Additive guides · Product label guide
Takis ingredients, line by line: what is in the label and what our checker flags.
Updated
The Takis ingredient list as recorded in our catalog, read line by line: the oil, the seasoning, the dye and the preservative, and which additive groups the checker flags, with the label date.
Quick answer
The Takis Fuego label in our catalog lists corn flour, a vegetable oil blend, and a long seasoning with salt, maltodextrin, citric acid, sugar, monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed soy protein, yeast extract, Red 40 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake and TBHQ as a preservative. Our checker flags four groups on it: seed oils, artificial dyes, MSG and artificial preservatives. This page quotes the label exactly as recorded and shows the date we read it; makers can change recipes, so read the bag you buy.
- Takis labels in our catalog
- 2
- Takis Fuego score
- 39 of 100
- Groups flagged
- Seed Oils, Artificial Dyes, MSG, Artificial Preservatives
01 · A closer look
Read the label in four parts.
A Takis label has four parts. The base is corn flour processed with lime, the same masa used for tortilla chips. The frying oil is listed as a vegetable oil blend (palm and/or soybean and/or canola oil, depending on the batch). The seasoning is a long bracketed list. Last come the colors and the small print. Reading it that way makes a long list manageable.
02 · A closer look
The oil.
The label says palm, soybean or canola oil, in any combination. Our checker matches soybean and canola oil by name as seed oils, so a label that lists them is flagged under that group; plain palm oil is not flagged. Because the wording is and/or, the bag does not tell you which oil was in your batch.
03 · A closer look
The seasoning.
Salt, maltodextrin, citric acid and sugar make up the base of the seasoning. Monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed soy protein and yeast extract are the savory notes; the checker flags monosodium glutamate by name and does not flag yeast extract or hydrolyzed protein, which carry free glutamate under other names (see our guide to MSG). Citric acid is the sour in the lime.
04 · A closer look
The color and the preservative.
The seasoning lists Red 40 Lake and Yellow 6 Lake, certified colors that the checker flags under artificial dyes, and ends with TBHQ (preservative), which the checker flags under its artificial preservatives group. On April 22, 2025 HHS and the FDA announced a plan to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes, naming Red 40 and Yellow 6 among six, as a voluntary effort; our food dye guide tracks the current status.
05 · A closer look
What the score means.
The score is a 0 to 100 label score: 60 points for additive groups that come back clear, up to 25 for a verified organic claim and up to 15 for verified pasture-raised or grass-fed. It is not a health rating, and it does not measure heat, salt or calories. The same maker’s other snacks are different labels; this page covers only the products named above.
From the catalog · 1 labels
Takis Fuego Hot Chili Pepper & Lime Tortilla Chips
Ingredient statement as recorded, source https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2554005/nutrients, read 2026-10-16: CORN FLOUR (PROCESSED WITH LIME), VEGETABLE OIL (PALM AND/OR SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL), SEASONING [SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, CITRIC ACID, SUGAR, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, ONION POWDER, YEAST EXTRACT, RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CHILI PEPPER (CHILE), DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, TBHQ (PRESERVATIVE)].
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Score | 39 of 100 |
| Additive groups flagged by the checker | Seed Oils, Artificial Dyes, MSG, Artificial Preservatives |
| Shelf | Chips & crisps |
From the catalog · 1 labels
Takis Smokin' Lime & Chipotle Double Crunch Peanuts
Ingredient statement as recorded, source https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2666419/nutrients, read 2026-10-20: PEANUTS, WHEAT FLOUR, VEGETABLE OIL (CANOLA AND PALM OIL), MODIFIED CORN STARCH, STARCH (YELLOW PEA, TAPIOCA AND CORN), SEASONING [MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, CHILI PEPPER (CHILE), TOMATO, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, ONION POWDER, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, RED 40 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE, SOYBEAN OIL, CHILI PEPPER EXTRACT, YEAST EXTRACT, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, TBHQ (PRESERVATIVE)], SUGAR, DEXTROSE, PEANUT SKIN, MALTODEXTRIN, SODIUM BICARBONATE, AMMONIUM BICARBONATE, SALT.
| Result | |
|---|---|
| Score | 39 of 100 |
| Additive groups flagged by the checker | Seed Oils, Artificial Dyes, MSG, Artificial Preservatives |
| Shelf | Nuts & seeds |
Compare the recorded labels
Find the ingredients that matter to you.
“No …” columns: None found on the label · Listed on the label · Unknown. Diet fit: Fits · Doesn’t fit · Unknown (rules; not medical advice). Claims: verified · not established. Default: most check marks first; not a health score.
| Buy | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 / 1005 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Product details → | 1 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients CORN FLOUR (PROCESSED WITH LIME), VEGETABLE OIL (PALM AND/OR SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA OIL), SEASONING [SALT, MALTODEXTRIN, CITRIC ACID, SUGAR, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, HYDROLYZED SOY PROTEIN, ONION POWDER, YEAST EXTRACT, RED 40 LAKE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SOYBEAN OIL, CHILI PEPPER (CHILE), DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, TBHQ (PRESERVATIVE)]. Label checked 2026-10-16 · US Source: USDA FoodData Central ↗ · FDC ID 2554005 · data date 2023-05-25 · release 2026-04-30. Brand-submitted label record, public domain (CC0). | ||||||||
| 39 / 1005 of 9 groups clear · no organic claim | Product details → | 1 | ||||||
Recorded ingredients PEANUTS, WHEAT FLOUR, VEGETABLE OIL (CANOLA AND PALM OIL), MODIFIED CORN STARCH, STARCH (YELLOW PEA, TAPIOCA AND CORN), SEASONING [MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, CHILI PEPPER (CHILE), TOMATO, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, ONION POWDER, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, YELLOW 6 LAKE, RED 40 LAKE, BLUE 2 LAKE, SOYBEAN OIL, CHILI PEPPER EXTRACT, YEAST EXTRACT, DISODIUM INOSINATE, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, TBHQ (PRESERVATIVE)], SUGAR, DEXTROSE, PEANUT SKIN, MALTODEXTRIN, SODIUM BICARBONATE, AMMONIUM BICARBONATE, SALT. Label checked 2026-10-20 · US Source: USDA FoodData Central ↗ · FDC ID 2666419 · data date 2023-11-16 · release 2026-04-30. Brand-submitted label record, public domain (CC0). | ||||||||
How the clean score works
No setup needed, and strict: a full 100 needs every additive group clear and a verified organic claim (animal foods also need a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim; wild seafood and salt, which have no USDA organic standard, are scored without the organic points, and plant-based milks, cheeses and proteins without the feeding claim). Points: the nine additive groups (seed oils, artificial dyes, MSG, artificial sweeteners, carrageenan, artificial preservatives, hydrogenated oils, corn syrups, banned-abroad additives) share 60 points equally — not found earns a group’s full share, “may contain” earns half, listed earns 0; a verified organic claim is worth 25; a verified grass-fed or pasture-raised claim is worth 15 and counts only for animal foods. No claim, or an expired or unverified claim, earns nothing, so products without those claims cannot reach 100. Unverified or expired ingredient labels receive no score. Equal scores are equal. Ties are ordered by brand. Unknown and stale evidence never passes “Only show matches.” Producer claims and prices do not affect this score. This is not a nutrition, allergy, or safety rating.
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