Stax Zesty Queso Chips

by Frito Lay, Lay's

50
Concern
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Stax Zesty Queso Chips by Frito Lay, Lay's receives a safety score of 50/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 2 ingredients that have been flagged for potential safety concerns by regulatory or consumer advocacy databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0028400280242
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Stax Zesty Queso Chips by Frito Lay, Lay's carries a composite safety score of 50/100, which we classify as "Concern" 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 identified 2 flagged ingredients in this product — components that at least one official source has classified as requiring caution, targeted avoidance, or further evaluation. Flagged ingredients are the items most likely to surface in FDA inspection findings, state-level ingredient bans, or outbreak-related recall notices, so the per-ingredient breakdown below is the most useful lens for anyone screening this product for a specific dietary concern.

On the NOVA processing scale, Stax Zesty Queso Chips 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.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Stax Zesty Queso Chips
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 50/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 2 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score Not available OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Dv
2
Vegetable Oil
3
Cottonseed
4
Organic Sunflower
5
And Or Corn Oil
6
Unmodified Potato Starch
7
Rice Flour
8
And Less Than 2% Of The Following: Maltodextrin
9
Made From Corn
10
Mond - And Diglycerides
11
Dextrose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Cut Back GRAS
12
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
13
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
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
Soy Lecthin
16
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
17
Msg
18
Natural And Artificial Flavor
19
Chedar Cheese
20
Milk
21
Cheese Cultures
22
Enzymes
23
Spices
24
Onion Powder
25
Buttermilk Sour Cream
26
Cultured Cream
27
Skim Milki
28
Horolized Corn Pr Butter
29
Cream
30
Sodium Caseinate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
31
Artaical Color
32
Ye Lake
33
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
34
Yellow 5
Avoid Approved (certified color)
35
Yellow 6 Bue Cheese Imilk Cultures
36
Enzymesi
37
Yeast Extract Email Or Chat At Skim Milk
38
And Garder
39
Milk And Redients. Manufacture For: Frito-lay
40
Inc Plano
41
Tx 7504 4099 2007 Frito-lay North Ameriga Inc Made Frito Lay Packs

Full Ingredient List

dietary fiber 1g total sugars 1g protein 2g 4% vitamin d omcg calcium 20mg iron 0.2mg potassium 180mg 0% 0% 0% 2% not a significant source of added sugars. the % daily value (dv) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. questions or comment t weekdays gm ngredients: dried potatoes, vegetable oil (cottonseed, sunflower, and or corn oil), unmodified potato starch, rice flour, and less than 2% of the following: maltodextrin (made from corn), mond - and diglycerides, dextrose, sugar, salt, whey, soy lecthin, citric acid, monosodium glutamate, natural and artificial flavor, chedar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), spices, onion powder, buttermilk sour cream (cultured cream, skim milki, horolized corn pr butter (cream, salt), sodium caseinate, artaical color (ye lake, yellow 5 lake, yellow 5, yellow 6 bue cheese imilk cultures, salt, enzymesi, yeast extract email or chat at skim milk, and garder. contains milk and redients. manufacture for: frito-lay, inc plano, tx 7504 4099 2007 frito-lay north ameriga inc made frito lay packs

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