# Yes, Virginia, Lay's Potato Chips are made from real potatoes! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2025, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950 "2025-10-14T01:35:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/41 "2025-10-15T22:31:51Z")
No… I’m saying that basically your OTB chip isn’t any _less_ processed. It’s corn that’s been nixtamalized (treated with lime), milled, made into a tortilla, then fried. That’s ultra-processed just as much as a Cheeto is, which is essentially a corn batter that’s extruded directly into hot oil, then tumbled with a powdered cheese flavoring. Ultra processed is kind of a stupid categorization, if you ask me. The original was a division used for academic research, not for actually planning meals, etc… Nearly anything that’s not a primary ingredient or made ONLY from primary ingredients is ultraprocessed. So stuff like commercial hummus, pretty much any charcuterie/salumi/sausages, ham, cheese, commercial bread, any sort of flavored yogurt, tomato sauces, peanut butter, and a whole bunch of other foods that are lumped in with stuff like hot dogs, commercial cookies, and other stuff. It’s a bit absurd. There needs to be a fifth category- somewhere in the neighborhood of “processed, but not ultraprocessed” or something to distinguish something like peanut butter or hummus from stuff like a frozen taquito or pizza. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/42 "2025-10-15T22:44:35Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Quite true. If they were to use FROM instead of WITH, consumers might be more likely to conclude that they’re _ **not** _ dealing with that notorious “bare minimum.” > > Of course for accuracy they’d have to add something: “Made from real potatoes, which are fried in oil, with salt and seasonings added.” Not the snappiest of mottos. But then you get things like “Made from 100% real cheese”. As in, the cheese that they use is 100% real. And it’s three or four steps down the ingredient list, after various grain products, sugars, and oils. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/43 "2025-10-15T23:06:05Z")
Real cheese is not the same as processed cheese food, just saying. I wish someone would come up with a dictionary-suitable definition for ultra-processed foods. Anything that is cooked, etc. is going to be processed on some level. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/44 "2025-10-15T23:08:54Z")
Actually, cheese food is the same as real cheese, just melted and re-solidified. The stuff that’s not the same is “cheese food product”. But the point is, even “cheese food product” has cheese as an ingredient. And you can accurately say that the cheese that’s an ingredient of it is “100% real cheese”. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/45 "2025-10-15T23:41:20Z")
> [@bump](#): > > No… I’m saying that basically your OTB chip isn’t any _less_ processed. In that case, you’re just wrong. > [@](#): > > It’s corn that’s been nixtamalized (treated with lime), milled, made into a tortilla, then fried. That’s ultra-processed… Note: quote splitting is my doing. That is actually considered minimally processed. I have corn masa, vegetable oil, and salt in my pantry. > [@](#): > > That’s ultra-processed… just as much as a Cheeto is…, which is essentially a corn batter that’s extruded directly into hot oil, then tumbled with a powdered cheese flavoring. A pretty common definition for ultra-processed includes: _They contain ingredients you wouldn’t find in a typical kitchen — things like emulsifiers, colorings, flavor enhancers, bulking agents, gels._ Here are the Cheetos ingredients that I don’t have in my kitchen in their extracted form: Enriched Corn Meal Cheese Seasoning Maltodextrin Whey Protein Concentrate Artificial Flavors Lactic Acid Citric Acid Artificial Color (Yellow 6) Looks like it meets the definition of ultra-processed to me. As noted in an earlier link, Cheetos was one of only three named examples in the article from Harvard Med. If you want to eat ultra-processed foods all day long, it’s not really any of my business. If you want to make claims that are false, I’ll keep this up. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2025, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/46 "2025-10-15T23:51:27Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > A pretty common definition for ultra-processed includes: > _They contain ingredients you wouldn’t find in a typical kitchen — things like emulsifiers, colorings, flavor enhancers, bulking agents, gels._ That’s a terrible definition, though. By that definition, for instance, my family’s dandelion salad is “ultra-processed”, even though it’s considerably less processed than most “unprocessed” food. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/47 "2025-10-16T00:50:11Z")
Your dandelion salad is full of emulsifiers, colorings, flavor enhancers, bulking agents, and gels? Okay, what definition would you like to use? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/48 "2025-10-16T01:05:51Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > processed potato products like Pringles Hmmph, easy for _you_ to say. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/49 "2025-10-16T01:22:00Z")
I’d guess that a dandelion salad is full of dandelions… which is an “ingredient you wouldn’t find in a typical kitchen”, as I see it. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/50 "2025-10-16T01:58:36Z")
