Lay's Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips
by Lay's
Contains 5 flagged ingredients
Lay's Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips by Lay's receives a safety score of 0/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 5 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.
What the Data Says About
Lay's Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips by Lay's carries a composite safety score of 0/100, which we classify as "Avoid" 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 5 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, Lay's Barbecue Flavored Potato 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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 0/100 | FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite |
| Flagged ingredients | 5 | 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
Full Ingredient List
CORN, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, CANOLA, SOYBEAN, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), AND LESS THAN 2% OF SALT, CORN STARCH, TOMATO POWDER, LACTOSE, WHEY, SKIM MILK, ONION POWDER,, SUGAR, GARLIC POWDER, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, CORN MALTODEXTRIN, POTASSIUM SALT, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), DEXTROSE, MALIC ACID, CORN SYRUP, SOLIDS, BUTTERMILK, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SODIUM ACETATE, ARTIFICIAL COLOR (RED 40, BLUE 1, YELLOW 5), SPICES, CITRIC ACID, DISODIUM INOSINATE, AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE, CORN, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, CANOLA, SOYBEAN, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), CORN MALTODEXTRIN, AND LESS THAN 2% OF CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES),, SALT, WHEY, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, BUTTERMILK, ROMANO CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ONION POWDER, POTASSIUM SALT, CORN FLOUR,, NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, DEXTROSE, TOMATO POWDER, LACTOSE, SPICES, ARTIFICIAL COLOR (YELLOW 6, YELLOW 5, RED 40), LACTIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, SUGAR, GARLIC POWDER, SKIM MILK,, RED AND GREEN BELL PEPPERS, DISODIUM INOSINATE, AND DISODIUM GUANYLATE, CORN, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN AND/OR CANOLA OIL), AND LESS THAN 2% OF WHEY, SALT, SPICES (INCLUDING CHILI PEPPER), CORN MALTODEXTRIN, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT,, ENZYMES), POTASSIUM SALT, TOMATO POWDER, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, ONION POWDER, NATURAL FLAVORS, ROMANO CHEESE (COW'S MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), DEXTROSE, SUGAR BUTTERMILK, SODIUM CASEINATE, ANNATTO EXTRACT (COLOR), BUTTER (CREAM, SALT), CITRIC ACID, SUNFLOWER OIL, GARLIC POWDER, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, CARAMEL COLOR, AND YEAST EXTRACT, POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL (CANOLA, CORN, SOYBEAN, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), SKIM MILK, SALT, WHEY, ONION POWDER, PARSLEY, SOUR CREAM (CULTURED CREAM, SKIM MILK),, DEXTROSE, MALTODEXTRIN (MADE FROM CORN), NATURAL FLAVORS, MEDIUM CHAIN TRIGLYCERIDES, LACTOSE, AND CITRIC ACID, POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL (CANOLA, CORN, SOYBEAN, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), SUGAR, SALT, DEXTROSE, MALTODEXTRIN (MADE FROM CORN), MOLASSES, TORULA YEAST, NATURAL, FLAVORS, ONION POWDER, SPICES, TOMATO POWDER, PAPRIKA, CORN STARCH, PAPRIKA EXTRACTS, CARAMEL COLOR, YEAST EXTRACT, GARLIC POWDER, AND MUSTARD SEED OIL, ENRICHED CORN MEAL (CORN MEAL, FERROUS SULFATE, NIACIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, CANOLA, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), WHEY,, CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES), SALT, CORN MALTODEXTRIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, LACTIC ACID,, CITRIC ACID, AND ARTIFICIAL COLOR (YELLOW 6)
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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.
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