FAQ's

Vandy is the return to the traditional potato chip.

One summer in 1853, chef George Crum sliced potatoes razor-thin, fried them in beef tallow, and served them to Cornelius Vanderbilt at his favorite summer Adirondacks resort. The Commodore took one bite and never looked back. That is precisely when the potato chip was born.

Time passed, and “Big Food” took over. Seed oils replaced tallow. Pesticide-sprayed potatoes replaced natural ones. Over time, the once-nourishing and delicious chip that graced country clubs became unrecognizable.

Vandy takes it back to the traditional route. Each bag is made with organic potatoes free of CIPC, fried in grass-fed beef tallow, and seasoned with sea salt. No seed oils, no pesticides, and nothing artificial. Simply the crunch worthy of a Vanderbilt.

Tallow is the pure fat that comes out of fatty meat when you heat it. Similar to bacon fat, but from cows.

CIPC (chlorpropham) is a synthetic chemical sprout suppressant routinely applied to conventionally grown potatoes after harvest to extend their shelf life. It has been banned in Europe due to safety concerns, yet it remains widely used in the U.S.

With Vandy Crisps, you're getting a potato grown the way nature intended, without any CIPC.

Vandy is not fully certified organic. We choose organic ingredients where it matters most and intentionally source non-organic when it delivers better quality. For example, organic tallow doesn't have to be 100% grass-fed, and to us, grass-fed is far more important, especially since most top ranches aren't certified organic.

Thanks to your support, our potatoes are now 100% certified organic. Most of our spices are organic as well, with a few exceptions clearly noted on the label.

Organic means non-GMO, so our organic ingredients are non-GMO.

No, potatoes are not keto-friendly.

No additives, including deodorizers or solvents, are used in making the tallow.

Yes, the tallow comes from 100% grass fed cows. Raised right here in the United States.

We source our certified organic, CIPC-free potatoes from a long-standing farmer in Idaho.

Our tallow is from farms in the Midwest, our salt is from Utah, and our spices are from around the world.

Vandy is available in four flavors: Vandy Original, Vandy Herbes de Provence, Vandy Smokehouse BBQ, and Vandy French Onion.

Standard FDA-approved food packaging called MET-PET.

No, there are no preservatives! However, the bags are packed with nitrogen, which reduces the oxygen in the bag. This protects against oxidation and rancidity without altering the chemistry of your crisps.

We fill our bags with extra air to protect your crisps from breaking during shipping. That “air” is actually nitrogen, which is commonly used in food packaging to keep products fresh. Nitrogen helps prevent spoilage, preserves flavor, and cushions the crisps so they arrive intact.

Even though the bag may look roomy, it contains the exact amount of crisps listed on the package.

Our chips have a shelf life of 120 days from the date of production. You'll find the exact “Best By” date printed on every bag.

Because we use tallow instead of industrial seed oils, our chips naturally have a shorter shelf life than most conventional chips (which often last 9+ months due to heavy processing and chemical deodorization that masks oxidation).

Honestly… we doubt they'll last anywhere near 120 days in your pantry.

The date listed on your Vandy crisps is the 'consume by' date to ensure you enjoy our products at their best quality. Our crisps have a shelf life of 120 days from production.

If you have any issues with expiration dates, please feel free to reach out with a photo of your lot number and the back of your bag showing the date.

Vandy Crisps are made without nuts, gluten, dairy, and seed oils. While we strive to avoid cross-contamination, please note that we do not yet have certifications to fully guarantee the absence of these allergens.

“Seed oils” (often called vegetable oils) are oils that are industrially extracted from seeds like canola, soybean, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, grapeseed, peanut, and rice bran. These oils are commonly used in processed foods because they're inexpensive and widely available.

We fry our chips in 100% grass-fed beef tallow, not seed oils. This gives our chips their signature flavor and keeps the ingredient list simple.

Seed oils come from the small amount of natural oil found in seeds like canola, soybean, safflower, sunflower, and cottonseed. To turn those tiny amounts into large volumes of oil, manufacturers use industrial extraction methods. This usually involves:

• High heat to break down the seed and release the oil
• Mechanical pressing
• Chemical solvents (commonly hexane) to pull out even more oil
• Refining steps such as bleaching, deodorizing, and heating to very high temperatures

We fry our potato crisps in 100% grass-fed beef tallow, a stable cooking fat with a long history of use.

The short answer: we feel and look better when we avoid them.

Seed oils are inherently a processed food. They did not exist more than 150 years ago. In 1900, they were 0% of our calories. Today, they represent over 20% of all calories.

They contain a high concentration of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs), which are chemically unstable and oxidize easily—producing free radicals that cause inflammation. Leading nutritionists have identified chronic inflammation as a driver of diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's, PCOS, IBS, and more.

In the short term, seed oils can also cause bloating, skin issues, cellulite, fatigue, estrogen dominance, and blood sugar spikes.

You can follow us on Instagram and X @vandy_crisps or read through the following resources: linktr.ee/seedoilsensitivity

During industrial extraction and high-heat refining, seed oils can develop oxidation byproducts and unstable fats, which some people believe may contribute to inflammation or other unwanted health effects. Because of this, many customers choose simpler, traditionally made fats.

Nope! Grass-fed tallow is considered one of the more environmentally friendly cooking fats. It's a natural byproduct of raising cattle—it doesn't require additional crops, land, or heavy industrial processing. Using tallow helps ensure the entire animal is utilized, reducing waste.

Grass-fed cattle graze on land that often can't be used for crops. When well-managed, grazing can support soil health, biodiversity, and carbon cycling.

