Explaining Ingredients

D

• Dyes and Food Color

  • Color is an important property of food that can add to the enjoyment of eating. Frito Lay uses plant-based or synthetic dyes to enhance the color of some of our snacks. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for regulating all color additives used in food manufacturing in the United States.

    There are seven certifiable colors approved for use in food, such as FDC Yellow No.6. These numbered colors will always be listed in the ingredient statement.

    Other colors that are exempt from certification would include pigments derived from natural sources such as vegetables, minerals or man-made sources. Caramel color, for example, is produced commercially by heating sugar and other carbohydrates under strictly controlled conditions for use in foods.

    For those consumers looking to avoid color additives, Frito Lay offers a wide variety of snack choices that do not contain dyes or food color.  Products Not Containing Additives

E

• Enzymes

  • Most enzymes are proteins and cause certain biochemical reactions. For example, enzymes are added to milk during the cheese-making process to separate the solids (curds) from the liquid (whey) and give cheese its unique flavor. Enzymes may be sourced from animals, such as cows or pigs, or microbial such as the type added to yogurt to make it thick.
    
    The enzymes used in the cheese making process for some of the cheese seasoning used in Frito Lay products may come from an animal source. For those individuals looking to avoid all animal enzymes, Frito Lay offers a wide variety of snack choices that do not contain enzymes from animal sources.
    
    For those individuals looking to avoid cheese seasonings that use enzymes from a porcine source, Frito Lay offers a wide variety of snack choices that do not contain porcine enzymes. Seasoned Products Containing Porcine Enzymes

G

• Gluten

  • Gluten is a protein substance commonly found in wheat, rye and barley and gives dough its cohesiveness. Some two million people in the United States suffer from celiac disease. Celiac is a digestive disease that interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease should avoid wheat, rye, barley, malt, malt vinegar, couscous, wheat bran and bulgur to maintain proper health.Frito Lay offers a wide variety of snack choices that do not contain gluten ingredients. Products Not Containing Gluten

M

• MSG

  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer, which is used to bring out the best flavor in foods. MSG is usually produced through fermentation, a process similar to that used in making vinegar or yogurt. The process usually begins with the fermentation of starch, sugar beets,sugar cane, or molasses. The finished product is a pure, white crystal which dissolves easily and blends well in many foods.

    Frito Lay uses a very small amount of MSG in the seasoning used for some of our snacks. Adding a small amount of MSG decreases the amount of salt needed for flavoring by 20 to 40 per cent.

    Some consumers report sensitivity to MSG. For those consumers looking to avoid MSG, Frito Lay offers a wide variety of snack choices that do not contain MSG. Products Not Containing MSG

O

• Oils

  • Frito Lay snack chips are cooked in healthier oils such as corn, sunflower and soybean. Like olive oil, these three oils are high in unsaturated (“good”) fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), lower in saturated (“bad”) fat and have zero grams of trans fat.

P

• Potassium

  • Potassium is a mineral that helps maintain normal blood pressure and helps contract muscles in the body. As a rule, potatoes are considered a good source of potassium.

    Potassium is not required to be listed on the Nutrition Facts panel of food products. However, Frito Lay lists potassium on some of our snack packages.

S

• Salt/Sodium

  • Salt (sodium chloride) occurs abundantly in nature and is used especially for seasoning and preserving food. It is also a component of many minerals and is an essential element to human life.

    Snack chips are actually not as high in sodium as most people think. Chips taste salty because salt is on the surface of the chip, making it the first taste the tongue senses. In many other foods, salt is mixed and cooked into the food, so the salty taste may be hidden. In fact, a serving of most Frito Lay snack chips has as much sodium as an average slice of white bread and has three times less sodium than a bowl of low sodium soup.

    For those consumers looking to manage their salt intake, Frito Lay offers a wide variety of snack choices that are lower in sodium.

• Soybean

  • Soybeans, native to East Asia, are a type of legume. Soybeans are a good source of protein and contain all of the essential amino acids.

    Soy is among the top allergens and many consumers must avoid soy to maintain proper health. If soy is used in any Frito Lay product, it will be listed in the ingredient statement on our packages.

    For those consumers looking to avoid soy, Frito Lay offers a wide variety of snack choices that do not contain soy. Products Not Containing Additives

• Sugar

  • Common table sugar comes from either sugar cane or sugar beets and is the favorite choice to sweeten the flavor of many foods and beverages. Sugar is also present in fruit, honey, sorghum, sugar maple and in many other sources. Sugar occurs naturally in corn and other grains. Any sugar that may be used in a Frito Lay product comes from either sugar cane or sugar beets.

T

• Trans Fat

  • Frito Lay snack chips contain 0 grams of trans fat. Trans fat is a “bad” fat that is formed during the process of hydrogenation, which helps keep oil solid and stable at room temperature for use in certain foods.

    Similar to saturated fat, trans fat raises total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels, which can increase heart disease risk. However, some consider trans fat to be even more harmful because it also decreases HDL (“good”) cholesterol.