Ore-Ida Golden Crinkles French Fried Potatoes — OKAY

Munch or Dump rates Ore-Ida Golden Crinkles French Fried Potatoes by Ore-Ida OKAY — score 60/90.

Pretty much what it says: potatoes par-fried in oil with salt, a touch of dextrose for browning, and annatto for color. No artificial dyes, no flavor enhancers, no long chemistry list. It's a refined-oil fried starch though, so treat it as a side, not a vegetable serving.

Why this verdict

• Short, recognizable list, with potatoes as the first ingredient; the only real additive is sodium acid pyrophosphate for color retention.
• No artificial colors or flavors (color is natural annatto) and no MSG.
• Still par-fried in refined soybean and cottonseed oil, and dextrose is added sugar for browning.
• Low in fiber and protein, a starchy side rather than a nutritious one.

Ingredients (6)

• potatoes (moderate) — A real whole-food base, but sliced thin and deep-fried.
• Vegetable oil blend (soybean, cottonseed) (moderate) — Refined seed oils the fries are par-fried in.
• Salt (moderate) — Drives the salty-snack appeal, contributes to a high sodium load.
• Dextrose (caution) — First-listed sugar, so it is the biggest single component.
• annatto color (safe) — Natural color from the achiote seed.
• Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate (moderate) — Additive that keeps the potatoes from graying; benign but not a whole food.