Stacked extruded potato chips
Pringles Salt & Vinegar
5.5 oz (158 g)
Score
- Ultra-processed
- High in salt
- High in saturated fat
- Contains added sugars
- Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
- Contains seed oils
- No synthetic dyes
Why it scores 16
Pringles Salt & Vinegar scores 16 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:
- minus 20 points Lactose: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 20 points Dextrose: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 18 points Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong
Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.
Better potato chips
-
Serrano Sea Salt Vinegar Potato Chips Late July · 5.5 oz Not ultra-processed · Less saturated fat Score 79 out of 100 , 63 points higher -
Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips Kettle Brand · 6.5 oz Less saturated fat · No added sugars Score 66 out of 100 , 50 points higher -
Sea Salt & Vinegar Flavored Kettle Cooked Potato Chips Deep River Snacks · 2 oz Not ultra-processed · Less salt Score 60 out of 100 , 44 points higher -
Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips Lay's · 7.75 oz No added sugars · No gut-studied emulsifiers Score 56 out of 100 , 40 points higher -
Kettle Cooked Potato Chips Sea Salt & Vinegar Cape Cod · 13 oz Not ultra-processed · Less saturated fat Score 62 out of 100 , 46 points higher
The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.
The Receipt
Salt & Vinegar
Ingredients
- Lactose minus 20 points
- Dextrose minus 20 points
- Vegetable oil (unspecified) minus 2.5 points
- Corn oil minus 1.5 points
- Cottonseed oil minus 1.5 points
- Soybean oil minus 1.5 points
- Sunflower oil minus 0.5 points
- Maltodextrin minus 0.5 points
- Mono- and diglycerides minus 0.5 points
Processing
- Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
- 3 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 3 points
Nutrition per 100 g
- Saturated fat 8.5 g / 100 g minus 7 points
- Salt 1.6 g / 100 g minus 5 points
- Energy 522 kcal / 100 g minus 3 points
100 − 84.5 = 15.5 → 16
Can’t score above 79. Contains lactose, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]
Can’t score above 79. High in fat, saturated fat and salt (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [13]
Nutrition per 100 g
| Energy | 522 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 30.8 g |
| Saturated fat | 8.5 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57.3 g |
| Sugars | 4.4 g |
| Added sugars | 3.6 g |
| Fiber | 2.4 g |
| Protein | 4.1 g |
| Salt | 1.6 g |
Serving: 14 crisps/unidades (1 oz / 28 g)
Ingredients
- DRIED POTATOES
- VEGETABLE OIL (CORN OIL, COTTONSEED OIL, SOYBEAN OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL)
- DEGERMINATED YELLOW CORN FLOUR
- CORNSTARCH
- RICE FLOUR
- MALTODEXTRIN
- MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES
- LACTOSE (high concern)
- SALT
- SODIUM DIACETATE
- DEXTROSE (high concern)
- MALIC ACID
- VINEGAR
- TURMERIC (COLOR)
- WHEAT STARCH
Label text, as published
DRIED POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL (CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: CORN OIL, COTTONSEED OIL, SOYBEAN OIL, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), DEGERMINATED YELLOW CORN FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, RICE FLOUR, MALTODEXTRIN, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, LACTOSE, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SALT, SODIUM DIACETATE, DEXTROSE, MALIC ACID, VINEGAR, TURMERIC (COLOR), WHEAT STARCH.
Allergens and diets
Contains: Milk, Soy, Wheat, Gluten
- Not vegan
- Vegetarian
- Not gluten-free
- Palm-oil-free
Always check the package: recipes change.
Packaging
Aluminium, Plastic, Composite material
Context only: no points in v1.
More stacked extruded potato chips on GoodSwap
-
Original Light Pringles · 5.5 oz / 158 g Ultra-processedHigh in saturated fatContains added sugarsContains emulsifiers studied for gut effects Score 15 out of 100 Bad -
Classic Original Potato Crisps The Good Crisp Company · 160 g High in saltHigh in saturated fatContains added sugarsContains palm oil Score 57 out of 100 Okay -
Original Potato Crisps Pringles · 5.2 oz Ultra-processedHigh in saturated fatContains emulsifiers studied for gut effectsContains seed oils Score 56 out of 100 Okay -
Original Pringles · 2.3 oz Ultra-processedHigh in saturated fatContains emulsifiers studied for gut effectsContains seed oils Score 56 out of 100 Okay -
Outback BBQ Potato Crisps The Good Crisp Company · 5.6 oz/160 g Ultra-processedHigh in saturated fatContains added sugarsContains palm oil Score 19 out of 100 Bad -
Original Pringles · 6.8 oz (194 g) Ultra-processedHigh in saturated fatContains emulsifiers studied for gut effectsContains seed oils Score 55 out of 100 Okay
Sources
-
Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children
“In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”
who.int
-
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
“Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”
cdn.realfood.gov
-
Added and free sugars should be as low as possible
“Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”
efsa.europa.eu
-
“replacement of saturated fat in the diet with linoleic acid effectively lowers serum cholesterol but does not support the hypothesis that this translates to a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease or all causes.”
doi.org
-
“These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD.”
doi.org
-
“This study found positive associations between risk of CVD and intake of five individual and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.”
doi.org
-
Re-evaluation of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (E 471) as food additives
“The available studies did not raise any concern with regard to genotoxicity.”
doi.org
-
Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline
“WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”
who.int
-
“For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”
who.int
-
“Table 3: Criteria for drinks (per 100ml)”
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
-
“Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”
doi.org
-
Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome
“carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, induced low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in wild-type hosts and promoted robust colitis in mice predisposed to this disorder.”
doi.org
-
“Relative to control subjects, CMC consumption modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and perturbed gut microbiota composition in a way that reduced its diversity.”
doi.org