Tea-break shoppers focusing on fat
If you expect to eat one bag, compare its fat figure as well as the per 100g figure. Walkers UK lists 2.8g fat in a 22g Oven Baked Sea Salt pack and 7.7g in a 25g Ready Salted pack; those bags are different sizes.
Who is choosing?
Shoppers weighing salt against fat
A lower-salt claim answers a different question from a lower-fat claim. Walkers UK lists 31g fat per 100g for both Lightly Salted and Ready Salted, despite Lightly Salted’s stated salt reduction against average regular potato crisps.
Shoppers checking ingredients and allergens
A baked potato-based crisp and a lentil crisp use different ingredients. Check the current pack for the exact flavour, including its allergen and may-contain statements, rather than treating either product type as suitable for every dietary requirement.
What should you compare?
Decide whether the priority is fat, salt or staying with potato crisps. Then compare nutrition per 100g and for the amount you expect to eat.
Baked potato-based crisps
Consider when: You want a potato-based option with a stated lower-fat comparison. Walkers UK lists 13g fat per 100g for Oven Baked Sea Salt.
Trade-off: Oven Baked Sea Salt is made with potato flakes and starch rather than conventional sliced potatoes; check each flavour’s own label.
Lower-salt potato crisps
Consider when: Salt matters more to you than fat. Walkers UK states that Lightly Salted has 45% less salt than the average value of regular potato crisps.
Trade-off: Lightly Salted still lists 31g fat per 100g, so its salt claim does not answer a lower-fat requirement.
Non-potato crisp alternatives
Consider when: You are willing to change product type. Tyrrells lists 19g fat per 100g for its Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps.
Trade-off: This Tyrrells product uses lentil, rice and maize flours, so it is not a potato crisp; check the flavour’s ingredients and allergens.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat | Compare fat per 100g on an equal-weight basis, then check fat for the pack you would eat. Walkers UK lists 13g per 100g and 2.8g per 22g pack for Oven Baked Sea Salt. | I want a lower fat figure for my tea-break bag, not just a name that sounds lighter. |
| Salt | Read salt separately from fat. Walkers UK lists 0.17g salt per 25g pack for Lightly Salted, alongside 31g fat per 100g. | If salt is my main concern, I can compare its figure without assuming that the crisp is also lower in fat. |
| Portion | Check bag weight and the energy, fat and salt figures for the amount you expect to eat. Walkers UK lists 96 kcal for a 22g Oven Baked Sea Salt pack; Seabrook Crisps lists 164 kcal for a 31.8g Sea Salted bag. | A per 100g figure helps me compare products, but the bag size matters for this particular break. |
| Ingredients | Read the exact flavour’s ingredients, allergen statement and any may-contain wording on the current pack. Tyrrells lists lentil, rice and maize flours in its Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps. | I need to know whether I am buying a potato crisp or a different kind of snack, and whether that flavour meets my ingredient requirements. |
Common selection mistakes
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Taking “lightly salted” to mean lower fat
Walkers UK lists 31g fat per 100g for Lightly Salted, although it states that the product has 45% less salt than the average value of regular potato crisps.
Choose which figure matters for this purchase, then check fat and salt independently on the pack.
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Comparing bags without checking their size
A per-bag figure describes a particular amount of crisps. Walkers UK lists 2.8g fat for a 22g Oven Baked Sea Salt pack; Seabrook Crisps lists 9.7g for a 31.8g Sea Salted bag.
Use per 100g figures to compare equal weights, then return to the nutrition figures for the bag or portion you plan to eat.
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Assuming every lower-fat option has the same ingredients
Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt is potato-based, while Tyrrells Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps use lentil, rice and maize flours. The ingredient change matters when you want a potato crisp or need to check allergens.
Read the current ingredients and allergen information for the precise flavour before buying.
Relevant brand ranges
These brand examples illustrate different products to compare; a claim or nutrition figure for one flavour does not apply to an entire range.
