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Is Sun Chips minis Garden Salsa Flavored Whole Grain Snacks ultra-processed?

14,1g Salty snacks Sold in the United States

Pack of Sun Chips minis Garden Salsa Flavored Whole Grain Snacks

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:

  • 37 ingredients
  • 3 additives

Less processed salty snacks

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 (sunflower, canola oil), whole wheat, brown rice flour, whole oat flour, sugar, tomato, salt, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), dextrose, buttermilk, onion, whey, yeast extract, maltodextrin (made from corn), romano cheese (cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), whey protein, natural flavors, corn oil, spices including jalapeño pepper, citric acid, paprika extracts, and LACTIC ACID, ingredients, frito-lay, INC

Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E270 Lactic acid , E330 Citric acid

As written on the pack

WHOLE CORN, VEGETABLE OIL (SUNFLOWER AND/OR CANOLA OIL), WHOLE WHEAT, BROWN RICE FLOUR, WHOLE OAT FLOUR, SUGAR, TOMATO POWDER, SALT, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), DEXTROSE, BUTTERMILK, ONION POWDER, WHEY, YEAST EXTRACT, MALTODEXTRIN (MADE FROM CORN), ROMANO CHEESE (PART-SKIM COW'S MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, NATURAL FLAVORS, CORN OIL, SPICES INCLUDING JALAPEÑO PEPPER), CITRIC ACID, PAPRIKA EXTRACTS, AND LACTIC ACID. CONTAINS MILK AND WHEAT INGREDIENTS. FRITO-LAY, INC.

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.
  • 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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • 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.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • 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 2,717 salty snacks

From least to most processed, this one ranks 2510th. 62% of the salty snacks 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 2,717 salty snacks, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0028400729000, last edited 1 April 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.