Potato chips in the test - pollutant "possibly triggers cancer"

Created: 10/23/2022 2:17 p.m

By: Linus Prien

Potato chips © picture alliance / Daniel Karmann/dpa

Whether at a party, at the cinema or just in between, potato chips are an extremely popular snack.

This test shows, among other things, the negative aspects of the chips.

Berlin - They have always been popular in Germany and in many countries around the world.

If you only want to try something, you usually lose.

Because potato chips are addictive.

But the combination of crispy pleasure, fat and carbohydrates is not always that irresistible, as the Stiftung Warentest has found out.

For the current “test” (issue 11/2022) on potato chips, the testers lose interest in nibbling when the chips taste of rancid fat, burnt and bitter or collect negative points for their harmful substance content.

Five of the 25 products tested failed completely with the judgment "poor".

A just "sufficient" receive six more chips.

Potato chips in the test: That's in the snack

Usually it is too much salt and the pollutant note that make a good result impossible.

The testers were particularly annoyed by detected acrylamide.

It occurs during frying and baking when temperatures rise above 120 degrees.

The pollutant can change the genetic material and possibly trigger cancer.

But also green spots with glycoalkaloids from the potato skins, the harmful fat conversion product glycidol from the oil and mineral oil hydrocarbons from production spoil the snacking pleasure.

According to the product testers, critical substances in chips cannot be completely avoided.

But there, too, concentration makes the difference.

Potato chips in the test: not all offers are full of pollutants

The test winner proves that low levels of pollutants are also possible: The Krusty Guys potato chips take first place in the test.

They taste aromatic, are crispy and seasoned in a variety of ways and have the lowest fat and salt content.

Krusty guys cost 1.73 euros per 100 g.

A further seven products also perform “well”: In the case of potato chips with paprika, these are: Crunchips (1.02 euros/100 g), Aldi Sun Snacks (0.50 euros/100 g), Chio Red paprika (1.14 euros /100 g).

When it comes to potato snacks, the Pom-Bears are in the lead (1.99 euros/100 g), followed by the Kaufland K-Classic Sun, Moon & Stars Snack (0.89/100 g).

When it comes to stackable chips, those from Edeka Gut & Billig and Rewe Ja (each 74 cents/100 g) come off “well”.

The testers also gave an environmental tip to take along with them: crisp bags are easier to recycle than stackable crisp cans.