Serve crisps with a school-holiday lunch only as a small extra, at most. If you want to compare crisps by calories and fat, compare similar products per 100 g and decide in advance how much to serve. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, even light crisps are not part of the Wheel of Five; vegetables, fruit and wholegrain foods make a more suitable basis for a child's lunch.
If you're serving crisps with a holiday lunch, you'll want to see how oven-baked crisps compare with regular potato crisps in terms of kcal and fat per 100 g. The portion you choose and the salt content also matter.
You want to know what place crisps should have alongside other lunch foods. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends vegetables, fruit and wholegrain foods for children's meals; crisps are no substitute for these staples.
You want to be able to decide how much to serve in advance, or need to take ingredients and allergens into account. A smaller pack can help you limit the amount, but it doesn't remove the need to read the current label.
First decide what role crisps will play at lunch. Then compare similar crisps on the same basis and consider how much will actually be served.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it's important to |
|---|---|---|
| Calories and fat | Compare kcal and fat per 100 g in similar crisps. Jumbo lists 428 kcal and 13 g of fat per 100 g for Lay's Oven Baked Original, compared with 528 kcal and 30,7 g of fat per 100 g for Jumbo Original Crisps. | I want to serve crisps with lunch, but take calories and fat into account within the category. This comparison takes priority for around 45% of consumers. |
| The place of crisps in the lunch | Choose the other lunch foods first and decide whether crisps will be just a small extra. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, even light crisps are not part of the Wheel of Five. | When putting together a child's lunch, I don't want a snack to take the place of vegetables, fruit or wholegrain foods. This is the main concern for roughly 33% of consumers. |
| Portion and label | Check the pack size or measure out a portion; also read the current ingredients list and allergen information. | I want to know in advance how many crisps I'm giving my child and what ingredients are listed on the pack. This check comes first for around 22% of consumers. |
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre classifies even light crisps as outside the Wheel of Five, and stresses that a Nutri-Score of A or B does not automatically make a product healthy.
Use a score to compare similar products. Assess separately which other foods are part of the lunch.
Less fat on its own doesn't tell you how many kcal you'll get per 100 g or per portion eaten. Comparing two packs with different portion sizes can therefore be misleading.
Check both kcal and fat per 100 g, then decide how much you want to serve.
Ingredients can vary between products from the same brand. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the mandatory allergen labelling requirements for pre-packed foods.
For the variety you're buying, check the current ingredients list and allergen information on the pack.
Albert Heijn warns on its product pages that ingredients and nutritional information may change. A shop page also doesn't always tell you whether an item is available at your local shop.
Check current availability before buying, and read the label on the pack you receive before eating it.
The Oven Baked range is worth considering if you want to compare oven-baked potato crisps with regular crisps.
Pringles Original pack sizes are worth considering if you want to choose an amount in advance.
Jumbo provides product information that lets you compare regular original crisps with an oven-baked variety.
Albert Heijn's product pages are a way to find products such as Lay's Oven Baked Original and Pringles Original.
Lidl lists Lay's Oven Baked Original in a 150 g pack as one of its products.
These two Lay's Oven Baked flavours are options if you're considering oven-baked crisps as a small extra with lunch. Before deciding, compare their current nutritional information and ingredients with those of other crisps; the flavours and packs below are not the same product as the Original variety used in the comparison.
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A choice to consider if you'd like oven-baked crisps with a barbecue flavour as a small extra with lunch. The pack contains 150 g; decide how much to serve and check the current nutritional information and allergen details on the pack.
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A choice to consider if you'd like oven-baked crisps with a paprika flavour as a small extra with lunch. The pack contains 150 g; decide how much to serve and check the current nutritional information and allergen details on the pack.
No, oven-baked crisps are not a complete lunch on their own. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, even light crisps are not part of the Wheel of Five; serve them only as a small extra alongside foods such as vegetables, fruit and wholegrain products.
First compare the kcal per 100 g in similar crisps, then consider how many grams you want to serve. A smaller pack can help you decide on the amount in advance, but it won't change the kcal per 100 g.
Nutri-Score helps you compare similar products, but it doesn't assess the whole lunch. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre stresses that even an A or B doesn't automatically mean a product is healthy.
Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the pack of the exact variety you're buying. Don't rely on the brand name alone or on information about a different flavour; the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains which allergens must be listed on the labels of pre-packed foods.
