Lay's Jalapeno and Cheddar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips 2.5 Ounces

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Lay's Jalapeno and Cheddar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips 2.5 Ounces receives a safety score of 100/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. None of the ingredients in this product are flagged for safety concerns by FDA or CSPI databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0028400234283
Nutri-Score
c
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
about 16 chips (28 g) (28 g)

What the Data Says About

Lay's Jalapeno and Cheddar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips 2.5 Ounces carries a composite safety score of 100/100, which we classify as "Safe" on our four-tier shelf-label framework. The score is computed by mapping each labeled ingredient against FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine classifications, then penalizing the overall product for each additive rated as caution-or-worse. Product data originates from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative catalog; safety annotations come from federal regulators and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Our scan did not identify any ingredients in this product that FDA SAFFA or CSPI Chemical Cuisine data flags as requiring caution or avoidance at the time of analysis. That is a meaningful clean-label signal, though it does not account for personal allergens, regional recalls, or inspection findings not reflected in federal additive databases. The per-ingredient breakdown below shows the source-level classification for each component.

On the NOVA processing scale, Lay's Jalapeno and Cheddar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips 2.5 Ounces is classified as Group 4 (Ultra-processed). NOVA measures industrial processing intensity rather than ingredient-level safety, so it complements the SAFFA and CSPI ratings: a product can be clean on additive flags but heavily processed, or lightly processed but carry individually flagged ingredients. Combining both lenses gives a fuller picture than either alone. The Nutri-Score grade of C reflects nutritional balance — calories, saturated fat, sugar, sodium versus fiber, protein, and produce content — which again is a distinct dimension from additive safety and worth weighing alongside the scores above.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Lay's Jalapeno and Cheddar Kettle Cooked Potato Chips 2.5 Ounces
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 100/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 0 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score C OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Potatoes
2
Vegetable Oil
3
Organic Sunflower
4
Corn
5
Canola Oil
6
Jalapeã±o Cheddar Seasoning
7
Cheddar Cheese
8
Milk
9
Cheese Cultures
10
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
11
Enzymes
12
Maltodextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
13
Made From Corn
14
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
15
Skim Milk
16
Onion Powder
17
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
18
Spices
19
Including Jalapeã±o Pepper
20
Natural Flavor
21
Yeast Extract
22
Garlic Powder
23
Jalapeã±o Pepper
24
Lactose
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Certain People Should Avoid GRAS
25
Citric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Safe GRAS
26
Lactic Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, CURING OR PICKLING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE
Safe GRAS
27
Paprika Extracts
28
Buttermilk
29
Milk Protein Concentrate
30
And Organic Sunflower Oil
31
Milk Ingredients

Full Ingredient List

Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower, Corn, and/or Canola Oil), Jalapeño Cheddar Seasoning (Cheddar Cheese [Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes], Maltodextrin [Made From Corn], Whey, Salt, Skim Milk, Onion Powder, Sugar, Spices [Including Jalapeño Pepper], Natural Flavor, Yeast Extract, Garlic Powder, Jalapeño Pepper, Lactose, Citric Acid, Lactic Acid, Paprika Extracts, Buttermilk, Milk Protein Concentrate, and Sunflower Oil). CONTAINS MILK INGREDIENTS.

Categories

Snacks

Data Sources

Data as of 2025. Source: OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Product data from OpenFoodFacts (ODbL). Ingredient safety ratings from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details.

This information is for reference only and does not constitute dietary or medical advice.

Related

Data sourced from official FDA, USDA, and CDC food-safety databases. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial