Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips

Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips

0Avoid

Breakdown

Ultra-processed · 6 contaminants flagged · 6 ingredients to avoid

Includes lab results from its product family: Lay's fried potato chips (US)

100

Lab-measured contaminants

Measured against published safety limits

−100

cadmium−42

glycidyl esters−16

3-mcpd−14

acrylamide−14

lead−10

arsenic−4

Ingredients

−85

canola oil−18

corn oil−18

soybean oil−18

sunflower oil−18

natural flavors−5

5 more deductions−8

Processing

−10

NOVA 4: ultra-processed−10

Packaging

−5

Packaging−5

Adjustments

What it takes to land on the final number

+100

Minimum score+100

Final score0

Contaminants · 8

5 at/over limit

From lab tests of this product’s family

Lay's fried potato chips (US)

This product wasn’t tested · results may differ

In the family’s tests: measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Cadmium165 ppbof 5 ppb

Over the limit — 33×FDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

Measured in: Classic Potato Chips

Glycidyl Esters55 ppbof 6 ppb

Over the limit — 9.2×EU maximum level, Commission Reg. (EU) 2023/915 Annex I (point 5.3.3.2, carried over from Reg. (EU) 2020/1322) — glycidyl fatty acid esters expressed as glycidol, 6.0 ug/kg in liquid infant formula, follow-on formula and FSMP. Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published GE number. Looser EU levels not adopted: powdered infant formula 50 ug/kg; vegetable oils and fats placed on the market for the final consumer 1,000 ug/kg (500 ug/kg when destined for baby food).

Measured in: Classic Potato Chips

Acrylamide263 ppbof 40 ppb

Over the limit — 6.6×EU benchmark level, Commission Reg. (EU) 2017/2158 Annex IV — 40 ug/kg for baby foods and processed cereal-based foods for infants and young children (other than biscuits and rusks), the tightest benchmark in the regulation. Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published acrylamide number. EU benchmarks are mitigation-performance indicators, not legal maximum levels; looser category benchmarks not adopted include potato crisps 750, crackers 400, biscuits and wafers 350, breakfast cereals 150-300, roast coffee 400 ug/kg. No FDA or EPA food concentration limit exists.

Measured in: Classic Potato Chips

3-mcpd63 ppbof 12 ppb

Over the limit — 5.3×EU maximum level, Commission Reg. (EU) 2023/915 Annex I as amended by Reg. (EU) 2024/1003 (point 5.3.3.2) — sum of 3-MCPD and 3-MCPD fatty acid esters expressed as 3-MCPD, 12 ug/kg in liquid infant formula, follow-on formula and FSMP (cut from 15). Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published 3-MCPD number. Looser EU levels not adopted: powdered infant formula 80 ug/kg; free 3-MCPD in hydrolysed vegetable protein and soy sauce 20 ug/kg; vegetable oils and fats for the final consumer 1,250 ug/kg.

Measured in: Classic Potato Chips

Lead12 ppbof 5 ppb

Over the limit — 2.4×FDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

Measured in: Classic Potato Chips

Arsenic6 ppbof 10 ppb

60% of the limitFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.010 mg/L (= EPA MCL)

Measured in: Classic Potato Chips

Di(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate (DEHP)NDof 6 ppb

Not detectedUS EPA drinking-water MCL, 40 CFR 141.61(c) — 0.006 mg/L. Applied to all foods as the TIGHTEST published DEHP number; the EU food-contact limit is looser (Reg. (EU) 10/2011 as amended by 2023/1442: SML 0.6 mg/kg, plus the 0.6 mg/kg DEHP-equivalent group limit with DBP/BBP/DIBP).

Measured in: Classic Potato Chips

MercuryNDof 2 ppb

Not detectedFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.002 mg/L

Measured in: Classic Potato Chips

Ingredients · 22

GoodCautionAvoid

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Common questions

Is Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips healthy?

Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips scores 0/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in, plus lab results from its product family, Lay's fried potato chips (US). It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

What is in Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips?

Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips lists 22 ingredients, starting with Potatoes, Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil and Sunflower Oil. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

Does Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips contain seed oils?

Yes. Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips lists Canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil and Sunflower Oil in its ingredients.

How processed is Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips?

Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips is NOVA group 4: ultra-processed. That is the top of the scale and the classification the score penalises most heavily.

How does Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips compare to other chips & crisps?

At 0/100 Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips scores worse than most chips & crisps we have scored. A higher-scoring option in chips & crisps is Late July Thin & Crispy Organic Blue Corn Tortilla Chips at 95/100.

Is Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips organic?

Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips is not certified organic in our data.

Has Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips been lab tested?

Not this product itself. It shares a base recipe (Fried sliced potatoes in vegetable oil (canola/corn/soybean/sunflower); flavours, wavy cut and sizes included; no rice, cocoa, cinnamon, nut or protein) with the other products in its family, Lay's fried potato chips (US), and 2 products in its family have been lab tested. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Those results are in the family's Contaminants section above; its own results may differ.

Does Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips contain heavy metals?

Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips itself has not been tested for heavy metals, but other products in its family, which share its base recipe, have: a lab detected arsenic at 6 ppb against a 10 ppb limit in Classic Potato Chips, cadmium at 165 ppb against a 5 ppb limit in Classic Potato Chips and lead at 12 ppb against a 5 ppb limit in Classic Potato Chips. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Its own results may differ.

Does Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips contain phthalates?

Lay's Sweet Southern Heat Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips itself has not been tested for phthalates, but other products in its family, which share its base recipe, have: a lab tested them for DEHP and found none above its detection limit. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Its own results may differ.

Full methodology: how we score products.

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