Pig fat in Lay’s potato chips? Lay’s is not 100 per cent vegetarian! (2024)

Lay's Chips contain vegetarian or non-vegetarian flavor enhancer?

Lately there were noticeably many cases of adulteration in food products that we consume on a day to day basis. In the wake of the Maggi controversy revolving around the high level of lead and MSG it contains, do you know there are many other harmful products that we are consuming every day? One of them being Disodium Inosinate also known as E 631, which is found in packaged food like instant noodles and chips. It is used as a taste enhancer along with MSG to give that specific savoury taste that makes the junk food taste different.

Is E 631 non vegetarian? It is commercial prepared from meat or fish. Although it can also have a plant origin when it is made from the Tapioca starch, but otherwise mostly the origin is from meat. Those suffering from gout and asthma should steer clear of such products. Also those who are vegetarians or vegans should not consume. (ALSO READ: Haldiram’s to be banned? United States Food and Drug Administration finds pesticides in its cookies, Wafers and biscuits!)

Lay’s Chips contain vegetarian or non-vegetarian flavor enhancer? In 2004, disodium inosinate was removed from the food additive list by Codex Alimentarius Commission. The taste enhancer is very much present in the chips. But the PepsiCo statement says that all the products of PepsiCo is produced from plant extracts and is 100 per cent vegetarian. All the products contain the green dot within a square, the indication that it is vegetarian as per the regulations laid down by the food safety and standards act 2006. (ALSO READ: Maggi contains excessive lead controversy: ‘Nestle India confirms extracts of beef, pig fats and dangerous chemicals in its products’, claims WhatsApp message)

The official statement of the Lay’s in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan produced a statement and certificate stating that the Lay’s produced there is 100 per cent halal. The flavor enhancer is imported from Thailand.