Isolate, And Milk Protein Concentrate.

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.

  • E102 Tartrazine Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 5 in the US).
  • E110 Sunset yellow FCF Sunset yellow FCF is a synthetic orange azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 6 in the US).
  • E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
  • 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.
  • 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.
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.
  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Cheese Cheese is milk preserved with salt, cultures and rennet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 622 potato crisps

From least to most processed, this one ranks 608th. 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 0028400516914, last edited 25 July 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.