As a nation, we love crisps.
In fact, in Britain we chomp through 6 billion packets a year.
I think I ate a pretty good portion of those during my first pregnancy.
Traditionally, crisps were potatoes. Fried and salted. Packed up.
Today, the crisp aisle looks pretty different. Puffs. Shells. Shapes. Sticks. Vegetable. Ridged. Light.
Not all crisps even contain potatoes. Madness.
Non UPF crisps
Crisps today contain more than the three ingredients they started out with.
No longer is it just salt, potato, and oil.
Now, in these reformulated potato snacks you can expect to see the following:
Wotsits: Maize, Rapeseed Oil, Cheese Flavour [Dried Cheese (from Milk)(7% ), Milk Lactose, Flavour Enhancer (Disodium 5’Ribonucleotide), Lactic Acid, Colours (Paprika Extract, Annatto), Natural Flavourings, Salt, Potassium Chloride]
Pringles: Dehydrated potatoes, sunflower oil, wheat flour, corn flour, rice flour, maltodextrin, emulsifier (E471), salt, colour (annatto norbixin).
Skips: Tapioca Starch, Sunflower Oil, Maize Flour, Prawn Cocktail Flavour [Sugar, Salt, Natural Flavourings, Acid: Citric Acid, Dried Onion, Natural Vinegar Flavouring, Potassium Chloride, Yeast Extract, Spice, Dried Tomato, Natural Pepper Flavourings, Colour: Paprika Extract], Rice Protein, Sugar, Salt
What on earth is maltodextrin and what is it up to in crisps?
These types of crisps are ultra processed foods. They’re designed to be highly palatable. To have a certain mouth feel. To be fast to eat. So you eat more… without getting full.
After all, once you pop you can’t stop.
According to Good Food, the dough is rolled out and fried. The article writes:
The high temperature potentially generates a substance called acrylamide, exposure to which may be carcinogenic, although the findings from human studies is inconsistent.
How do I find non UPF crisps?
According to Unprocess your Life, while crisps are processed, if you’re craving a crunchy salty snack, you can make better choices.
As a rule, look for crisps that look like they were once a potato.
Here are some of my top Non UPF crisps
Tesco Finest Lightly Sea Salted Crinkle Cut Crisps
Ingredients: Potato, Rapeseed Oil, Sea Salt.
Tyrrells Chips Lightly Sea Salted
Ingredients: Potatoes, Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt
Sainsbury’s Tortilla chips
These go so well as nachos. Make your own salsa using onions, coriander, tomatoes, and a pinch of salt.
Ingredients: Maize, Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed Oil, Sunflower Oil), Salt.
Simply Roasted
Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil, Sea Salt
Tyrells Veg Crisps
Ingredients: Mixed Root Vegetables in Variable Proportions (Parsnip, Carrot, Beetroot) (64%), Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt
These go really well with hummus!
Looking for more non UPF stuff? I’ve got a few ideas on these blogs:
Fromthemotherside 
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