When choosing crisps for the summer holidays, don’t focus on the word ‘light’ alone: compare crisps by kcal per 100 g and by the amount you plan to eat. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, light crisps contain slightly fewer calories than regular crisps, but the difference is small. Choosing a portion in advance helps you assess the amount more clearly.
You’re looking for a savoury snack for the journey or your holiday accommodation, and want to know how many kcal are in a portion. The word ‘light’ or a different main ingredient isn’t enough to tell you: check the nutritional information for the variety you’re buying.
You want to keep eating crisps, but compare varieties by fat content. Also check the kcal per 100 g, so you don’t assume that a claim about less fat means there’s an equally large reduction in calories.
You’re taking crisps for several people or different occasions during your trip. In that case, the amount in each pack and how easy it is to divide into portions in advance can help you decide.
First compare kcal per 100 g and decide on your portion. Then check whether the fat content and packaging suit what matters to you.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Calories per portion | Compare kcal per 100 g and work out the kcal for the amount you serve yourself. | I want to know how many crisps I’m actually eating on holiday, rather than relying on ‘light’. For around 44% of consumers, fewer calories per portion is the deciding factor. |
| Fat content | Read the fat content and kcal per 100 g; check what a claim about less fat is comparing it with. | If I choose a lower-fat variety, I still want a crisps-style snack and to know what that choice means for the calorie content. For around 33% of consumers, less fat is the priority. |
| Portions and packaging | Check the net weight and whether you can easily divide the crisps between separate snack occasions. | When travelling with others, I want to share the bag without treating it as one portion. Around 23% of consumers prioritise this practical way of dividing portions. |
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, light crisps contain slightly fewer calories than regular crisps, but the difference is small. So a claim about less fat doesn’t tell you how many kcal are in your portion.
Compare both varieties per 100 g and calculate the values for the portion you plan to have.
A different main ingredient doesn’t, by itself, tell you how many calories a product contains. Albert Heijn lists BioToday Sea Salt Lentil Chips as containing 442 kcal per 100 g.
Compare the nutritional information for the exact varieties, including energy, fat and salt, on the same per-100 g basis.
How much you eat affects the total number of calories. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists a 40 g bowl of crisps, various flavours, as containing 214 kcal; your crisps may have different values.
Serve yourself the amount you’ve chosen for your snack, then reseal the pack.
Nutri-Score can help you compare products of the same type, but it doesn’t tell you the kcal, salt content or allergens in your portion individually.
Use the score only as a supplement to the nutrition table and ingredients list for the exact variety.
Lay's offers classic and ridged crisps, among other varieties, as well as the Oven Baked range.
Pringles makes shaped crisps in tubes and a range of flavours.
Smiths offers shaped snack crisps, including Sticks varieties.
The own-brand range includes various savoury snacks, including ready salted crisps, ridged crisps and tortilla products.
Snack Day is Lidl’s own brand of savoury snacks, with a range of crisps and flavours.
These Joybuy products show two ways to choose crisps for your holiday: individual 40 g packs for planned snack occasions, or a bag of oven-baked crisps from which you can serve yourself a portion. For both options, compare the nutritional information on the current packaging.
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The individual packs are handy for snack occasions when you want to take a pre-portioned 40 g with you.
The pack contains 12 × 40 g. Check the nutritional information to see how many kcal are in the amount you choose.
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These oven-baked crisps are worth considering if you want to compare an oven-baked variety with regular crisps and serve yourself a portion.
The bag contains 125 g. For a comparison, check the kcal and fat content per 100 g on the current packaging.
No, you can’t draw that conclusion from the word ‘light’. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, light crisps contain slightly fewer calories than regular crisps, but the difference is small. So compare the kcal per 100 g and per planned portion.
Compare the nutritional information for similar crisps side by side, looking at kcal, fat and salt per 100 g. According to Albert Heijn, Nutri-Score can help you compare products within the same category, but it doesn’t replace checking those individual values.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, both light crisps and regular crisps are not part of the Wheel of Five. If you want to watch how much you eat, decide on your portion in advance rather than using the word ‘light’ to work out how much you can have.
Yes, check the salt per 100 g for the variety you’re buying, as well as the amount in your chosen portion. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists an average 40 g bowl of crisps, various flavours, as containing 0.59 g of salt; the value for a specific variety may differ.