We tested all of these oils early on, but they didn't give our crisps the flavor or quality we wanted—each one created noticeable off-flavors during frying.

They also come with sourcing challenges. High-quality versions can be difficult to secure consistently, and many must be imported long distances. Using 100% beef tallow allows us to keep sourcing simple, supports local agriculture, and maintains the clean, consistent flavor our customers love.

Biodegradable bags decompose into methane, worsening the greenhouse effect. Recyclable bags are costly, and most end up in landfills.

VANDY tastes like the classic potato chip done properly: crisp, golden, and deeply satisfying, with real potato flavor and the rich finish of grass-fed beef tallow. Traditional in spirit, elevated in every detail.

The only way to understand it is to open a bag for yourself.

Our sense of taste evolved to tell us that nutritious foods taste good. With the development of industrial technology, food engineers created synthetic foods that taste good but lack nutrition.

If you eliminate processed foods, you'll find that among the foods that remain, the best-tasting ones are often the healthiest.

“Processed foods” are foods or ingredients that require modern technology to create—things that can't be made in a home kitchen and often involve industrial machinery or lab-driven techniques. Examples include artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols like erythritol, and highly refined seed oils.

Please see our Refund Policy here.

If you have not received your order or are unsatisfied with your purchase, please contact us with your order details. We can review your order status or, if needed, create a replacement order.

Refunds and replacements aren't guaranteed. Each case is reviewed individually, and we'll do our best to make things right in alignment with our policy.

If you believe there is something wrong with the batch you received, let us know by providing the lot code located on the back of your bag. We can send a return label and arrange a replacement order.

Vandy ships to your door anywhere in the US (and Canada and EU soon) when you buy through vandycrisps.com.

Vandy is also available at Erewhon, Ferm Farm, Bristol Farms, Sprouts, Wegman's, select Whole Foods, and more to come soon.

Every bag of Vandy Crisps is made fresh daily in artisanal batches. Orders typically ship within 3 business days, excluding weekends. Your order confirmation email will include the most accurate shipping estimate based on our current backlog.

As soon as your order ships, you'll receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking number.

Please reach out to hello@vandycrisps.com as soon as possible. We have a 4-hour cancellation window. If the order has already been processed or is past the cancellation window, we will not be able to cancel it.

Please note that cancelling a subscription does not cancel orders that have already been confirmed. Once an order is placed, it can no longer be modified.

We apologize and are happy to make it right. Please send a picture of what you received or, in the case of damaged products, a clear photo of the shipping label, damaged box, and damaged product.

We kindly ask that you do not discard your crisps; we may need you to send them back to us.

If you encounter any issues with your delivery, please reach out to us. We may provide a link to view the delivery picture for verification. If a delivery attempt failed, we can create a one-time courtesy replacement order and ensure accurate delivery to the correct address.

If a particular flavor didn't meet your expectations or caused a reaction, please contact us. We can provide a return label so you can send the item back for in-house review.

Providing the lot number from your chip bag is especially helpful, as it allows our quality control team to track and address any potential concerns.

Should the seasoning not meet your taste preference, please provide the lot number for our quality control records. We'd be happy to send a replacement for a new batch or a batch of MASA, our tortilla chip company.

We always consider expanding our offerings to meet our customers' wishes, so stay tuned for future developments and feel free to reach out with any of your flavor ideas.

If we are unable to fulfill and ship your order within our stated processing timeline, you may be eligible for a shipping cost refund.

Please note that once your order has been handed off to the carrier, delays shown in tracking are outside of our control and are not eligible for a shipping refund.

We are unable to adjust orders once they're processed, as changes would affect the item's price and our order fulfillment system.

Unfortunately, at this time, we do not ship internationally. We are currently working to expand our reach and hope to serve more locations in the future. Stay tuned for updates!

Orders must be $99+ and in the lower 48 states to ship for free.

If you add items via a post-purchase upsell, the system may not automatically adjust the shipping cost. We honor free shipping offers and will refund any fees that should not have been applied.

Please contact us immediately. We have a small window where we can update your shipping address. If your order already has a “label created,” we will not be able to update the address.

Ground shipping is free on orders $99+ to the lower 48 states. This applies to both one-time and subscription orders.

Orders typically ship within approximately 3 business days, excluding weekends.

Promo codes cannot be combined with subscription orders, as subscriptions are already offered at a discounted rate. Select 'one-time purchase' to use a promo code.

Each promo code is valid for one-time use only and will not work with subscription offers.

Yes! If you're a first-time Vandy customer, enjoy 20% off your order with the promo code VANDY20.

You may also find one-time promo offers on our social media platforms.

1. Visit our website.
2. Select your desired Pack Size.
3. Opt for “Subscribe and Save” instead of “One-Time Purchase”.
4. Customize your delivery frequency (every 4, 6, or 8 weeks).
5. Proceed to checkout and enjoy the perks of subscribing!

Please let us know if you have any issues or require additional assistance.

You can tell if you have a subscription in a few different ways:

• Your order confirmation email will state the delivery frequency under your product.
• You'll receive a welcome email about your subscription (check your spam).
• You'll receive 'Billing Reminder' emails before your subscription processes.
• You can log in to your account to verify.

Access your Vandy account and subscription at any time by logging in here.

If you need further assistance, reach out to hello@vandycrisps.com.

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Please note that cancelling a subscription account does not automatically cancel already confirmed orders.

Please see our subscription & cancellation policy here: vandycrisps.com/policies/subscription-policy