Naw, that would be silly, since the very same sentence gave examples which are nothing like dandelions. Not only that, but every time I make a dandelion salad I do have dandelions in my kitchen. What I never have in my kitchen is maltodextrin, except for that one time I made peanut butter powder for fun. Nor do I have ferrous sulfate, lactic acid, butylated hydroxytoluene, or disodium inosinate. In case we really need a more thorough definition, I’ll toss out the [NOVA Group 4 classification, which is used in many papers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_classification) (it’s a bit long, but what the hell): > Industrially manufactured food products made up of several ingredients (formulations) including sugar, oils, fats and salt (generally in combination and in higher amounts than in processed foods) and food substances of no or rare culinary use (such as [high-fructose corn syrup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-fructose_corn_syrup), [hydrogenated oils](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogenated_oils), modified starches and protein isolates). Group 1 foods are absent or represent a small proportion of the ingredients in the formulation. Processes enabling the manufacture of ultra-processed foods include industrial techniques such as [extrusion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extrusion), [moulding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molding_(process)) and pre-frying; application of additives including those whose function is to make the final product palatable or hyperpalatable such as flavours, colourants, non-sugar sweeteners and [emulsifiers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulsifiers); and sophisticated packaging, usually with synthetic materials. Processes and ingredients here are designed to create highly profitable (low-cost ingredients, long shelf-life, emphatic branding), convenient (ready-to-(h)eat or to drink), tasteful alternatives to all other Nova food groups and to freshly prepared dishes and meals. Ultra-processed foods are operationally distinguishable from processed foods by the presence of food substances of no culinary use (varieties of sugars such as [fructose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose), high-fructose corn syrup, ‘[fruit juice concentrates](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_juice_concentrate)’, [invert sugar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invert_sugar), [maltodextrin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltodextrin), [dextrose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dextrose) and [lactose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose); modified starches; modified oils such as hydrogenated or interesterified oils; and protein sources such as hydrolysed proteins, soya protein isolate, [gluten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten), [casein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein), [whey protein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whey_protein) and ‘[mechanically separated meat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_separated_meat)’) or of additives with cosmetic functions (flavours, flavour enhancers, colours, emulsifiers, emulsifying salts, [sweeteners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweeteners), [thickeners](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thickening_agent) and [anti-foaming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-foaming_agent), [bulking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulking_agent), carbonating, [foaming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foaming_agent), [gelling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelling_agent) and [glazing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glazing_agent) agents) in their list of ingredients. Yep, Cheetos. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/51 "2025-10-16T02:01:01Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Hmmph, easy for _you_ to say. Yes, but were they Pickled 'peno Pringles? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/52 "2025-10-16T02:42:51Z")
Who cares about lactic acid or citric acid though? They’re just food grade acids. Maltodextrin and whey protein concentrate are similarly innocuous. The cheese seasoning is amazingly enough, powdered cheese. Enriched corn meal? Seriously? The only actual problematic things are the artificial flavors and colors. Even at that, the vast majority of the unusual ingredients are almost certainly involved with getting the cheese powder to distribute evenly and have the right mouthfeel, etc… What I’m getting at is that the definition is stupid. If taking corn, passing it through three processing steps, and then salting it isn’t ultraprocessed, but something that is equally processed, butt has easily identified food ingredients like lactic or citric acid is considered ultraprocessed, then something’s screwy with that definition. I think a lot of it was because the original categories were for research, not nutritional guidance, and even at that, it’s controversial. Nova Group 4 sure reads like someone with an axe to grind devised it, and I’m inherently skeptical of things like that written by people with agendas. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/53 "2025-10-16T03:03:10Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Who cares about lactic acid or citric acid though? They’re just food grade acids. Maltodextrin and whey protein concentrate are similarly innocuous. The cheese seasoning is amazingly enough, powdered cheese. I care because current evidence points to worse outcomes for those who make ultra-processed foods a large part of their diet. Again, you are free to ignore the ongoing scientific debate. [That](https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/ultra-processed-foods-some-more-than-others-linked-to-early-death/) doesn’t [mean](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831323013820) I’m [going](https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/ultra-processed-food) to [pretend](https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/hhs-fda-and-usda-address-health-risks-ultra-processed-foods) the [issue](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38418082/) doesn’t [exist](https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/nutrition/the-10-worst-ultra-processed-foods-you-can-eat) nor [sit](https://bmjgroup.com/consistent-evidence-links-ultra-processed-food-to-over-30-damaging-health-outcomes/) back [while](https://www.afmc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3781462/health-risks-of-eating-ultra-processed-foods/) you [tell](https://www.today.com/health/diet-fitness/ultraprocessed-foods-list-rcna151464) us [that](https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/the-dangers-of-ultra-processed-foods/) the [science](https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/behind-the-headlines/ultra-processed-foods) is [garbage](https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/ultraprocessed-foods-bad-for-you). ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/54 "2025-10-16T03:04:50Z")
