Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream Flavored Potato Chips — DUMP

Munch or Dump rates Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream Flavored Potato Chips by Ruffles DUMP — score 17/90.

A real-potato chip buried under a lab-built flavor system: MSG, yeast extract, maltodextrin, and Yellow 5 and 6 dyes do the heavy lifting. There's genuine cheddar and sour cream in the seasoning, but they share the bag with two dozen additives. Tasty, engineered to keep your hand moving, and nutritionally empty.

Why this verdict

• Monosodium glutamate plus yeast extract stack the savory 'crave' signal on top of maltodextrin, an industrial flavor-enhancer pattern.
• Artificial dyes Yellow 6 and Yellow 5 color the seasoning with no nutritional purpose; both are linked to hyperactivity concerns in children.
• The ingredient list runs past 20 items, a strongly ultra-processed (NOVA 4) formula.
• Fried in refined seed oil with essentially zero fiber and only trace protein, it's calorie-dense and nutrient-poor.

Ingredients (10)

• potatoes (safe) — Whole potato base - a real food.
• Vegetable Oil (canola, corn, soybean, and/or sunflower) (moderate) — Refined seed-oil frying medium that makes the chips calorie-dense.
• Maltodextrin (moderate) — Highly processed starch-derived carbohydrate used as a carrier and texturizer; spikes blood sugar readily.
• MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (moderate) — Flavor enhancer; safe for most but a signal of engineered savoriness.
• YEAST EXTRACT (moderate) — A hidden source of free glutamate, stacked with MSG for umami.
• Natural and Artificial Flavors (caution) — Undisclosed lab flavoring - the artificial half signals engineering.
• CHEDDAR CHEESE (safe) — Real cheddar, but a small fraction of the mix.
• Artificial Color (Yellow 6, Yellow 5) (avoid) — Petroleum-derived dyes with no nutritional purpose.
• Sodium Caseinate (safe) — Milk-derived protein used in the topping.
• Salt (moderate) — Used in moderation, might exceed necessary amount.