Organisers watching their calorie intake
You want to serve crisps at an Easter egg hunt, so you’re comparing the energy content per 100 g rather than relying on a claim on the front of the bag.
Who is this choice relevant to?
Families who want to share crisps
You want to divide the crisps between bowls in advance, so the amount you serve isn’t dictated by the size of the bag.
Shoppers checking ingredients and allergens
When choosing snacks for guests, you also take salt, saturated fat and the allergen information for the flavour you’ve chosen into account.
What should you look for when choosing?
Start with the nutritional information per 100 g to compare crisps fairly. Then use the serving information to decide how much to serve, and check the label for the flavour you’re buying.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Energy content | Compare kcal per 100 g on the nutrition table, not just terms such as ‘light’ or ‘oven baked’. | I want to serve crisps and prioritise the lowest energy content among the products I’m comparing. Around 50% of consumers put this first. |
| Portions and sharing | Check the serving size on the label and decide how much to put in each bowl in advance. | When sharing a snack, I want to decide how much to put out in each bowl. For around 30% of consumers, portion control matters most. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the salt and saturated fat per 100 g, and read the ingredients and allergen information for the flavour you’ve chosen. | When buying crisps for guests, I want to take their allergies and the other information on the label into account. This is the top priority for around 20% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
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Relying only on ‘less fat’ or ‘oven baked’
Those words don’t tell you how many kcal a crisp contains per 100 g. Albert Heijn lists 428 kcal per 100 g for Lay’s Oven Baked Naturel and 461 kcal per 100 g for AH Ribbelchips naturel minder vet.
Compare the energy content per 100 g first, then check the salt, saturated fat and amount you plan to serve.
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Using Nutri-Score as a verdict on the whole snack
According to the Dutch government, even a Nutri-Score A or B doesn’t automatically mean a product is healthy.
Use the score only to compare products in the same category, and check the nutrition table and ingredients too.
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Assuming the label’s serving size is what guests will eat
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that manufacturers set their own serving sizes. These don’t have to match the amount in a bowl.
Decide in advance how much you want to serve, and divide the crisps between bowls instead of putting out an open bag.
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Checking for allergens only after opening the bag
A familiar brand name doesn’t tell you enough about the ingredients in a particular flavour. For guests with an allergy, the information on the packaging could be crucial.
Ask about allergies in advance, and check the latest ingredients and allergen information for each flavour before serving.
Brands to consider
Lay’s
Lay’s Oven Baked Naturel is an oven-baked potato crisp you can compare by energy content; Albert Heijn lists 428 kcal per 100 g for this flavour.
- Albert Heijn lists 13 g of fat per 100 g for this Naturel flavour.
- Don’t assume the Naturel values apply to other flavours; check the salt and allergen information on each pack too.
Albert Heijn
AH Ribbelchips naturel minder vet is a supermarket own-brand ridged crisp; Albert Heijn lists 461 kcal per 100 g.
- The product information lists 20 g of fat and 1.8 g of saturated fat per 100 g.
- ‘Less fat’ doesn’t mean the lowest energy content. Compare the kcal per 100 g of the flavours you’re considering.
Pringles
Pringles Original comes in a tube that can be resealed after serving. Pringles lists 528 kcal per 100 g for Original.
- The tube can be handy if you want to serve crisps at different times.
- If you’re looking for the lowest kcal option, compare this flavour with the other crisps. Check the allergen information on the packaging too.
Jumbo
Under ‘crisps with less fat’, Jumbo groups together products including Lay’s Oven Baked and Chio Oven Chips.
- This category makes it easy to find different products whose labels you can compare.
- A category label doesn’t mean that all flavours have the same nutritional values; check the information for each individual product.
Crisps for sharing from Joybuy
These oven-baked crisps are options to consider if you want to portion out snacks for an Easter egg hunt. Compare the nutritional information per 100 g for your chosen flavour, and check the packaging for allergens before serving.
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Lay's Oven Baked Mediterranean Herbs, 150 g
An oven-baked flavour for anyone who wants to portion out crisps into bowls before an Easter egg hunt.
Check the nutritional information and allergen details on the packaging for this flavour.
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Lay's Oven Baked Barbecue, 150 g
A barbecue flavour to consider if you want to serve oven-baked crisps in portions.
Check the nutritional information for Barbecue itself; values for other Lay's flavours aren’t interchangeable.
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Lay's Oven Baked Paprika, 150 g
A paprika flavour for sharing, with the flexibility to decide how many crisps to put in each bowl.
Read the nutritional information and allergen details for Paprika before serving.
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Lay's Oven Cheese Onion, 150 g
A cheese and onion-flavoured oven crisp for anyone who wants to share this flavour during an Easter egg hunt.
Check the nutritional information and allergens for this flavour separately.
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Chio Oven Chips Sea Salt, 125 g
A sea salt-flavoured oven crisp to compare with the other flavours for sharing.
Check the salt and allergen information on the packaging for this flavour too, and decide how much to put in each bowl.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare crisps when the packs show different serving sizes?
Compare the energy content per 100 g. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, manufacturers set their own serving sizes; use the serving information to work out how much you’ll put in the bowl.
Does a Nutri-Score B mean crisps are healthy?
No. A Nutri-Score B isn’t a health rating for crisps. The Dutch government emphasises that even an A or B doesn’t automatically mean a product is healthy. Compare scores within the same product category, and check the nutritional information too.
How many calories are in a 40 g bowl of crisps?
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre gives average values of 215 kcal for 40 g of regular crisps and 196 kcal for 40 g of light plain crisps. These are averages, not values for every flavour. Use the label on the crisps you’re serving to calculate your portion.
What should I look for when serving crisps to guests with an allergy?
Check the latest allergen information for each flavour before serving it. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that allergens must be listed on the labels of pre-packed foods. Don’t rely only on what you know about a brand or another flavour.