Tostitos vs. Late July vs. Siete: 18 Tortilla Chips Scored Out of 100

Here is the full scorecard, best score first. The "nutrients" column is out of 75 and the "ingredients" column is out of 25. Per-100-gram figures are what the formula scores; per-serving figures are what the bag prints. Every one of these 18 bags declares the same serving, 28 grams, or one ounce.

Eight chips land in the Good band (70 to 84) and ten in Fair (55 to 69). None reaches Excellent, and none falls to Weak. That is a tighter spread than the potato chip aisle gave us, and it makes sense: 16 of these 18 chips carry no ultra-processing marker at all.

The Daily Vitality Score is version 1.0 of one formula, applied here exactly as it was to chips and crackers. Everything is measured per 100 grams so that no bag gains from a small serving.

The full rules, including the judgment calls, live on our methodology page.

The nutrient section is worth 75 points. Sodium carries the most, 20 points, with full marks at 80 mg or less per 100 grams and zero at 1,600 mg. Calories are worth 15 (full at 80 kcal, zero at 800). Saturated fat and added sugars are worth 10 each. Those end points are the first and last thresholds of the 2023 Nutri-Score tables published by Santé publique France, with salt converted to sodium.

Fiber and protein are worth 10 points each, and they are scored per 100 calories so a dry, dense chip can't win on weight alone. Full marks come at 2.8 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein per 100 calories, which is twice the rate built into the Daily Values in the federal nutrition labeling rule.

Sodium gets the heaviest weight for a reason. More than 70% of the sodium Americans eat comes from packaged and prepared foods, and the average intake is about 3,400 mg a day against a Daily Value of 2,300 mg, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The ingredient section is worth 25 points. The first ingredient earns 10 if it is a whole food as grown (corn, whole corn, black beans), 5 if it is a whole food that has been dried and ground (corn masa flour, cassava flour), and zero if it is a refined flour, meal or starch. Another 10 points start full and lose 2.5 for each ultra-processing marker, a list we take from Monteiro and colleagues' 2019 paper in Public Health Nutrition: maltodextrin, dextrose, flavors, colors and similar. The last 5 points reward a short list.

Here is the worksheet for one bag, Late July Sea Salt, so the arithmetic is visible. Its label lists 130 calories, 0.5 g saturated fat, 70 mg sodium, 2 g fiber and 2 g protein in 28 grams.

Sodium, for example, works out as 20 × (1,600 − 250) ÷ (1,600 − 80) = 17.8.

We cross-checked each label against the branded foods database at USDA FoodData Central, April 2026 release. Most records for this aisle date from 2021 to 2023, and six of the 18 disagree with the bag on the shelf today. In each case the current label won.

As a check, we also calculated the 2023 Nutri-Score for every chip. Nine come out at grade C and nine at D. The two rankings agree closely: a rank correlation of 0.94 for our nutrient section alone and 0.80 for the full score. The gap between those two numbers is the ingredient list, which Nutri-Score does not look at.

The countdown opens with the one bag in this set whose ingredient list runs long. Where Tostitos Original stops at corn, oil and salt, Hint of Lime carries 12 ingredients, among them maltodextrin, natural flavors and dextrose. Those three are markers on our list, and together they cost 7.5 of the 10 marker points.

The panel itself is close to the original. A serving is 150 calories with 1 gram of saturated fat and 130 mg of sodium, per the PepsiCo label page, updated October 1, 2026. That works out to 464 mg of sodium per 100 grams, 89 mg more than the plain chip.

Where the points went

The nutrient section scores 42.6, only 2.3 points behind Tostitos Original. The ingredient section scores 14.9 out of 25. So about 10 of the 12 points that separate the two bags come from the seasoning list, and very little from the nutrition panel. It is also the largest chip here by count: about 6 to a serving.

This is the most instructive pairing in the ranking, because the same brand also holds the number 2 spot. Late July's Nacho Cheese starts with organic whole ground yellow corn, exactly as you would hope. Then comes the seasoning.

A serving has 140 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat and 190 mg of sodium, according to the panel on Kroger's listing. That is 679 mg of sodium per 100 grams, nearly three times the 250 mg in the brand's Sea Salt chip.

