Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips, 8 oz — DUMP

Munch or Dump rates Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips, 8 oz by Ruffles DUMP — score 20/90.

The chip itself is just potatoes, oil and salt — but the flavor coating is a 20-plus-ingredient lab job layered on top. Maltodextrin, MSG, yeast extract and two artificial dyes do the heavy lifting, even though real dairy is also in there. Twenty-four ingredients total pushes this firmly into ultra-processed territory.

Why this verdict

• 24-ingredient list — well past the >18 threshold that signals heavy processing
• Maltodextrin, MSG, yeast extract and sodium caseinate stack up as engineered savory boosters
• Artificial colors Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 tint the coating
• Fried potato base makes it calorie-dense and high in sodium with little fiber
• Real cheddar, sour cream and buttermilk are present but sit alongside the additive load, not in place of it

Ingredients (8)

• potatoes (moderate) — A real whole-food base, but sliced thin and deep-fried.
• Vegetable oil (canola/corn/soybean/sunflower) (moderate) — Refined seed-oil frying medium; drives the high fat and calorie load.
• Maltodextrin (caution) — High-glycemic processed filler and additional carb sweetener.
• MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (caution) — Flavor enhancer that makes the coating hyper-savory.
• Cheddar cheese / buttermilk / sour cream (safe) — Genuine dairy ingredients providing real flavor — the redeeming part of the list.
• YEAST EXTRACT (moderate) — Another hidden glutamate source stacked with the MSG.
• Artificial color (Yellow 5, Yellow 6) (avoid) — Synthetic dyes used purely for a richer cheddar color.
• Sodium caseinate & milk protein concentrate (moderate) — Isolated milk proteins used as processed flavor/texture builders.