Do Siete chips have acrylamide?

October 17, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, some Siete chips, specifically their potato varieties, carry a Proposition 65 warning for acrylamide. This raises important questions for consumers asking, 'Do Siete chips have acrylamide?', particularly concerning their popular grain-free options.

Quick Summary

Some Siete chips, like their kettle-cooked potato chips, contain a Prop 65 warning for acrylamide due to high-temperature cooking. However, Siete's popular grain-free tortilla chips, made from cassava and coconut flour, are processed differently. The presence of acrylamide varies by ingredient and cooking method, not all of the brand's products are affected equally.

Key Points

Potato-Based Siete Chips: Siete's kettle-cooked potato chips contain a California Proposition 65 warning for acrylamide, indicating its presence due to high-temperature cooking.
Grain-Free Siete Chips: The popular grain-free tortilla chips, made from cassava and coconut flour, do not carry the same warning, as different ingredients and processing methods affect acrylamide formation.
Formation Process: Acrylamide is a natural chemical byproduct formed during high-temperature cooking of starchy foods, resulting from the Maillard reaction.
Health Guidance: Major health organizations classify acrylamide as a potential risk based on animal studies but advise against eliminating common foods. They recommend a balanced diet with variety.
Risk Mitigation: Consumers can reduce exposure by varying their diet, cooking foods lightly, and choosing different preparation methods like steaming or boiling.
Ingredient Transparency: Siete's different product ingredients and preparation methods mean the acrylamide risk level is not uniform across all their chip lines.

Understanding Acrylamide in Cooked Foods

Acrylamide is a chemical compound that naturally forms in many starchy plant-based foods, such as potatoes, grains, and coffee beans, when they are cooked at high temperatures (typically above 120°C or 248°F). It is not a food additive but a natural byproduct of the Maillard reaction, a chemical process that gives cooked foods their brown color and toasty flavor. Frying, roasting, and baking are cooking methods known to produce acrylamide, while boiling and steaming do not.

Since its discovery in foods in 2002, numerous health organizations have studied acrylamide. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies acrylamide as a "probable human carcinogen" based on high-dose animal studies, but human epidemiological studies have been less conclusive. The FDA and other agencies advise reducing overall exposure, not eliminating these foods entirely, and focusing on a balanced diet.

The California Proposition 65 Warning

In California, Proposition 65 requires businesses to notify citizens about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer or birth defects. Siete Foods' kettle-cooked potato chips, for example, carry this warning, stating that consuming the product can expose one to acrylamide. This notification is crucial because it indicates that, under certain processing conditions, products can contain this chemical.

The Breakdown: Siete Chips by Type

Siete offers a variety of chips, and the presence of acrylamide depends heavily on the specific product's ingredients and how it's cooked. The most significant difference is between their potato-based chips and their grain-free chips.

Siete Kettle Cooked Potato Chips

Ingredients: Potatoes, avocado oil, and sea salt.
Processing: Kettle-cooked, a high-heat frying method. As potatoes are starchy vegetables rich in sugars and the amino acid asparagine, this process is known to create acrylamide.
Acrylamide Risk: These products explicitly state the Proposition 65 warning for acrylamide, confirming its presence due to the high-temperature frying process.

Siete Grain-Free Tortilla Chips

Ingredients: Cassava flour, coconut flour, avocado oil, and sea salt.
Processing: Fried in avocado oil. While this is a high-heat method, the risk of acrylamide is different because the ingredients are not potato-based.
Acrylamide Risk: Acrylamide formation is tied to the reaction between asparagine and reducing sugars, which is most pronounced in potatoes. Cassava and coconut flour have different chemical compositions, and manufacturers can utilize processing techniques to minimize risk. Siete does not list a Proposition 65 warning on these products, suggesting lower concern.

Siete Grain-Free Dip Chips

Ingredients: Cassava flour, pumpkin powder, coconut flour, and avocado oil.
Processing: Similar to the other grain-free tortilla chips, they are fried in avocado oil.
Acrylamide Risk: Again, due to the non-potato base and different ingredient profile, the risk profile is different than traditional potato chips, though some plant-based vegetable chips can also contain acrylamide.

Comparison of Chip Types and Acrylamide Risk


Feature	Siete Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips	Siete Grain-Free Tortilla Chips	Traditional Potato Chips
Key Ingredient	Potatoes	Cassava and Coconut Flour	Potatoes
Processing	Kettle-cooked (High-temperature frying)	Fried in Avocado Oil	High-temperature frying
Acrylamide Risk	Contains a Proposition 65 warning	Lower risk profile due to non-potato ingredients and specific processing	High risk due to high-starch content and high-heat frying
Prop 65 Warning	Yes	No, not listed on product page	Varies by brand and location

What Can You Do to Reduce Your Acrylamide Exposure?

If you are concerned about acrylamide exposure from food, the FDA offers several strategies that align with a healthy, balanced diet.

Vary your diet: Eating a wide variety of foods helps minimize exposure to any single chemical compound. Include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.
Cook foods lightly: When cooking starchy foods like potatoes at home, aim for a golden-yellow color rather than a dark brown, as darker areas contain more acrylamide.
Consider preparation methods: Boiling and steaming foods like potatoes will not create acrylamide. If frying, using a lower temperature for a shorter time can also help reduce formation.
Proper storage: Do not store raw potatoes in the refrigerator, as this can increase the amount of reducing sugars and lead to more acrylamide formation when cooked.

For consumers purchasing processed snacks like Siete chips, reviewing the ingredient list and any associated warnings (like California's Prop 65 warning) is the most direct approach. Siete is transparent about the ingredients in both its potato chips and grain-free chips, allowing for an informed choice.

Conclusion

In summary, the answer to "do Siete chips have acrylamide?" is dependent on the specific chip variety. The company's kettle-cooked potato chips do contain a Proposition 65 warning for acrylamide due to the high-temperature frying process applied to potatoes. However, their popular grain-free chips, which are made from cassava, coconut flour, and fried in avocado oil, are processed differently and do not carry this warning. The presence of acrylamide is determined by the specific ingredients and the cooking method, underscoring the importance of ingredient awareness. For consumers concerned about acrylamide, choosing a variety of foods and cooking methods is the most effective strategy, a practice that the FDA endorses as part of a healthy eating plan.

For more information on acrylamide in food, visit the FDA's official resource page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Acrylamide is a chemical that naturally forms in certain starchy foods, like potatoes, during high-temperature cooking processes such as frying, baking, or roasting. It forms from a reaction between sugars and the amino acid asparagine.

No. The presence of acrylamide depends on the ingredients and cooking method. The company's kettle-cooked potato chips carry a Prop 65 warning for acrylamide, but the grain-free cassava chips do not, as they are made with different ingredients.

Some potato chips carry a cancer warning, such as California's Proposition 65, because the high-temperature frying process used on starchy potatoes can produce detectable levels of acrylamide, a chemical linked to cancer in animal studies.

Siete grain-free chips, made from cassava and coconut flour, have a lower risk of acrylamide formation compared to potato-based chips because they use different base ingredients. However, some veggie chips can also contain acrylamide depending on their composition.

The Prop 65 warning on Siete's potato chips means that the product exposes consumers to acrylamide, a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer. It is an informational warning, not a ban on the product.

To reduce your overall dietary exposure to acrylamide, the FDA suggests eating a balanced diet with a wide variety of foods, varying your cooking methods (e.g., steaming and boiling instead of just frying), and cooking starchy foods to a golden-yellow rather than dark brown color.

No, acrylamide has likely been present in cooked foods for as long as high-temperature cooking has existed. Its presence in food was only discovered and reported by scientists in 2002.