A quirk worth knowing

The seasoning contains corn maltodextrin, paprika extract for color and natural flavors: three markers, and 7.5 points gone. But the whole 16-part seasoning sits inside one set of parentheses, and our formula counts top-level ingredients only. So this bag counts as three ingredients and keeps all 5 points for a short list. Tostitos Hint of Lime lists its seasoning flat and counts 12. The rule is applied as written, and it flatters this bag a little.

On The Border's flagship chip has one of the shortest lists in the set: corn flour, vegetable oil and sea salt. No markers, three ingredients. Its ingredient section scores a respectable 20 out of 25, losing points only because "corn flour" is a dried, ground ingredient, which earns half credit as a first ingredient.

The nutrition panel is where it slips. A serving is 150 calories with 8 grams of fat, 2 of them saturated, and 115 mg of sodium, per the label on Utz's product page.

The saturated fat line

Two grams per serving is 7.1 grams per 100 grams, the highest in this ranking and double the Tostitos figure. That earns 3.2 of 10 saturated fat points, the lowest sub-score any chip here gets on that line. Its sodium is ordinary. This is a bag sorted almost entirely by one row of the panel.

Siete's grain-free chips swap corn for cassava flour, with avocado oil, tapioca starch, coconut flour and chia seeds. The Lime version adds a lime seasoning (sea salt and citric acid) and lime oil, for seven ingredients and no markers.

Per serving it has 130 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat, 3 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein, according to Siete's product page. The sodium is 220 mg, which is 786 mg per 100 grams.

What grain-free trades

The cassava base brings real fiber: 8.2 of 10 fiber points, second only to the bean chip. It also brings the least protein in the set, 1 gram a serving, for 1.5 of 10. And because cassava flour is a dried and ground ingredient, it earns 5 first-ingredient points where whole corn earns 10. The extra salt in this flavor then takes it 4 points below its Sea Salt sibling.

Juanita's is a thick, stoneground chip with a devoted following, strongest in the western states. Its list reads like a recipe card: yellow stoneground corn, canola oil, salt and a trace of lime, the calcium hydroxide used to prepare corn for masa. The ingredient section scores 24.7 out of 25.

The panel is heavier than most. A serving is 150 calories with 10 grams of fat, the most in this set, plus 160 mg of sodium and 1 gram of protein, per the label on Fred Meyer's listing.

A near-perfect list, an average panel

At 571 mg of sodium per 100 grams, Juanita's earns 13.5 of 20 sodium points. Its nutrient section, 42.3, is the second lowest among the plain chips. One candid note: this is one of two bags where we could retrieve only a retailer's copy of the panel, so the bag in hand is the final word.

Here is the plain version of Siete's grain-free chip, and it lands within a point of several ordinary corn chips. Six ingredients: cassava flour, avocado oil, tapioca starch, coconut flour, chia seeds and sea salt.

A serving has 130 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat, 140 mg of sodium, 3 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein, according to Siete's product page. The USDA record from 2023 lists 150 mg of sodium, so the current bag is a touch lower.

Higher nutrients, lower ingredients

Its nutrient section, 48.4, actually beats Tostitos Original's 44.9, thanks to that fiber. The ingredient section gives it back: 19.1 out of 25, because of the half-credit first ingredient and a six-item list. Grain-free matters a great deal to people who avoid corn or grains. On this formula, it is neither a penalty nor a bonus worth more than a few points.

Calidad turns up in grocery chains from Texas to the Northeast, and its label is identical, line for line, to the Mission chip one place above it. The ingredients are corn masa flour, water, vegetable oil and sea salt.

Per serving: 140 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat, 90 mg of sodium, 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein, per the panel on H-E-B's listing.

Better on the panel than Tostitos

At 321 mg of sodium per 100 grams, Calidad is less salty than Tostitos, and it lists twice the fiber. Its nutrient section scores 48.2 against 44.9. It finishes two points lower overall for one reason: corn masa flour, a dried and ground ingredient, earns 5 first-ingredient points, while a bag that says simply "corn" earns 10.

Mission's round chips are the sturdy, scoop-friendly ones built for nachos. Four ingredients, no markers: corn masa flour, water, vegetable oil and sea salt, as listed on Mission's product page.

The numbers match Calidad exactly. A serving of about 10 chips is 140 calories with 1 gram of saturated fat, 90 mg of sodium and 2 grams each of fiber and protein.