> [@bump](#): > > The only actual problematic things are the artificial flavors and colors. Can you link to the papers where you’ve published this research? I must extract myself from this chamber of ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/55 "2025-10-16T03:21:17Z")
At no point am I saying it doesn’t exist. What I am saying is that the definition seems too encompassing, and covers too much stuff. Anything from a store-bought chocolate chip cookie, to cheetos, to a Christmas ham. And my point is that most of the ingredients are identifiable- we know what lactic acid is, we know what maltodextrin is, and we know their effects on the body. If I had to guess, the problem with Cheetos is that they’re _extremely_ high in salt, fat, and carbs, not that they’ve got some nearly trivial amount of lactic acid and citric acid in there somewhere, or that they’ve got some starches and protein compounds in small amounts. Hell, the “enriched” part of the corn meal is _GOOD_ for us, being vitamins and all. I’d personally like to see what ingredients are problematic, if the problem is actually the ingredients or the number of them. Instead, it seems to be a shorthand category from some research, and people are taking it like it’s gospel. That’s the stupid I’m talking about- running scared from ultraprocessed foods just because they fall into some arbitrary definition is kind of a Chicken Little approach if you ask me. Better to actually you know, read the ingredients and know what they are and make your choices based on that, rather than just “Oh no! Ultraprocessed food!” I’m not a huge eater of ultraprocessed food myself, and when I do, it’s mostly in the form of occasional snack foods. But I’m not going to deprive myself of the occasional bowl of ice cream or Cheetos because they’re ultraprocessed. Life’s too short to sit around and worry about stuff like that, as long as you do it in moderation. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/56 "2025-10-16T03:49:32Z")
Oh for fuck’s sake. I never told you not to eat it and I even acknowledged that Cheetos is my favorite snack in the chips aisle. I simply said that there is some scientific debate around the safety of over-consumption of ultra-processed foods. It just took a lot of words to get there since you keep ignoring most of them, and you certainly aren’t bringing any actual facts (or even decent theories) to the table. If you have some [scientific evidence](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352345X18301218) that [states](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4615306/) that [maltodextrin](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6409436/) has no [negative impact](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0052132) on gut bacteria, for example, bring it. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/57 "2025-10-16T23:05:35Z")
Earlier today, my brother posted on Facebook that he stopped for gas on the way to work, and there was an ad for this “tobacco alternative” on the pump. He looked up the ingredients, and truthfully, tobacco would probably be safer. Ever heard the saying “Smokeless today, lipless tomorrow”? > **[Shop Black Buffalo - The #1 Tobacco Alternative Chew & Pouches](https://blackbuffalo.com/collections/shop?srsltid=AfmBOoorvg9wdQtM2bGxHqSLyXPDw_1NHVAhMPy-wYumhvobmdkzLkY7)** > > Award-winning dip alternatives that honor chewing tobacco tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/58 "2025-10-17T01:10:25Z")
OK, how about, say, a chicken recipe where the breading for the chicken is made from crumbled Doritos? Is that ultra-processed? By the “not typically found in a kitchen” definition, the answer would be “no”, because Doritos are, in fact, commonly found in home kitchens. If there’s some ingredient or ingredients that are problematic in some way, then talk about those specific ingredients. Don’t just say “scary name = scary”. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/59 "2025-10-17T02:02:33Z")
> [@DMC](#): > > Enriched Corn Meal > Cheese Seasoning > Maltodextrin > Whey Protein Concentrate > Artificial Flavors > Lactic Acid > Citric Acid > Artificial Color (Yellow 6) Of those, the only ones I can say I have never had in my kitchen are: - Maltodextrin - Lactic Acid - Maybe Yellow 6? (What is the yellow food coloring that comes in the squeezy tube?) I mean, a regular ol’ can of Quaker corn meal is “Enriched Corn Meal”. I’d probably be hard-pressed to actually locate some non-enriched corn meal… just like any flour I would buy for home baking is similarly “enriched flour”. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2025, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/60 "2025-10-17T14:14:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > OK, how about, say, a chicken recipe where the breading for the chicken is made from crumbled Doritos? Is that ultra-processed? By the “not typically found in a kitchen” definition, the answer would be “no”, because Doritos are, in fact, commonly found in home kitchens. > [@Kron](#): > > Of those, the only ones I can say I have never had in my kitchen are: If only I had followed up with [a post with a much more thorough definition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950/50), used all over the world by many health and nutrition organizations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yes-virginia-lays-potato-chips-are-made-from-real-potatoes/1023950.md?page=4)