For decades, salt and vinegar chips have been a snack aisle favorite, known for their punchy flavor and addictive crunch. First introduced in the 1950s by Irish brand Tayto, the flavor spread quickly and can now be found in every American grocery store. From Lay’s to Cape Cod to Whole Foods’ 365 brand, shoppers now have plenty of options to grab.
But one TikToker says there’s a twist in how some brands label the flavor: Salt & Vinegar vs. Vinegar & Salt.
TikToker Reveals A Key Difference
TikTok creator Kenda (@itsmekenda) filmed herself in the grocery store, pointing to different chip bags. Her video has since garnered more than 278,600 views.
“Did y’all know that the chips that say salt and vinegar have more salt than vinegar,” she says while showing a bag of Crav’n brand chips.
She then turns to another shelf. “And the ones that say vinegar and salt,” she continues, this time showing Tom’s Vinegar and Salt, “got more vinegar than salt.”
In the caption, she added, “This is something I already knew but I wanted to see if anybody else knew that.”
Is There Any Truth To Her Claim?
Looking at the examples Kenda gave, it turns out the claim doesn’t hold up.
For Crav’n’s Salt & Vinegar chips, a 7.75-ounce bag contains 270 milligrams of sodium per 28 milligrams. Tom’s Vinegar and Salt chips, on the other hand, have 330 milligrams of sodium per 28 milligrams in a 5.5-ounce bag—meaning Tom’s actually packs in more salt.
There’s another way to check: the order of ingredients on the label. Both Crav’n and Tom’s list salt before vinegar, showing which ingredient is used in greater quantity.
That said, Tom’s chips may taste sharper because the vinegar flavoring is more layered. Tom’s formula includes sodium diacetate, citric acid, lactose, tartaric acid, malic acid, sugar, and more citric acid.
Crav’n’s vinegar flavor is much simpler, mostly vinegar and malic acid. That difference could explain why Tom’s markets their chips as “vinegar first.”
Other brands do flip the ratio. Boulder Canyon’s Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt chips, for example, have vinegar listed first in the ingredients list, with 230 milligrams of sodium per 1-ounce serving.
The TikToker’s rule, however, doesn’t apply across the board.
@itsmekenda this is something I already knew but I wanted to see if anybody else knew that 😂
Commenters Are Grateful
In the comments, many people admitted they had never even seen a “vinegar and salt” chip before.
“I have never see a vinegar and salt chip in all my days,” one person wrote.
“Ok……. I haven’t ever in my life seen a vinegar and salt chip—where do you live?!” another asked.
Others thanked her for sharing. “You done learned me something today,” one user commented.
“Tom’s Vinegar and salt better!!! Especially the waves,” a fourth commenter wrote.