Cheddar Jalapeño

by Lay's

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Cheddar Jalapeño by Lay's 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
0028400482783
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Cheddar Jalapeño by Lay's 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, Cheddar Jalapeño 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 Cheddar Jalapeño
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 Not available 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
Cheddar Jalapeño 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
Natural Flavors
15
Onion Powder
16
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
17
Spices
18
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
19
Yeast Extract
20
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
21
Garlic Powder
22
Sunflower Oil
23
Gum Arabic
24
Dried Jalapeño Pepper
25
Buttermilk
26
Corn Oil
27
Corn Syrup Solids
28
Skim Milk
29
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
30
Sour Cream
31
Cultured Cream
32
Paprika Extracts
33
Annatto Extracts
34
Butter
35
Cream
36
And Blue Cheese
37
Milk Ingredients. Frito-lay
38
Inc. Plano
39
Tx 75024-4099 2019 Frito-lay North America

Full Ingredient List

potatoes, vegetable oil (sunflower, corn and/or canola oil), cheddar jalapeño seasoning (cheddar cheese [milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], salt, maltodextrin [made from corn], natural flavors, onion powder, whey, spices, sugar, yeast extract, lactose, garlic powder, sunflower oil, gum arabic, jalapeño pepper, buttermilk, corn oil, corn syrup solids, skim milk, sodium caseinate, sour cream [cultured cream, skim milk], paprika extracts, annatto extracts, butter [cream, salt], and blue cheese [milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes]). contains milk ingredients. frito-lay, inc. plano, tx 75024-4099 2019 frito-lay north america, inc. p. smartlabel scan here for more food information find us on lays.com 1-800-352-4477 call for more food information n tificial questi rs

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