Choose cocktail nuts carrying a less-fat claim only if the exact packaging and nutritional information suit your needs. Compare fat per 100 g, and check energy, salt and saturated fat too. A smaller, weighed portion may suit you if your main aim is to snack less, but it won’t change the product’s nutritional composition per 100 g. For solid foods, the European Commission sets a maximum of 3 g of fat per 100 g for a ‘low fat’ claim. So ‘less fat’ does not automatically mean ‘low fat’ or ‘fewer calories’.
You want to keep the crunchy coating, but are looking for a demonstrably lower fat content and want to know exactly what the product claim compares. SPAR lists a claim of 30% less fat for Duyvis Oven Roasted Sweet Paprika; check the exact packaging and the basis of comparison.
You want a modest amount of your usual snack in the evening. Check the pack size and the nutritional information per 100 g, then decide how many grams you’ll have. The European Commission describes nutritional declarations per 100 g or 100 ml.
You’re open to unsalted nuts if you’re happy to forgo the crunchy coating. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre includes unsalted nuts in its Dutch Wheel of Five. This doesn’t mean that cocktail nuts with a seasoned coating have the same qualities.
Choose this option when: lower total fat is your main priority and the claim appears on the exact product packaging.
Trade-off: a product claim isn’t an independent measurement and doesn’t, by itself, tell you how much energy the product contains.
Choose this option when: you want to stick with regular cocktail nuts and simply have fewer grams.
Trade-off: a smaller pack doesn’t change the nutritional information per 100 g, and it isn’t automatically a single portion.
Choose this option when: having an unsalted snack matters more to you than the crunchy coating on cocktail nuts.
Trade-off: this is a different type of product and doesn’t prove that it contains less total fat or energy.
For solid foods, compare fat and energy per 100 g. The European Commission sets a maximum of 3 g of fat per 100 g for a ‘low fat’ claim. Also check the nutritional information and allergen details on the exact packaging.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Genuinely less fat | Compare fat in g per 100 g and check which products the claim compares. | If a demonstrably lower total fat content is your first requirement, you’ll want to verify the claim on the variant you choose. Around 33% of consumers give lower fat their highest priority. |
| Portion and energy | Check energy per 100 g and weigh your own portion; pack size isn’t the same as portion size. | If you mainly want a small amount in the evening, measuring out your own portion can help. Around 27% of consumers put a smaller portion first. |
| Salt and nutritional profile | Compare salt, saturated fat and energy per 100 g. Check allergens on the exact packaging. | If you mainly want to assess the wider nutritional profile and are open to unsalted nuts, look beyond the coating. Around 20% of consumers give this their highest priority. |
| Flavour and texture | Check the exact flavour and product description; assess claims separately from the flavour name. | If you want to keep the familiar flavour and crunchy coating, the eating experience comes first. Around 13% of consumers make this their main consideration. |
| Packaging and storage | Check the net weight and follow the storage instructions on the packaging, including after opening. | If you mainly want a pack that’s easy to portion and store, check the contents and storage instructions. Around 7% of consumers put this first. |
‘Low fat’ has an absolute limit, while ‘less fat’ may refer to a comparison. Energy is listed separately in the nutritional table.
Read the exact claim and compare fat and energy per 100 g. For solid foods, the European Commission sets a maximum of 3 g of fat per 100 g for a ‘low fat’ claim.
A pack may contain more than you want to eat as a snack. The net weight and your portion are two different amounts.
Decide how many grams you want and weigh them out before calculating the nutritional information for your snack.
Albert Heijn lists Duyvis Oven Roasted Herbs&Onion as discontinued. So a product page with a claim doesn’t necessarily mean you can still buy that variant there.
Check the current store listing and the packaging of the variant you’re actually considering.
‘Mild’, a flavour name or a description of how a product is prepared doesn’t, by itself, indicate a lower fat content.
Keep your flavour preference separate from your comparison of the nutritional table.
Worth considering if you want to explore different flavours and pack sizes of cocktail nuts.
The AH own-brand cocktail nut mix is an option to compare with branded products.
Jumbo describes its Cocktail cocktail nuts as peanuts with a crunchy dough coating.
Lidl lists cocktail nuts on its Dutch range page.
ALDI lists TRADER JOE’S cocktail nuts in Poesta, Paprika and Bacon Cheese flavours.
PLUS lists Borrelnoten Mild as an own-brand product.
These unsalted nuts are an alternative to the crunchy coating on cocktail nuts. They’re a different type of product, and unsalted doesn’t automatically mean less fat or energy.
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An alternative if you’re happy to forgo the crunchy coating on cocktail nuts; being unsalted doesn’t, by itself, tell you the total fat or energy content.
The product name lists roasted unsalted cashew nuts in a 200 g pack.
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A suitable alternative if you’d like unsalted peanuts instead of cocktail nuts with a crunchy coating; this doesn’t indicate less fat or energy.
The product name lists unsalted peanuts in a 250 g pack.
For solid foods, the European Commission sets a maximum of 3 g of fat per 100 g for a ‘low fat’ claim. A ‘less fat’ claim doesn’t automatically show that a product meets this limit.
First compare the nutritional information per 100 g, then use the same portion weight, measured out yourself. Multiply the value per 100 g by the portion weight and divide by 100.
No. SPAR lists this claim for Duyvis Oven Roasted Sweet Paprika, but a relative claim doesn’t, by itself, prove that the variant contains no more than 3 g of fat per 100 g. Check the nutritional table on the exact packaging.
Check the allergen information on the exact packaging. The NVWA states that allergens must be clearly and correctly listed on the label; a different flavour or a less-fat claim doesn’t automatically make a product suitable for you.
The Jumbo Cocktail and PLUS Mild product pages advise storing them in a cool, dry, dark place. Also follow the best-before date and any instructions for after opening on the packaging you buy.
