Will crisps one day be considered as unhealthy as cigarettes?

It took decades for cigarettes to be acknowledged as seriously bad for our health.
Will crisps one day meet a similar fate?

Cheap crisps (especially the very inexpensive or “own-brand” ones) can indeed be nutritionally poor and potentially harmful if eaten regularly — not because of one ingredient, but the combination of several low-quality factors – such as:

1) The Oil - the main culprit
Cheap oils: Many low-cost crisp brands use palm oil, cottonseed oil, or blends with high saturated or even trans-fat content.
These are chosen because they’re cheap, shelf-stable, and give a crispier texture.

Diets high in poor quality saturated fats (and especially trans fats) raise LDL cholesterol and inflammation, dramatically increasing cardiovascular risk.

2) The Frying Process
Crisps are deep-fried at high temperatures (around 160–180 °C).
This might not sound overly hot for oil but high enough to produce ‘acrylamide’, a compound formed when starches (like potato) react with amino acids (asparagine) during frying.

Acrylamide is considered a probable human carcinogen by the WHO and EU Food Safety Authority.

Cheaper products often have less control over frying temperature/time, meaning higher acrylamide content.

Re-used or degraded frying oil (common in cheaper production) can accumulate oxidised fats, which promote oxidative stress and inflammation.

3) Additives and flavourings
Cheap crisps are loaded with flavour enhancers (like monosodium glutamate, disodium inosinate, artificial flavour bases).

Also sugar, maltodextrin, and flavour chemicals designed to keep you eating (“hyper-palatable”).

Some also use colourants and preservatives like E numbers that don’t add nutrition but can affect gut or metabolic health in sensitive people.

“Smoke flavour” or “barbecue” types often contain added sugar and synthetic aroma compounds – again at best neutral to health.

4. Salt overload
Many cheap crisps go heavy on salt because it enhances flavour cheaply and is a very effective preservative.

A single small bag can easily give 15–20% of your daily recommended salt intake — and larger bags are much worse.

Chronically high salt intake = elevated blood pressure, kidney stress, and higher cardiovascular risk.

5) Zero redeeming nutrients
Crisps have no fibre, protein, vitamins, or minerals to speak of.
Essentially just - starch + oil + salt + artificial flavour = “empty calories.”

If eaten in place of real food, they can displace nutrient-dense calories, leading to nutritional deficiency despite sufficient calories.

Cheap crisps are a classic example of ultra-processed food engineered for taste, not nutrition.
They:
·        Encourage overeating via addictive flavour and texture combinations.
·        Deliver large doses of unhealthy fats, salt, and calories.
·        Contribute little or nothing beneficial to health.
·        When eaten regularly, they’re linked with higher risks of obesity, heart disease, and metabolic disorders.