Packaged snacks have become super popular in all cultures, especially in the western world. Coming in a variety of flavors and shapes, these items sometimes have a ton of additives, most of which are hard to pronounce and sometimes can be misleading.
Many manufacturers of chips actually use animal fats in the processing of these snacks to add flavor. So is there pork in Doritos as some people have claimed?
Continue reading below as we take a deep dive into the ingredients of your favorite chips.
Doritos Ingredients?
Doritos have become really popular in the past two decades. At first glance, one would think – it’s a chip, so it is definitely vegan. But, is it?
If you’re vegan or health conscious, it can be hard finding snacks that are free from animal ingredients.
According to their packaging, an original Dorito chip made in the United States will consist of whole corn, salt, vegetable oil (usually corn, soybean, and/or sunflower oil), cheddar cheese, whey, maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, onion powder, corn flour, tomato powder, natural and artificial flavors and several others.
Does Doritos Have Pork in it?
Now while the ingredients do not explicitly state that pork is an ingredient, the truth is that some Doritos products have a component of pork in them. This is found in a primary ingredient that is used for flavoring known as porcine. Porcine is common in food manufacturing because it adds a distinct flavor to food.
Because of how strict US manufacturing laws have become, porcine has been replaced by some manufacturers including Frito Lay.
So Doritos made in the USA do not have porcine as an added ingredient, so they do not have any pork in them!
If the chips are made elsewhere, then it is likely that they may contain porcine. Generally though, some flavors such as Chili Cheese Nacho, Spicy Ranch, Cool Ranch, Chile Limón, Nacho Cheese, Simply Organic Spicy White Cheddar, Spicy Nacho, Spicy Sweet Chili and Wasabi do not contain porcine.
While these chips might not contain porcine, they may however contain other animal components. Ranch flavors for instance contain ranch dressing which is generally made with milk. Other cheese flavors will also contain dairy components. So if you are strictly vegan, you will need to check the ingredients super carefully.
Wrapping it up
To sum up, unfortunately most Doritos products are not vegan. While some might not contain porcine, which is technically not pork but a pork derived enzyme, there are many other animal bi-products that are either used in the manufacturing process or added for flavoring.
As such, if you prefer not to consume animal products of any kind, you will need to read and evaluate the labeling on your food carefully. Keep in mind that some animal ingredients might be masked by fancy scientific names, so research anything that seems unfamiliar or vague!
