Don’t buy paprika crisps as a regular part of nursery lunch: the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s example policy describes a bag of crisps as an occasional choice and does not offer occasional choices. If your setting’s own food and treat policy allows crisps to be handed out from time to time, individual bags make it easy to set out one sealed pack per child. Be sure to check the flavour mix, the amount in each bag, and the ingredients and allergens on the current packaging.
For setting managers and childcare practitioners, the first question is whether crisps fit the policy for the planned occasion. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s example policy mainly offers products from the Wheel of Five and describes a bag of crisps as an occasional choice that is not offered.
If the setting allows crisps as an exception, individual bags can make it easier to prepare one sealed pack per child. Check the amount in each bag: Albert Heijn describes the Lay's Paprika 20-pack as 20 bags of 40 g.
Teams need to check that the chosen flavour and packaging meet the arrangements in place for individual children. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, the ingredients list shows the allergens that must be declared on prepacked foods, so always read the current label for the variant being handed out.
First, check whether the occasion fits your childcare setting’s policy. Only then does it make sense to choose between flavours, individual bags and pack sizes.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Food policy | Check whether crisps are allowed for this particular occasion and make sure they are not being bought for regular lunches. | When I’m putting together the usual lunch, I first want to know whether crisps fit our food policy. This would be the main purchasing question for around 50% of consumers. |
| Allergens and dietary arrangements | Compare the current ingredients list for each chosen flavour with the individual arrangements at your setting. | When children have different dietary arrangements, I want to be able to check what each child will receive. This would be the first priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Portions and flavours | Check the number of bags, the amount in each one and whether the pack contains paprika crisps only. | For an approved sharing occasion, I want to be able to set out one bag per child without any unexpected flavours. This would be the main priority for around 20% of consumers. |
A single-serving pack makes sharing easier, but it doesn’t change where crisps sit in your food policy. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s example policy describes a bag of crisps as an occasional choice and does not offer occasional choices.
First, decide whether your own policy allows crisps as an occasional treat. Put together regular lunches in line with your setting’s food policy.
ALDI describes its Sun Snacks sharing bags as a mix of ready salted and paprika. Lidl lists a mix of 15 bags but does not specify the flavours.
If paprika only has been agreed, check the flavour mix on the packaging before choosing a multipack.
Paprika-flavoured products can contain different ingredients. For example, Jumbo lists milk and sulphur dioxide/sulphites as allergens in Smiths Sticks Paprika Chips.
Read the current ingredients list for each variant you choose and check it against the individual arrangements for the children.
Albert Heijn lists the AH Chips paprika 20-pack as discontinued. The pack size described therefore doesn’t confirm that this multipack is currently available to buy.
Before planning a sharing occasion, check that your chosen pack is available and that the product information still matches the label.
Albert Heijn describes a Lay's Paprika 20-pack containing 20 individual bags of 40 g.
Jumbo lists Smiths Sticks Paprika Chips in a 100 g bag, not as a multipack of individual bags.
Albert Heijn lists the AH Chips paprika 20-pack as 20 bags of 40 g, but also marks it as discontinued.
ALDI describes its Sun Snacks sharing bags as 15 bags of 25 g in ready salted and paprika flavours.
Lidl describes a multipack containing a mix of 15 bags, available in store only.
Jumbo lists Racers Paprika Chips in a 125 g bag, not as a multipack of individual bags.
These packs are worth considering if your childcare setting’s policy allows crisps as an occasional treat. The Pringles pack is the only one described here as paprika flavour only; for mixed packs, check which flavours and quantities you’ll actually receive.
No image available
An option for setting out individual paprika-flavoured packs at an approved occasional sharing occasion.
The product name lists 12 packs of 40 g. Before handing them out, check the current ingredients list and allergens against each child’s dietary arrangements.
No image available
Consider this mix for an approved sharing occasion if the arrangements allow flavours other than paprika too.
As well as paprika, the pack contains ready salted and bolognese flavours. Check the weight of each individual bag and read the current label for the flavours you choose; also look out for soya.
No image available
This multipack is suitable only for an approved occasional sharing occasion where a mix of flavours can be handed out.
Paprika is one of the listed flavours, alongside ready salted, nacho cheese and sweet chilli. Check the amount in each bag, and the ingredients and allergens for each variant on the current packaging.
No image available
This variant is suitable only for an approved occasional sharing occasion if the different flavours meet your arrangements.
The pack contains a paprika variant alongside other flavours. The listings disagree about the total number of bags: confirm the quantity and amount per bag before buying, and check the current label for each flavour.
Not under the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s example policy for childcare: it mainly offers products from the Wheel of Five, while a bag of crisps counts as an occasional choice, and occasional choices are not offered. Whether crisps are suitable for an occasional treat depends on your own food and treat policy.
At an approved occasional sharing occasion, individual bags let you set out a sealed pack for each child. Check the number of bags, the amount in each one and the flavours: a multipack doesn’t have to contain paprika crisps only.
Read the ingredients list on the current packaging for every flavour variant you plan to hand out, and compare it with the individual arrangements at your setting. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that allergens which must be declared on prepacked foods are listed in the ingredients list.
Even when buying a product again, check the current label for its ingredients, nutritional values and allergens. Albert Heijn notes that this product information can change.
Only if the other flavours also meet your arrangements. ALDI’s Sun Snacks sharing bags contain ready salted and paprika; for the mix described by Lidl, check the flavours on the packaging.
