Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Walkers Cheese & Onion crisps ultra-processed?

25 g Cheese and onion crisps Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Walkers Cheese & Onion crisps

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:

  • 27 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed flavoured 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 Oils (Sunflower Vegetable Oils, Rapeseed Vegetable Oils), Cheese, Onion Seasoning (Dried Onion, Salt, Milk Whey, Lactose (from Milk), Sugar, Flavouring, Cheese Powder (from Milk), Yeast, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Whey Protein (from Milk), Dried Garlic, Annatto Bixin, Paprika Extract), Rosemary Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol Rich Extract, Citric Acid

Additives: E160b Annatto , E160bi Annatto bixin , E160c Paprika extract , E296 Malic acid , E300 Ascorbic acid , E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E330 Citric acid , E392 Extracts of rosemary

As written on the pack

Potatoes, Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed, in varying proportions), Cheese & Onion Seasoning [Dried Onion, Salt, Dried Milk Whey, Lactose (from Milk), Sugar, Flavouring (contains Milk), Cheese Powder (from Milk), Dried Yeast, Acids (Citric Acid, Malic Acid), Whey Protein (from Milk), Dried Garlic, Colours (Annatto Bixin, Paprika Extract)], Antioxidants (Rosemary Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol Rich Extract, Citric Acid).

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.
  • 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.

  • Lactose Lactose is milk sugar, crystallised industrially from whey, a by-product of cheese making.
  • 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 19 cheese and onion crisps

From least to most processed, this one ranks 16th. 95% of the cheese and onion 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 19 cheese and onion crisps, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 51000005, last edited 27 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.