Walkers
Its Oven Baked Sea Salt and Lightly Salted crisps address different buying priorities.
- Walkers UK lists 13g fat per 100g for Oven Baked Sea Salt and states that it has 50% less fat than regular potato crisps.
- Lightly Salted makes a salt-reduction claim but lists 31g fat per 100g; it should not be selected on that claim alone when fat is the priority.
Tyrrells
Its Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps offer a non-potato option for comparison.
- Tyrrells lists 19g fat per 100g and states that this product has 30% less fat than standard potato crisps on average.
- The product uses lentil, rice and maize flours rather than potatoes; check the exact flavour’s allergen information.
KETTLE Chips
KETTLE Lightly Salted provides a conventional potato-crisp reference point.
- Kettle Chips states that Lightly Salted is gluten-free and suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
- It lists 29.5g fat per 100g; “lightly salted” does not establish a lower-fat comparison.
Seabrook
Seabrook Sea Salted gives per-bag figures for a conventional potato crisp.
- Seabrook Crisps lists 164 kcal and 9.7g fat for its 31.8g Sea Salted bag.
- It lists 30.4g fat per 100g, so this product’s figures do not establish a reduced-fat option.
Pipers
Pipers Anglesey Sea Salt is another conventional potato-crisp example.
- Pipers states that this flavour is gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
- It lists 30.7g fat per 100g; compare its pack nutrition if reducing fat is the aim.
REAL Hand Cooked Crisps
REAL describes its crisps as sliced-potato products that are hand-cooked.
- REAL states that its range is vegetarian and gluten-free.
- For a lower-fat decision, compare the nutrition panel of the particular flavour and pack rather than relying on how the range is made.
Joybuy product options
These options include Walkers Oven Baked multipacks for a potato-based tea-break crisp and Frula okra crisps for shoppers considering a non-potato snack. Check each product’s own nutrition and pack information before comparing portions.
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Walkers Oven Baked Variety Pack Crisps, 6 x 22g
Six 22g bags offer individual portions for a tea break. This is a baked potato-based variety pack rather than a conventional sliced-potato crisp; check the nutrition and allergen information for each included flavour.
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Walkers Oven Baked Cheese & Onion Crisps, 6 x 22g
This cheese-and-onion baked potato-based option comes in six 22g bags. Check this flavour’s own fat and salt figures rather than applying the Sea Salt figures to it, and read its milk and may-contain allergen information on the current pack.
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Frula Okra Vegetable Crisps
Consider these only if an okra-based vegetable crisp, rather than a potato crisp, suits your tea break. Check the bag weight and its nutrition panel before comparing it with the 22g Walkers packs.
Questions about choosing crisps
Does “less salt” also mean less fat?
No. Walkers UK states that Lightly Salted has 45% less salt than the average value of regular potato crisps, but it lists 31g fat per 100g. Check the fat figure separately if reducing fat is your aim.
Should I compare crisps per 100g or per bag?
Use both: per 100g lets you compare equal weights, while the per-bag figure describes the portion you might eat. Walkers UK lists 2.8g fat for a 22g Oven Baked Sea Salt pack; Seabrook Crisps lists 9.7g for a 31.8g Sea Salted bag, so the bag sizes also need attention.
Are baked potato-based crisps the same as sliced-potato crisps?
Not necessarily. Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt is made with potato flakes and starch rather than conventional sliced potatoes. Check the ingredients if that distinction matters to your choice.
Can lentil crisps be an alternative to potato crisps?
Yes, if you are happy to change product type. Tyrrells Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps use lentil, rice and maize flours and list 19g fat per 100g. Check the portion size and exact flavour’s ingredients before comparing them with a potato crisp.
What should I look for on the packet?
Check the pack weight, nutrition figures per 100g and per serving, ingredients and allergen information. GOV.UK explains that, where a traffic-light label is shown, green, amber and red indicate low, medium and high amounts of nutrients such as fat, saturates, sugars and salt; use the figures alongside the colours when comparing packs.