Which Has More Sodium, Veggie Straws or Pirate's Booty?

Veggie Straws have slightly more sodium: 220 mg per 1 oz (10% DV) vs 210 mg (9% DV) for Pirate's Booty Aged White Cheddar. Only Pirate's Booty contains milk.

Per 1 oz, Pirate's Booty Aged White Cheddar (4 oz bag) lists 140 calories, 7 g total fat, and 210 mg sodium, and its label declares milk. Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws Sea Salt (7 oz bag), called Veggie Straws here, lists 130 calories, 7 g total fat, and 220 mg sodium, and its ingredient list contains no milk ingredient.

Key takeaways

• Pirate's Booty lists 210 mg sodium per 1 oz (9% DV), and Veggie Straws list 220 mg (10% DV).
• Both list 7 g total fat per 1 oz, with 1 g saturated fat on each panel.
• Pirate's Booty declares milk through cheddar cheese, whey, and buttermilk. The Veggie Straws ingredient list has no milk ingredient.
• Neither ingredient list contains a certified synthetic dye. Veggie Straws use turmeric and beetroot powder for color.
• Online listings for both snacks have varied, so the package in hand is the final reference.

How do the two snacks compare at a glance per 1 oz?

Per 1 oz, Pirate's Booty lists 140 calories, 7 g total fat, and 210 mg sodium, while Veggie Straws list 130 calories, 7 g total fat, and 220 mg sodium. Both panels use a 1 oz serving, even though the bags differ in size, 4 oz versus 7 oz.

The two bags are close on calories, total fat, and sodium, and they differ most on milk, ingredient order, and how completely each label discloses nutrients. The figures below come from the Hershey brand page for Pirate's Booty and the Brookshire's retailer listing for Veggie Straws, with Open Food Facts as a cross-check for Veggie Straws.

Per 1 oz serving	Pirate's Booty Aged White Cheddar (4 oz bag)	Veggie Straws Sea Salt (7 oz bag)
Servings per container	About 4	7
Calories	140	130
Total fat	7 g (9% DV)	7 g (9% DV)
Saturated fat	1 g (5% DV)	1 g (4% DV)
Trans fat	Not disclosed	0 g
Cholesterol	Less than 5 mg (0% DV)	0 mg (0% DV)
Sodium	210 mg (9% DV)	220 mg (10% DV)
Total carbohydrate	18 g (7% DV)	17 g (6% DV)
Total sugars	1 g	Not quoted (sources disagree)
Added sugars	0 g (0% DV)	0 g (0% DV)
Protein	3 g	Not quoted (sources disagree)
Calcium	Not disclosed	80 mg (6% DV)
Milk statement	Contains Milk	No milk ingredient listed; may-contain statement not disclosed on the pages reviewed

Because nutrition information is based on one serving, the bag size changes how much you take in, not the per-ounce values. Pirate's Booty's bag holds about 4 servings, and Veggie Straws' bag holds 7.

How much sodium is in Pirate's Booty vs Veggie Straws per 1 oz?

Pirate's Booty has 210 mg sodium per 1 oz (9% DV), and Veggie Straws have 220 mg (10% DV). That is a difference of 10 mg per ounce.

The FDA lists the Daily Value for sodium as less than 2,300 mg per day. The agency describes 5% DV or less per serving as low and 20% DV or more as high. Both snacks are above the 5% DV low threshold and below the 20% DV high threshold. The FDA's sodium guidance also says that over 70% of dietary sodium comes from packaged and prepared foods, and that recommended limits for children under age 14 are even lower than for adults. No milligram figure for children is given in that guidance, so none is quoted here.

Sodium can differ by bag size and multipack format, so this comparison covers only the 4 oz Pirate's Booty bag and the 7 oz Veggie Straws bag.

For another sodium comparison between two snack aisle staples, see Which Has More Sodium, Goldfish or Annie's Bunnies?.

How much fat is in Pirate's Booty vs Veggie Straws per 1 oz?

Both bags list 7 g of total fat per 1 oz, which is 9% DV on each panel, and 1 g of saturated fat on each panel. Saturated fat is 5% DV for Pirate's Booty and 4% DV for Veggie Straws.

Veggie Straws also list 0 g trans fat, 2 g polyunsaturated fat, and 4 g monounsaturated fat per serving. The trans fat and polyunsaturated and monounsaturated breakdown for Pirate's Booty is not disclosed on the Hershey panel. The Open Food Facts record for Veggie Straws (UPC 829515302030) lists 25 g fat per 100 g, which matches 7 g per 28 g serving.

Fat sources are listed differently. Pirate's Booty lists canola oil. Veggie Straws list expeller pressed canola oil and/or safflower oil and/or sunflower oil, so the oil can vary by listing. An older Open Food Facts recipe for the same 4 oz Pirate's Booty UPC listed other oils. This article uses the Hershey page as the current recipe.

The Veggie Straws listing also carries a package claim of 30% less fat than the leading potato chips per 1 oz serving, showing 7 g for Veggie Straws and 10 g for the leading potato chip. The competing chip was not named in the listing, so readers should not infer which chip it is. The claim is the brand's own comparison and has not been independently tested here.

What ingredients are in Pirate's Booty vs Sensible Portions Veggie Straws?

Pirate's Booty lists cornmeal first, while Veggie Straws list potato starch and potato flour first. Ingredients are listed by predominance, so this difference shows what each snack is built on. Only Pirate's Booty contains milk, through cheddar cheese, whey, and buttermilk.

