Flavored Chili Cheese Corn Chips, Chili Cheese

Why Does This Score Highly Processed?

In our analysis, Flavored Chili Cheese Corn Chips, Chili Cheese scores Highly Processed. That classification is shaped by ingredients commonly associated with ultra-processed foods:

• Natural Flavors (Monosodium Glutamate, Natural Flavor): Despite being natural, these are highly processed extracts.
• Flavor Enhancers (Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate): Industrial flavor enhancement common in UPF.

Within Chips & Crisps, this product is more processed than about 56% of the 10,682 products we've analyzed.

Processing classification reflects ingredient and additive analysis, not a judgment of any product's safety, quality, or healthfulness.

What These Ingredients Tell Us

We group Flavored Chili Cheese Corn Chips, Chili Cheese's ingredients into ingredient categories and note how each relates to food processing. The notes below describe the category, not this specific product's formulation.

Vegetable OilsProcessing indicator

In this product: Vegetable Oil (Contains One Or More Of The Following: Corn, Sunflower, Safflower, Or Canola Oil).

Natural oils are minimally processed, hydrogenated oils indicate UPF.

Salt & SodiumProcessing indicator

In this product: Salt.

Basic preservative, but high amounts indicate processing.

Sugars & Natural SweetenersProcessing indicator

In this product: Maltodextrin, Sugar.

Natural sugars acceptable in moderation, excessive amounts indicate UPF.

Natural ColorsProcessing indicator

In this product: Caramel Color, Annatto Extract.

Natural sources but still indicate processing.

Food AcidsProcessing indicator

In this product: Citric Acid.

Common in both traditional and industrial foods.

Industrial FermentationProcessing indicator

In this product: Yeast Extract.

Industrial fermentation for additive production.