For an everyday snack for a baby or toddler, lower-fat crisps are no substitute for fruit, vegetables or wholemeal bread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends choosing snacks from the Wheel of Five for children of this age. If you do choose crisps as an occasional treat, compare the salt, ingredients, allergens and serving size on the current packaging as well as the fat content. Lower-fat crisps are not automatically suitable as an everyday snack for toddlers.
If you’re looking for something to serve regularly between meals, the first question isn’t which crisps contain less fat. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends snacks from the Wheel of Five for babies and toddlers, such as fruit, vegetables or wholemeal bread.
For an occasional treat, you’ll want to compare crisps without treating a lower-fat claim as a complete assessment of the product. Check the salt, ingredients, allergens and how much you plan to serve, too.
If you’re comparing Lay's, supermarket own-label crisps or other brands, use the same quantity as the basis for comparing nutritional values. Check the packaging of the exact variety you’re choosing for its ingredients and allergen information.
First decide whether you’re looking for an everyday snack or crisps for an occasional treat. Only in the latter case will comparing different varieties of crisps help you choose a product.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this relevant to? |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday snack | Decide whether you’re looking for something to serve every day. For babies and toddlers, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread among its suggested snacks. | If I need a snack every day, I want to know whether crisps are the right choice. For around 50% of consumers, choosing an everyday snack is the top priority. |
| Fat and salt for an occasional treat | Compare fat, salt and energy per 100 g, then check the serving information and what a claim such as ‘lower fat’ is based on. | If I give my child crisps as an occasional treat, I want to weigh up the lower fat content against the rest of the nutritional information. Around 30% of consumers prioritise this comparison when choosing crisps occasionally. |
| Current packaging | Check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information for your chosen variety on the packaging. Use Nutri-Score only as an additional way to compare products within the same category. | When I’m choosing between brands or flavours, I want to be able to rely on the information on the pack I’m holding. For around 20% of consumers, checking the label is the top priority. |
Comparing crisps with other crisps doesn’t change their place as a snack for a baby or toddler. For everyday snacks, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends products from the Wheel of Five.
Before you buy, distinguish between a regular snack and an occasional treat. For everyday snacks, choose fruit, vegetables or wholemeal bread, for example.
A lower fat content doesn’t tell you anything about the salt content on its own. Albert Heijn lists 13 g of fat and 0.85 g of salt per 100 g for Lay's Oven Baked Naturel, and 20 g of fat and 0.9 g of salt per 100 g for AH Ribbelchips naturel minder vet.
Compare both values and the energy per 100 g. Then use the stated serving size as extra context, not as a substitute for comparing the same quantity.
Nutri-Score can help you compare products within a category, but it doesn’t determine whether crisps are an everyday snack for a toddler. Ingredients and nutritional information can also change.
Compare crisps with other crisps, and check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information on the current packaging before serving them.
Lay's Oven Baked Naturel is a variety of crisps you can compare with other crisps for fat and salt content.
AH Ribbelchips naturel minder vet is an own-label variety that lists AH Ribbelchips naturel as its reference product.
Jumbo lists Chio Oven Chips in its lower-fat crisps category, including paprika, onion & sour cream and sea salt varieties.
Pringles Original is a standard variety you can use to compare labels, not a substantiated lower-fat option.
Jumbo lists Smiths Sticks in paprika and barbecue varieties, in 100 g packs.
These Lay's varieties are worth considering if you want to compare crisps for an occasional treat. For everyday snacks for babies and toddlers, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends using products from the Wheel of Five as your starting point. Compare the nutritional information and allergens for your chosen flavour on the packaging.
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For an occasional comparison between varieties of crisps. Compare the fat and salt per 100 g on the packaging, and check the ingredients and allergens for this flavour.
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For an occasional comparison between varieties of crisps. For this barbecue flavour, check both the fat and salt per 100 g, and read the ingredients and allergens on the pack.
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For an occasional comparison between varieties of crisps. Use the nutritional values per 100 g as your basis for comparison, and check the ingredients and allergens for the paprika variety.
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For an occasional comparison between varieties of crisps. For this plain variety, check the fat, salt and allergens on the current packaging too; the flavour name doesn’t tell you the overall nutritional value.
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For an occasional comparison between varieties of crisps. Compare the fat and salt per 100 g, and check the ingredients, allergens and stated serving size on the pack.
No, not as a substitute for their usual snacks. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends snacks from the Wheel of Five for babies and toddlers, such as fruit, vegetables or wholemeal bread. ‘Lower fat’ is a comparison between different crisps products.
Compare the fat, salt and energy per 100 g, then check the stated serving size, ingredients and allergens. For example, Albert Heijn lists 13 g of fat and 0.85 g of salt per 100 g for Lay's Oven Baked Naturel, compared with 20 g of fat and 0.9 g of salt per 100 g for AH Ribbelchips naturel minder vet. Check the current values on the packaging you choose.
No, the claim doesn’t assess the snack as a whole. Check the salt, energy and ingredients too, and follow the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice for babies and toddlers when choosing everyday snacks.
Check the current packaging for the variety you’ve chosen. Ingredients and allergen information can change, so Albert Heijn recommends checking the packaging, and Lidl also directs shoppers to the pack for food information.
Use Nutri-Score as an additional way to compare products within the same category, such as different varieties of crisps. Lidl says that the score doesn’t replace the Wheel of Five, so it doesn’t determine whether crisps are suitable as an everyday snack for a toddler.
