Cancer in a Can: The Shocking True Story of how ‘Pringles’ are Made

If you want to understand the nature of Pringles and other stackable chips, you can forget idea that they are made from actual potatoes in any recognizable way.

The Pringles Company (in an effort to avoid taxes levied against “luxury foods” like chips in the UK) once even stated that the content of potatoes in their chips was so small that they are technically not even a potato chips.

So what are they exactly made of?

The process starts with a slurry of rice, potato flakes, wheat and corn which are pressed into shape.

This dough-like substance is then rolled out into an ultra-thin sheet cut into thin chip-cookies by a machine.

According to io9:

“The chips move forward on a conveyor belt where they’re pressed onto molds, that gives them the curve thathelpsthem fit into one another.

Those molds move through boiling oil … Then are blown dried, sprayed with the powdered flavors, and at last, placed onto a slower-moving conveyor belt specially made allowing them to stack. After that, they go into the cans … and off to the innocent mouths of the consumers.”

I think that mostly everyone reading this, enjoys the taste of potato chips. However, one thing is clear, they are one of the most toxic processed foods you can eat— it doesn’t matter if they are made from actual potato shavings or not.

Potato Chips are Loaded with Cancer-Causing Chemicals.

One of the most hazardous ingredients in potato chips are not intentionally added, but rather are a byproduct of the processing.

A cancer-causing and potentially neurotoxic chemical, Acrylamide, is created when carbohydrate-rich foods are cooked at high temperatures, whether fried, baked, toasted or roasted. Some of the worst offenders include French fries and potato chips, but many foods cooked or processed at temperatures above 212°F (100°C) are likely to contain acrylamide. The main rule is: the chemical is formed when the food is heated enough to produce a fairly dry and yellow/brown surface.

Hereby, it can be found in:

Potatoes: French fries, chips and other fried or roasted potato foods
Grains: toast,bread crust, roasted breakfast cereals, crisp bread and various processed snacks.
Coffee: ground coffee powder and roasted coffee beans. Surprisingly, substitutes for coffee based on chicory actually contain 2-3 times MORE acrylamide than real coffee.