Lay's Baked Original Potato Crisps — ENGINEERED

Name: Lay's Baked Original Potato Crisps
Brand: Lay's

Munch or Dump rates Lay's Baked Original Potato Crisps by Lay's ENGINEERED — score 30/90.

These aren't potatoes sliced and baked. They're dried potato flakes glued back together with corn starch, then sweetened and salted. The 'baked, 65% less fat' halo hides an ultra-processed crisp with added sugar, two sweeteners, and refined starch.

Why this verdict

Made from dried potato flakes reconstituted with corn starch, not whole sliced potato
Two separate sweeteners (sugar + dextrose) added to a savory chip
Refined starch replaces the fat they removed, so it's still empty carbs
Soy lecithin emulsifier and annatto color mark it as ultra-processed (NOVA 4)

Ingredients (8)

Dried potatoes (moderate) — Reconstituted potato powder, not whole sliced potato - stripped and re-formed base.
olive oil (safe) — A real, minimally refined oil with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats; far better than a refined seed oil blend.
Corn Starch (moderate) — Refined starch used as a coating and binder; empty carbs.
Sugar (moderate) — Added refined sugar; spikes blood sugar and turns a milky base into a dessert.
Sea Salt (safe) — Standard seasoning in small amounts.
Soy Lecithin (safe) — Emulsifier; common and generally benign, but a soy allergen.
Dextrose (moderate) — Fast-absorbing added sugar; one of several sweeteners here.
Annatto extract color (safe) — Natural color from annatto seeds. Cosmetic; rare allergen but generally safe.