A judgment call, stated plainly

The wording on the label decides this one. Masa flour is whole corn that has been cooked, dried and ground, then mixed with water again. Our formula gives that half credit, the same tier as "dried potatoes" in the potato chip ranking. If Mission's label read "corn," this chip would score 73 and sit sixth. It is a fair reminder that a score reads the label as printed, and labels describe similar foods in different words.

Xochitl makes the thin, shatteringly crisp chips that win taste tests, and it holds one record here: the lowest sodium of all 18 bags. A serving has just 55 mg, which is 196 mg per 100 grams and worth 18.5 of 20 sodium points.

The brand has also changed its recipe. The chips are now fried in avocado oil, and the current label lists 150 calories and 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving, according to Xochitl's product page. The earlier recipe, still shown on some store listings, carried 3 grams.

Low salt, higher saturated fat

Even at the new figure, 5.4 grams of saturated fat per 100 grams is the second highest in the set, and it earns 5.2 of 10. One gram of fiber per serving keeps the fiber score low as well. So the least salty chip finishes mid-table.

Recipes shift more often than most of us notice, a pattern we traced in 1970s supermarket staples and their 2020s reformulations.

Siete's corn chip is the mirror image of Xochitl. The ingredient list is as good as it gets on this formula: a nixtamalized blend of organic white and yellow corn, avocado oil and sea salt. Three ingredients, no markers, a full 25 out of 25.

The panel is lean too, with 130 calories and 0.5 grams of saturated fat per serving. Then there is the sodium: 240 mg, per Siete's product page.

One line, six points

That is 857 mg per 100 grams, more than twice the Tostitos figure and by far the highest here. It earns 9.8 of 20 sodium points, the lowest sodium sub-score in the ranking. With the same salt level as Tostitos, this chip would score about 76 and sit fourth. If sodium is the line you watch most closely, this is the clearest example of why the back of the bag matters more than the front.

Scoops are the little bowls of the chip world, and on paper they are Tostitos Original in a different shape. Corn, vegetable oil and salt. No markers.

A serving is about 12 chips: 140 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat, 105 mg of sodium, 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein, per the PepsiCo label page, updated October 1, 2026.

Same score, different count

Every scored figure matches the original chip, so the score matches too. What changes is how many chips make an ounce: 12 Scoops against about 7 of the big triangles. What goes in the scoop is its own question.

For that side of the bowl, we compared the usual suspects in guacamole vs. hummus vs. tzatziki.

This is the benchmark bag, and a useful anchor between rankings. It scored 70 when we ran it alongside potato chips, and it scores 70 again here.

The current label lists 140 calories, 1 gram of saturated fat and 105 mg of sodium in a serving of about 7 chips, according to the PepsiCo label page. The USDA record from 2023 lists 115 mg, so the sodium has come down slightly.

The middle of the aisle

Three ingredients earn a perfect 25. The nutrient section, 44.9, is held back by a single gram of fiber and 3.6 grams of saturated fat per 100 grams. Six chips land above it and eleven below, which makes it a handy yardstick: anything scoring higher is doing something measurably different on the panel.

To see how the same bag stacks up against Lay's and Doritos, the full table is in our ranking of 16 popular chips.

Santitas is the other tortilla chip from the company that makes Tostitos, and it edges the flagship. The ingredients are the same three: corn, vegetable oil and salt.

A serving of about 10 chips has 140 calories, 6 grams of fat and 105 mg of sodium, per the PepsiCo label page, updated October 1, 2026.

Half a gram

The saturated fat line reads 0.5 grams where Tostitos reads 1. That half gram is the entire two-point gap between them, and it is a good moment for candor about labels. Small amounts are rounded, so half a gram on paper can be a smaller difference in the bag. We score what is printed, because that is what you can check.

The blue corn chip that has been in natural food stores for decades has had a refresh. The brand now describes it as USDA Organic and made with expeller pressed oil, and the list is organic blue corn, organic oil and sea salt.

A serving of about 12 chips has 140 calories, 0.5 grams of saturated fat and 85 mg of sodium, according to Garden of Eatin's product page.

What changed

The USDA record from 2023 lists 1 gram of saturated fat per serving. The current label's 0.5 grams is worth about two points on its own. At 304 mg of sodium per 100 grams and 2 grams of fiber, the nutrient section reaches 50.4. Blue corn itself earns nothing extra here. The formula sees corn, oil and salt, and a panel with less salt and saturated fat than the benchmark.

