Commonly asked questions about chips:

Why is there so much air in my bag of potato chips?

Short answer:

The air is actually nitrogen which helps preserve the potato chips. It also acts as a cushion to help in transport.

Long answer:

Air is mostly nitrogen (78%) and a bit oxygen (21%). If this were in chip bag, the oxygen would react with the oils and fats, making the chips taste spoiled. The nitrogen is an inert gas, which in this case means it doesn't perform such reactions, keeping the chips fresh and crispy.

Why are chips unhealthy if potatoes are a vegetable?

Starting with fries, while the base potatoes are healthy, the fries are cooked in vegetable oil, often deep fried, and sprinkled with a generous helping of salt. The fats in the oil negate the health benefits, leading to fries being considered unhealthy.

Crisps go a slightly different route, being cooked in oil, sprinkled with salt, and then sprinkled with flavouring powder. This flavouring powder often contains MSG, a chemical which makes you think the chips are tastier than they really are. This often leads to eating more chips at a time, and combined with the fats and oils in the chips, this is not very healthy.