Shock at snack: Customer finds black crisps – here’s how San Carlo responded

San Carlo has been forced to respond.

A quick evening snack, a simple way to take the edge off hunger - and then this: instead of golden potato crisps, a customer finds dark, in places almost black, pieces of potato with marks that look like sprouting. She complains to the long‑established manufacturer San Carlo, waits for a reply and eventually contacts a newsroom. The company has now set out what it believes caused the striking crisps - and how risky they really are.

How a snack turned into a consumer issue

The incident began with the purchase of a bag of San Carlo fried potato crisps on 29 February 2026 in a Carrefour supermarket in Orbassano, Piedmont. The customer - let’s call her Elettra - opened the packet and immediately felt something was off. Several crisps had clearly visible blackened patches, while others looked as though they had been cut from potatoes that had started to sprout.

Unsettled, Elettra described a potential health risk and recorded what she had found with photographs. She emailed her complaint directly to San Carlo’s customer service team. When no response arrived after a few days, she approached a newsroom, which publicised the case and also contacted San Carlo for comment.

What the customer accused the manufacturer of

In her message to the company, the consumer did not mince her words. In her view, the contents were not merely unappetising but potentially unsafe for customers. Her central criticism was that the product fell short of the quality standards she expected from a well‑known brand.

• Several crisps with conspicuous black spots
  
• Some slices showing marks reminiscent of potato sprouts
  
• Concern about the safety and quality of an everyday food
  
• A request for clarification and tighter checks by the manufacturer
  

From her perspective, this was about more than “an unattractive look”. With food, many people expect not only good taste but also a sense of reassurance - that quality has been monitored throughout the supply chain, from field to packet.

San Carlo’s response on its potato crisps: natural blemishes, not a health threat

After the newsroom followed up, San Carlo issued a written statement. The company began by thanking the customer for raising the issue and stressed that it treats every complaint seriously. It said its quality management team had reviewed the case promptly.

Based on the photo review, San Carlo attributed the issue to “natural irregularities in the tubers”, which can appear as dark patches on the crisps.

According to the company, the marks were not foreign objects or mould. Instead, they were discolourations that can occur in potatoes - particularly in colder months or under certain storage and transport conditions for raw tubers, such as bruising from pressure.

San Carlo also stated that the affected production batch had been made in January, a period when these visual defects are more common. Even with modern sorting and inspection equipment, the company noted, a natural raw ingredient means it is not possible to eliminate every cosmetic flaw entirely.

No danger, according to the company

The key point for customers, San Carlo said, is that the described dark patches do not affect the product’s safety or edibility. The crisps are, in the manufacturer’s view, safe to eat - even if their appearance is off‑putting.

At the same time, the company expressed regret about the customer’s experience and said that feedback from consumers is an important way to keep improving processes and standards.

How do black spots on potato crisps develop?

When people pick up a bag of crisps at the supermarket, few consider just how sensitive potatoes can be as a raw material. Specialists point to several common reasons why dark discolouration can appear:

Cause	What happens?	Effect on the crisp
Pressure bruising during storage or transport	The tuber tissue is damaged, leading to internal browning	Dark patches after frying, often localised
Low storage temperatures	Some starch converts into sugars	Crisps brown faster and more intensely, appearing darker
Natural sprouting	Potatoes begin to sprout; the area around the “eyes” changes	Areas near sprout points may look different in colour or feel firmer
Sorting gaps before slicing	Tubers with defects pass through inspection	More visible flaws in the finished product

Many manufacturers now rely on optical sorting systems that use cameras to identify and eject discoloured or damaged slices. However, such systems are not perfect - and some internal defects only become obvious once the slices have been fried.

Beyond automated checks, factories typically combine multiple steps (raw‑potato sampling, in‑line inspection, and finished‑pack audits). Even so, a high‑volume line can still allow occasional visually defective pieces through, particularly when the defect is inside the potato and only darkens fully during frying.

When do crisps become a genuine health concern?

With potato products, people often think immediately of terms such as acrylamide, sprouts or solanine. Many discolourations that look alarming are primarily a quality and acceptability issue - not automatically a safety problem. Even so, it is worth being clear about what can be concerning:

• Heavily burnt crisps: Very dark or near‑black, over‑fried pieces often contain more acrylamide. This substance forms at high temperatures and is considered problematic in large amounts.
  
• Greenish areas: These indicate chlorophyll and usually go hand‑in‑hand with higher solanine levels. Solanine is a natural toxin in potatoes, concentrated mainly in the skin, sprouts and green parts.
  
• Signs of mould: Uncommon in crisps, but possible if a packet has been damaged or stored in damp conditions. If mould is suspected, nothing should be tasted.
  

In the case being discussed, the manufacturer said the photos do not show these classic risk patterns. Instead, they look more like bruising and brown areas that darken strongly during frying. Even so, many people find such crisps unpleasant and discard them - something that also matters in discussions about food waste.

What consumers can do if they find unusual discolouration

If you open a packet of crisps and spot odd dark patches or questionable areas, you face a practical decision: complain, bin them, or ignore it. The following steps help you respond sensibly:

• Put any suspicious crisps to one side and do not eat them if you still feel uneasy.
  
• Take photos of the packet, the best before date, the batch/lot number, and the affected crisps.
  
• Contact the manufacturer directly (contact form or email is usually best).
  
• Keep the packet for the time being in case the company asks for it to be examined.
  
• If you are unhappy with the response, consider seeking advice from Citizens Advice (which can refer issues to Trading Standards), or report a concern via the Food Standards Agency if you believe there may be a wider safety issue.
  

Many companies offer replacement products or vouchers when a complaint is justified. More importantly, complaints can highlight weak points in production, handling or logistics that need tightening.

A useful extra step is to note where you bought the product and the time and date of purchase. Retailers can sometimes help trace stock more quickly when batch identification is needed.

Why incidents like this are risky for brands

For a recognised snack brand, customer trust is worth more than any advertising campaign. In an era of social media, a single negative experience can spread quickly - often faster than a company can investigate and respond. Photos of black spots on potato crisps or other questionable products are easily shared in group chats, on platforms and in comment threads.

This is where the San Carlo case illustrates how sensitive complaint handling can be. The customer initially felt ignored; only after a newsroom became involved did the situation move forward. To consumers, that can look as though public pressure is required before a large company responds.

Brands therefore face a two‑part challenge:

• Maintain strict quality controls so that conspicuously flawed products do not reach shelves in the first place.
  
• Communicate quickly and transparently when something does slip through.
  

Companies that clearly explain what happened, what safeguards are in place and where technology has limits are far more likely to preserve - or even rebuild - trust.

What the case shows about handling natural ingredients

Potato crisps can seem like a uniform industrial product: always identical, always crisp. In reality, they depend on a natural ingredient that varies from season to season. Cold snaps, difficult growing conditions and long transport routes can all change the properties of the tubers. Even the best sorting technology cannot completely remove the unpredictability of nature.

Consumers, however, still expect near‑perfect appearance. That is where industrial capability and human expectation collide. The episode involving San Carlo’s black‑spotted potato crisps sits squarely in that tension: technically acceptable according to the manufacturer, yet emotionally unacceptable for the customer.

If you buy crisps and notice a few slices with unusual dark marks, it can help to remember that not every discolouration signals a toxin or contamination. At the same time, it remains reasonable to expect clean, visually appealing products. Brands such as San Carlo will be judged on how honestly they communicate the balance between nature, technology and customer expectations - and how quickly they respond when confidence is shaken.