Pirate's Booty's ingredients, as printed on the Hershey page: "Cornmeal, Canola Oil, Rice Flour, Cheddar Cheese (Milk, Cheese Culture, Salt, Enzymes), Whey (Milk), Buttermilk, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Salt, Natural Flavor, Lactic Acid, Citric Acid, Black Pepper."

Veggie Straws' ingredients, as printed on the Brookshire's listing: "POTATO STARCH, POTATO FLOUR, EXPELLER PRESSED CANOLA OIL AND/OR SAFFLOWER OIL AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL, SPINACH POWDER, TOMATO PASTE, SALT, CANE SUGAR, CORN STARCH, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, TURMERIC (COLOR), BEETROOT POWDER (COLOR), SEA SALT."

A few points stand out when the two lists are read side by side:

• Spinach powder and tomato paste appear mid-list in Veggie Straws. No percentage is given, so the amount of either ingredient is not disclosed.
• Cane sugar is listed as an ingredient; the panel reports 0 g added sugars per 1 oz.
• Pirate's Booty's milk sources are cheddar cheese, whey, and buttermilk.
• Pirate's Booty's seasoning items fall under the "Contains 2% Or Less" line.
• Neither list contains a certified synthetic dye. Veggie Straws use turmeric and beetroot powder as color, and the Pirate's Booty page states "no artificial colors."

Does Pirate's Booty contain milk, and do Veggie Straws have dairy?

Yes, Pirate's Booty Aged White Cheddar carries a "Contains Milk" allergen statement on the Hershey page, and its ingredients include cheddar cheese, whey, and buttermilk. The Veggie Straws ingredient list has no milk ingredient, and the Brookshire's listing tags it dairy-free.

The FDA's food allergy guidance lists milk as one of the 9 major food allergens, alongside eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, and sesame. Under the labeling rule, an allergen can be identified by the common name of the ingredient when that name already identifies the food source. Buttermilk is the agency's example of a name that identifies milk.

The Veggie Straws listing does not disclose a may-contain statement, so cross-contact risk cannot be assessed from these pages. Readers managing a milk allergy should read the package in hand. For another packaged-snack dairy question, see Ritz vs Club Crackers: Does Either Contain Butter?.

Why do the online listings for these snacks differ?

Listings for the same product do not always agree, so the figures here come from specific pages and the package in hand is the final reference.

An older Open Food Facts record for the 4 oz Pirate's Booty UPC (015665601004) lists different oils and includes sea salt and black pepper extract, with a serving size of 28 g. This article uses the Hershey page as current.

Veggie Straws retailer panels and Open Food Facts also show different total sugar and fiber values. Those numbers are not quoted here. Only the 0 g added sugars figure is consistent across sources.

What other nutrients and sugars does each label list per 1 oz?

Veggie Straws list calcium, iron, and potassium per 1 oz, while the Hershey panel for Pirate's Booty does not list them. Fiber is not on the Pirate's Booty panel, and Veggie Straws fiber values differ between sources, so neither is quoted.

Veggie Straws list 80 mg calcium (6% DV), 0.6 mg iron (4% DV), and 210 mg potassium (4% DV) per serving. Those are the nutrient values on the label. The amount of spinach and tomato in the recipe is not disclosed, so this article does not describe the snack as a vegetable serving.

Pirate's Booty lists 18 g total carbohydrate and 3 g protein per 1 oz, with 1 g total sugars and 0 g added sugars. Veggie Straws list 17 g total carbohydrate and 0 g added sugars. Veggie Straws' total sugars and protein are not quoted because the retailer panel and Open Food Facts disagree.

Is Pirate's Booty healthy for kids, and are Veggie Straws healthy for kids?

The label facts cannot by themselves establish whether either snack is healthy for children, but they show the sodium, fat, and milk details that parents often compare.

Are Veggie Straws bad for you?

The label facts do not show that Veggie Straws are bad for you, and this article does not make that claim. The panel shows 220 mg sodium, 7 g total fat, and cane sugar in the ingredient list, with 0 g added sugars, per 1 oz.

The Hershey page's brand copy suggests keeping Pirate's Booty "stocked for lunchboxes," and its panel shows 210 mg sodium per 1 oz. The FDA's guidance says limits for children under age 14 are even lower, but no milligram figure for children is quoted here. A child with a milk allergy would need to avoid the Pirate's Booty bag, since milk is declared, and the Veggie Straws listing would still need a package check for may-contain language.

These labels cannot show how any individual child responds to sodium, fat, or any ingredient.

How do you check the label on these two snacks before buying?

Check the serving size, the sodium line, and the allergen statement on the package in front of you, because online listings for both snacks have varied.

• Confirm the bag size, 4 oz or 7 oz, and the serving size, which is 1 oz on both panels compared here.
• Compare the sodium line in mg and % DV, then multiply by the number of servings you expect to eat.
• Look for "Contains Milk" or a milk ingredient such as cheese, whey, or buttermilk.
• Read for a may-contain statement, which these listings do not disclose for Veggie Straws.
• Scan the ingredient list for color ingredients such as turmeric or beetroot powder.
• Compare the package with the manufacturer or retailer page if the numbers do not match.

This comparison covers only the 4 oz Pirate's Booty bag and the 7 oz Veggie Straws bag. Label values reflect the listings cited here, and the package in hand is the reference.