Salty snacks
Golden Flake Old Fashioned Fried Pork Skins Chicharrones
4 oz
Score
- Ultra-processed
- High in salt
- High in saturated fat
- Contains added sugars
Why it scores 34
Golden Flake Old Fashioned Fried Pork Skins Chicharrones scores 34 out of 100 (Poor) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:
- minus 20 points Brown sugar: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 18 points Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong
- minus 9 points Saturated fat 14.3 g / 100 g: Very high in saturated fat. Strong
Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.
Better pork rinds
-
Original Fried Pork Skins Mac's · 4 oz Less salt · Less saturated fat Score 81 out of 100 , 47 points higher -
Chicharrones pork skins Mac's · 5 oz/141.7 g Not ultra-processed · No added sugars Score 75 out of 100 , 41 points higher -
White Cheddar Flavored Chicharrones Fried Pork Rinds, White Cheddar Pork King Good · 7 oz/198.5 g Not ultra-processed · No added sugars Score 76 out of 100 , 42 points higher -
Himalayan Pink Salt & Vinegar Flavored Chicharrones Fried Pork Rinds Pork King Good · 1.75 oz Not ultra-processed · No added sugars Score 79 out of 100 , 45 points higher -
Fried Pork Rinds Original Flavor Member's Mark · 16 oz Not ultra-processed · No added sugars Score 79 out of 100 , 45 points higher
The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.
The Receipt
Old Fashioned Fried Pork Skins Chicharrones
Ingredients
- Brown sugar minus 20 points
- Maltodextrin minus 2.5 points
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG) minus 2.5 points
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein minus 1.5 points
- Yeast extract minus 1.5 points
- Natural flavors minus 1.5 points
Processing
- Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
- 3 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 3 points
Nutrition per 100 g
- Saturated fat 14.3 g / 100 g minus 9 points
- Salt 3.4 g / 100 g minus 9 points
- Energy 429 kcal / 100 g minus 2 points
- Protein 57.1 g / 100 g plus 4 points
100 − 66.5 = 33.5 → 34
Can’t score above 79. Contains brown sugar, 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). [10]
Nutrition per 100 g
| Energy | 429 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 42.9 g |
| Saturated fat | 14.3 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 0 g |
| Added sugars | 0.2 g |
| Protein | 57.1 g |
| Salt | 3.4 g |
Serving: 14g
Ingredients
- Fried Pork Skins
- Maltodextrin
- Salt
- Brown Sugar (high concern)
- Monosodium Glutamate
- Dehydrated Onion And Garlic
- Hydrolyzed Corn Protein
- Torula Yeast
- Spices
- Natural Smoke Flavor
Label text, as published
Fried Pork Skins, Maltodextrin, Salt, Brown Sugar, Monosodium Glutamate, Dehydrated Onion And Garlic, Hydrolyzed Corn Protein, Torula Yeast, Spices, Natural Smoke Flavor
Allergens and diets
- Not vegan
- Not vegetarian
- Palm-oil-free
Always check the package: recipes change.
More salty snacks on GoodSwap
-
Lightly Salted Pistachios Wonderful · 30 g High in saturated fatNo additives Score 79 out of 100 Good -
Totopos El Milagro · 453 g Contains seed oils Score 79 out of 100 Good -
Honey and vanilla, flavored nuts, and fruit clusters Member's Mark · 24 oz Ultra-processedHigh in saturated fatContains added sugarsContains seed oils Score 19 out of 100 Bad - Roasted and salted Wonderful · 24 oz/680 g High in saturated fatNo additives Score 79 out of 100 Good
-
Simply Banana Chips Bare · 2.7 oz High in sugarNo additives Score 79 out of 100 Good -
Sweet baby ray's original beef jerky Bridgford · 10 oz High in saltContains nitrites or nitratesContains added sugars Score 4 out of 100 Bad
Sources
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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
-
Questions and Answers on Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
“FDA considers the addition of MSG to foods to be “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS).”
fda.gov
-
EFSA reviews safety of glutamates added to food
“EFSA re-assessed the safety of glutamates used as food additives and derived a group acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 30 mg/kg body weight per day for all six of these additives.”
efsa.europa.eu
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21 CFR 101.22 Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives
“whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”
ecfr.gov
-
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