The store brand takes fourth, ahead of every national-brand plain corn chip except one. Target's Good & Gather lists organic ground white corn, organic vegetable oil and sea salt.

The panel shows 140 calories, 6 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 80 mg of sodium and 2 grams of fiber per ounce, per Target's product listing.

Quietly strong numbers

At 286 mg of sodium per 100 grams, it earns 17.3 of 20 sodium points. Add a perfect ingredient section and you have a 76. There's nothing flashy on this bag, and that is rather the point. A plain chip with a little less salt and saturated fat moves six points clear of the benchmark.

"Baked" is the one front-of-bag word in this set that maps directly onto the panel. The ingredients are whole corn, corn, vegetable oil and salt, and the bag claims 8 grams of whole grains per serving.

A serving of about 14 chips has 130 calories, 3 grams of fat and no saturated fat, with 2 grams of fiber, per the PepsiCo label page, updated October 1, 2026.

Less fat, about the same calories

Fat drops by more than half compared with regular Scoops, and that earns a full 10 saturated fat points. Calories move far less, from 140 to 130, because carbohydrate rises from 19 to 22 grams. And the sodium is identical at 105 mg. So baking adds six points here, nearly all from the saturated fat and fiber lines.

If lighter snacks are what you're browsing for, we collected a wide range in 50 snacks that are 100 calories or less.

The highest-scoring corn chip is also one of the simplest. Organic whole ground corn, organic safflower or sunflower oil, and sea salt.

A serving of 8 chips has 130 calories, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 2 grams of fiber and just 70 mg of sodium, according to the panel on Kroger's listing. It matches the USDA record published in February 2026.

Good on every line, great on none

That is 250 mg of sodium per 100 grams, a third less than Tostitos, for 17.8 of 20 points. Saturated fat earns 9.1 of 10, and the ingredient section is a clean 25. Nothing about it is dramatic. It simply gives up fewer points than the others, row after row, and that steady pattern is what a 77 looks like in this aisle.

The top score goes to the one chip that is not really a corn chip at all. Beanitos lists black beans first, then sunflower oil, rice flour, tapioca starch and sea salt. Five ingredients, no markers.

A serving of about 11 chips has 130 calories, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 120 mg of sodium, 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein, per the panel on Ralphs' listing.

Beans do the work

Four grams of fiber in 130 calories clears our full-marks line, so Beanitos is the only chip here with 10 of 10 for fiber. Its protein, double that of any corn chip, earns 6.2 of 10. Its sodium is not low: 429 mg per 100 grams, above the middle of this group. One small discrepancy to flag: the brand's own page describes 5 grams of protein, while the panel reads 4. We used the panel.

Fiber per calorie reshuffles other aisles too, as we found with 20 "healthy" cereals ranked by fiber per dollar.

Line the 18 bags up and a few patterns come through clearly.

Calories hardly matter here. Every bag falls between 464 and 536 calories per 100 grams, a spread worth only 1.5 points. Sodium runs from 196 mg to 857 mg per 100 grams, a swing of 8.7 points. Saturated fat runs from zero to 7.1 grams, a swing of 6.8. Those two lines sort the aisle.

The claims explain less than they seem to. The three plain organic chips average 76.2 against 68.3 for the nine plain corn chips with no organic claim. But the formula gives nothing for the word. Those three bags average 280 mg of sodium and 1.8 grams of saturated fat per 100 grams, against 423 mg and 3.8 grams for the rest. A conventional chip with that panel would score the same.

Grain-free is a different chip, not a higher score. The two Siete grain-free bags average 65.5, a little under plain corn. They gain fiber, lose protein and take half credit for a flour-first list. The single baked chip scores 76 and the single bean chip 82, though one bag each is an observation, not a trend.

Seasoning costs more than any claim earns. The two flavored chips average 59.2 and hold the bottom two places. All six of the markers in this ranking are on those two bags.

Crackers behave quite differently under the same formula, with longer ingredient lists and wider spreads, as the table shows in our ranking of 18 popular crackers.

A score compares bags; it does not approve them. A 77 means a chip gives up fewer points than its neighbors on the shelf, and how much lands on the plate still shapes the day far more than which bag it came from. If a doctor or dietitian has given you a sodium target, that guidance comes first.