Posh Crisps Could Be Worse for You Than Normal Ones

Everyone likes a posh crisp. Classier than a bag of Doritos but just as addictive as Sour Cream and Onion Pringles, their flavours range from the relatively normal (cracked sea salt and black pepper, Cheddar and red onion) to the downright weird. Still, great with pint or dipped into that nice hummus your aunt makes.

But be warned fancy snack fans: gourmet crisps could be worse for your health than normal ones.

According to new research from campaign group Changing Markets, many popular crisp brands—including the posh ones—contain dangerously high levels of acrylamide. The carcinogenic chemical forms from a reaction between amino acids, sugar, and water in potatoes when cooked above 120 degrees Celsius.

Researchers at Fera Science tested 92 popular crisps brands, including high-end bags and basic supermarket varieties. The Sweet Potato Lightly Salted crisps from premium snack brand Tyrrells fared the worst, revealed to contain more than three times the recommended amount of acrylamide.

European Union food safety guidelines state that crisps should not contain more than 750 milligrams per kilogram of acrylamide. Tyrrells' sweet potato crisps, however, had 2,486 milligrams per kilogram.

And it wasn't just posh crisps that contained high levels of the chemical. The 80p-a-bag Cheese and Onion Popped Potato Snacks from Morrisons and Aldi's Passions Barbeque Flavour Popped Potato Chips both had twice the recommended amount of acrylamide. Overall, nearly one in five of the crisps sampled contained high levels of the chemical.

Responding to these findings, Nusa Urbancic of Changing Markets, said in a statement: "Eating crisps with high levels of acrylamide increases the risk of cancer for all consumers and it represents a specific concern for children. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) concluded that children are two to three times more at risk for cancer due to dietary exposure to acrylamide."

It's not the first time concerns have been raised about acrylamide. Back in November, the FSA warned that burnt toast and roast potatoes contained dangerously high levels of acrylamide, and advised people to adjust their cooking techniques accordingly. And thanks to a new EU food hygiene directive, by the end of 2017, all pubs and restaurants in the UK will be forced by law to take steps to reduce the amount of acrylamide in the food they sell.

Tyrrells meanwhile, is standing by its sweet potato snack. A spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph: "Sweet potato crisps are made from wholly natural vegetables which incur varying changes in their carbohydrate composition in the course of harvesting at different times of the year. The FSA stated that studies on human subjects have provided limited and inconsistent evidence of increased risk of developing cancer through raised levels of acrylamide."

Maybe just stick with the Cool Ranch Doritos?