Product Insight: Popcorn
Popcorn by Frito Lay is tracked in PlainIngredients with 6 identified ingredients and carries an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 — a Low-Risk-to-Safe tier backed by FDA and EU regulatory status. On the NOVA processing scale, this product falls into Group 4 (Ultra-processed foods), a standard framework for classifying how heavily food has been industrially modified before reaching the shelf, and Its Nutri-Score grade is E, the European front-of-pack nutritional label summarizing calories, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, protein, fiber, and produce content. Within the identified ingredient list, 1 ingredient is currently flagged as Caution or High Risk and warrant individual review via the linked ingredient pages, while 5 ingredients sit at the Low-Risk or Safe end of the scale.
Our composite score weighs each ingredient's U.S. FDA regulatory status (GRAS, Approved, or Banned), European Union food-additive status under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, any U.S. state-level restrictions, and signals drawn from peer-reviewed toxicology literature. The per-product score is the mean of the per-ingredient ratings and should be read as a structured summary rather than a clinical verdict; edge cases such as cumulative exposure, individual allergies, and dietary interactions are not captured by a single number and are better addressed by reading the individual ingredient pages linked below.
Sources: Open Food Facts (product + ingredient list, CC0 licensed) · FDA SAFFA · EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 · U.S. state food-safety statutes
- Monosodium Glutamate — Safety score: 2/5
Ingredient Safety Breakdown
Processing Level
Ultra-processed products are formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives. They typically contain ingredients not commonly used in home cooking.
Full Ingredients List
oil corn and/or sunflower * the % daily you how much a nutrient in a of food to a 2,000 ca % daily value* total fat 11g saturated fat 2g trans fat 0g 14% sodium 210mg total carbohydrate 13g dietary fiber 2g total sugars 1g protein 2g %6 5% vitamin d omcg calcium 30mg iron 0.4mg potassium 210mg not a significant source of added sugars. a 4% a cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), maltodextrin favors, onion powder, buttermilk, corn starch, romano cheese (cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), whey protein concentrate, sugar, monosodium glutamate, garlic powder, lactose, artificial color (yellow 6 lake, blue 1, red 40), dextrose, skim milk, spices, citric acid, malic acid, jalapeño pepper, disodium inosinate, and disodium guanylate. contains milk ingredients. frito-lay, inc. plano, tx 75024-4099 2019 frito-lay north america, inc. r® frito lay choke warning: do not give to children younger than 4 years old.
Data Sources
- Open Food Facts — Product data and ingredient lists
- FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) Inventory — Safety scores
- EU Food Additive Regulations (EC) No 1333/2008
Product Details
- Brand
- Frito Lay
- Barcode
- 0028400688949
- Nutri-Score
- Grade E
- NOVA Group
- 4 — Ultra-processed foods
- Available In
- United States
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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.