Is Tortilla chips ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 18 ingredients
- 5 additives
- Nutri-Score D
Less processed corn chips
Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
corn tortilla chips barbecue flavor (corn 69%), sunflower oil (processing marker), barbecue flavor (ultra-processing marker), flavor (ultra-processing marker), maltodextrin (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), sucrose (processing marker), flavor enhancers (ultra-processing marker) (glutamate (ultra-processing marker), disodium guanylate (ultra-processing marker), disodium inosinate (ultra-processing marker)), glucose (ultra-processing marker), acidifier (citric acid), coloring (ultra-processing marker) (paprika extract (ultra-processing marker)), smoke aroma (ultra-processing marker)
Additives: E160c Paprika extract , E330 Citric acid , E621 Monosodium glutamate , E627 Disodium guanylate , E631 Disodium inosinate
As written on the pack
corn tortilla chips barbecue flavor: corn (69%), sunflower oil, barbecue flavor [flavor, maltodextrin, salt, sucrose, flavor enhancers (glutamate, disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate), glucose, acidifier (citric acid), coloring (paprika extract) and smoke aroma. may contain traces of milk.
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.
- E621 Monosodium glutamate Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of glutamic acid, made by fermentation and used to strengthen savoury taste.
- E627 Disodium guanylate Disodium guanylate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
- E631 Disodium inosinate Disodium inosinate is a flavour enhancer usually used together with MSG.
- Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
- Flavour enhancer Flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (E621) strengthen savoury taste without adding a flavour of their own.
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- 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.
- 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.
4 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.
Among 359 corn chips
From least to most processed, this one ranks 325th. 46% of the corn chips here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5060367450943, last edited 27 March 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.