If you want crisps with your working-from-home lunch while keeping an eye on calories, first compare the energy per 100 g, then work out the amount you’ll actually have. Albert Heijn lists Lay's Oven Baked Naturel at 428 kcal per 100 g, compared with 517 kcal for Lay's Naturel. This doesn’t mean that every oven-baked flavour has the same nutritional values. Choosing your portion in advance, checking the salt content and looking for allergens are all separate considerations.
You fancy something crunchy with lunch, so you compare kcal per 100 g as well as the amount you plan to eat. That way, you won’t accidentally compare a small portion of one product with a larger portion of another.
If you tend to keep eating from an open bag while you work, filling a small bowl in advance or choosing a small pack gives you a clear amount for that snack break. Check the weight too: a small pack doesn’t automatically contain fewer kcal per 100 g.
You look beyond energy to salt, fat, ingredients and allergens. Always compare the nutritional information for the flavour you’ve chosen, and check the current packaging if you have an allergy.
First decide how many crisps you want with lunch, then compare the energy for that amount. A small pack can make it easier to stick to a portion, while the nutrition table shows how products compare per 100 g.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Calories per lunch portion | Compare kcal per 100 g and work out the values for the same number of grams for both products. | I want crisps with lunch, but I want to compare the energy in the portion I plan to have. For around 36% of consumers, limiting calories is said to be the main concern when buying. |
| Portion while working | Check the pack weight and the stated portion size; work out how many grams you’ll actually have. | When I’m concentrating on work, I want a clear limit on how much I eat. Portion control is said to be the main priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Salt, fat and allergens | Check the salt and fat per 100 g, and read the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging. | If I have crisps with lunch regularly or need to avoid an allergen, I want to know more than just the kcal. Around 21% of consumers are said to place the most importance on label information. |
| Flavour and choice of retailer | Compare the nutritional information for the specific flavour and check whether it’s available at your chosen retailer. | I’m looking for a familiar flavour I can add to my shopping without any extra hassle, even if calories aren’t my first consideration. For around 14% of consumers, flavour and convenience are said to be the main priorities. |
Portion size can change the result. Albert Heijn lists Lay's Oven Baked Naturel at 428 kcal per 100 g and Lay's Naturel at 517 kcal per 100 g. Jumbo lists the Oven Baked Naturel variety at 128 kcal per 30 g portion. If you choose a different flavour or pack, check its values separately.
A low-fat claim doesn’t automatically tell you how much the energy content differs. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre explains that light crisps may have a smaller difference in kcal than in fat.
Compare the kcal per 100 g and work out the values for the same portion of each type of crisp before choosing.
The portion listed on the label doesn’t have to match the amount you eat. Albert Heijn lists several 30 g portions in a pack of Lay's Oven Baked Naturel, while the 40 g pack of Pringles Original in the comparison is labelled as one portion.
Choose how much to put in your bowl before lunch. If you want to eat a whole small pack, calculate the energy for the full pack weight.
Crisps can also differ in salt and allergens. For the Pringles Original variety in the comparison, Albert Heijn lists wheat as an ingredient and states that it may contain milk and soya.
Check the nutrition table and allergen information for the exact flavour and pack you’re buying, especially if you have an allergy.
The Albert Heijn page we checked marks Smiths Nibb-it Sticks as no longer available in its range. That doesn’t tell you whether the product is available at other retailers.
Check current availability at your chosen retailer and make sure the nutritional information on the packaging still matches what you expect.
These names can help you compare specific products and labels; a brand or retailer name alone doesn’t tell you the nutritional value of every variety.
Among the plain varieties in this comparison, you can compare regular potato crisps with Oven Baked Naturel.
The 40 g pack of Original in the comparison has a set pack weight for a single snack break.
Nibb-it Sticks is a separate potato snack to assess using its label information, not a like-for-like plain crisp.
The product information makes it possible to compare leading brands and own-brand crisps for the same amount.
The product page for Lay's Oven Baked Naturel gives a specific portion value for this variety.
These Joybuy products include oven-baked varieties and a 40 g pack. Use the pack weight to plan your portion and compare the current nutritional information for each flavour; the products aren’t listed in order of lowest calorie content.
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An oven-baked flavour for anyone who wants to weigh out a portion from a larger bag. The pack contains 150 g; check the energy per 100 g and allergen information for this flavour to work out your portion.
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A barbecue flavour if you want to take a lunch portion from a 150 g bag. Weigh out the amount you’ve chosen and use this variety’s nutrition table to calculate the kcal for your portion; check the allergen information too.
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The 40 g pack gives you a clear portion limit if you’d rather not open a larger bag while you work. A small pack doesn’t automatically mean fewer kcal per 100 g: check the nutrition table and allergen information for this flavour.
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An oven-baked sea salt variety for anyone who wants to take a portion from a 125 g bag. Calculate the energy for your portion using the current value per 100 g, and include salt and allergens in your label comparison.
First compare the kcal per 100 g, then work out the values for the same number of grams for both products. If you plan to eat a whole small pack, calculate the kcal for the full pack weight too, rather than just using the portion shown on the label.
No, the difference in calories doesn’t have to be as large as the difference in fat. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that light crisps can contain less fat while the difference in kcal is smaller, so always check the energy value for the variety you’ve chosen.
A lower energy value in a comparison of crisps doesn’t make crisps a complete lunch in their own right. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre doesn’t include regular or light crisps in the Wheel of Five, so think of crisps as a separate snack and look beyond the type of crisps when planning your lunch.
Yes. If you have an allergy, check the current packaging for the exact flavour you’re buying. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information must appear on the label of prepacked products; ingredients and warnings can vary between varieties.
Nutri-Score can help you compare products within the same product group, as Albert Heijn explains, but it doesn’t replace the nutrition table. Also check the kcal and salt per 100 g, and work out the energy for the portion you actually plan to eat.
