A woman cracked open a bag of potato chips and found what appeared to be roots growing on one of the chips inside. Most people would have tossed it. She ate it anyway and posted the whole thing online.
The Facebook Reel, shared by user Jamie Belgum, has since racked up over 3 million views. In the clip, Belgum holds up a chip with what look like fresh, pliable roots attached, clearly puzzled by what she was seeing. “Okay, this just got weirder,” she says in the video.
According to BroBible, Belgum originally filmed the video three years ago on Easter. She reposted it this week with the caption: “HAPPY 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY to the time I found a potato chip growing in the bag, everybody!”
What was actually growing on the chip?
Belgum’s initial theory was that the roots had actually sprouted inside the bag after the chip was fried. “These are live, pliable, juicy fresh roots,” she says in the clip. “This potato chip sprouted in the bag after being fried.”
But food experts say that’s almost certainly not what happened. In a reaction video that circulated alongside the original, food creator Dr. Vegan offered a simpler explanation: the potato was likely fried with the root still attached, meaning it made it through the entire production line without being caught.
That lines up with what food science says about cooked potatoes. According to the North American Plant Protection Organization, cooking is the most reliable method to render potato tissue fully non-viable. Once a potato is fried at high temperatures, the cellular structure needed for sprouting is completely destroyed. What Belgum likely found was a piece of the potato’s original root system that went undetected during processing.
As Food Network explains, potato sprouts, or “eyes,” are natural growths that appear when a raw potato is stored in warm conditions. The chip factory would typically remove these during preparation, but occasionally a small section slips through.
The internet had jokes
Belgum leaned into the timing, calling the discovery an “Easter miracle” since the original video was filmed over the Easter holiday. She also added a dig at religious miracles in her caption: “And unlike other so-called ‘miracles,’ u dont even need faith because I took a video!”
The comment section delivered. “HE IS RISEN,” one person wrote. “JESUS CRISP!” said another. A third joked: “You can grow a sour cream and onion potato without all the extra steps.”
This isn’t the first time someone has found something unusual in their snack. A Tennessee woman had a similar shock while trying to bake Pillsbury biscuits bought from Walmart, after discovering a piece of metal inside the can.
Similar finds have been shared on Reddit’s r/mildlyinteresting, where multiple users posted photos of chips with roots or sprout-like growths still attached. It appears to be an uncommon but not unheard-of quality control slip that sometimes makes it all the way to the consumer’s bag.
For her part, Belgum had no problem finishing the chip. And judging by the 3 million views, neither the internet nor she seemed too bothered by it. It’s also not the only time something unexpected has gone viral over a minor inconvenience: a man who refused a 24% tip just for cracking open a beer sparked a massive reaction online when the bartender’s response left viewers divided.
