The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a starchy tuber first domesticated in the Andes of South America and now one of the world’s most important food crops. For snacks, two quite different routes start from it.
Classic potato chips are thin slices of fresh potato fried or baked until crisp. Varieties with high dry matter and low sugar are preferred, because they absorb less oil and brown evenly instead of turning dark. Stacked crisps work differently: dried potato is mixed with starches and water into a dough, rolled thin, cut and fried into identical shapes. That is why Lay’s Stax Original lists potato at 52%, followed by rice bran oil, wheat starch and modified starch.
Potato itself is not a common allergen and is naturally gluten-free, but formed crisps such as Stax also contain wheat starch, and seasonings can add milk or other allergens.
This page also groups dried potato and potato-based doughs, so every snack made from potato in any form is listed here.
