Anyone planning one bag per study break
An individual bag makes it straightforward to compare the calories you intend to eat. With a sharing bag, check the serving size and decide how much to put in a bowl.
Who is this choice for?
Shoppers comparing lighter alternatives
Baked, lentil and crisp-style potato snacks come in different portion sizes. Check calories and salt for the portion, rather than treating a reduced-fat claim as an answer to either question.
Buyers checking allergens or dietary suitability
Read the current label for the exact flavour. Walkers lists a may-contain warning for its Oven Baked Sea Salt product; a statement about another product from the same brand cannot replace that check.
What should you compare?
Start with the amount you expect to eat, then compare its calories and salt. Check the exact pack again for ingredients and allergen information.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Calories per portion | Compare kcal per sealed bag if you will finish it. For a sharing bag, use its declared serving size only if that is the amount you will take. | I want to know the calories in my study-break portion, not just the figure per 100g. |
| Salt and flavour | Read salt per bag or measured serving. Seabrook lists 0.30g for an 18g Sea Salted Crunchies bag and 0.39g for its 18g Salt & Vinegar bag. | A small difference in calories is not my only consideration; I also want to compare the flavours' salt figures. |
| Pack format | Check the size and number of inner bags in a multipack. For a sharing bag, decide on a portion before opening it; a promotion does not change the nutrition figures. | I would rather choose the amount I will eat than snack straight from a sharing bag. In a 2024 Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland survey of 611 people in Northern Ireland, around 49% said promotions made them more likely to buy chocolate confectionery, crisps and snacks; that figure covers the combined snack categories, not revision shoppers specifically. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredient list, allergen statement and any dietary-suitability wording on the current pack of the exact flavour. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, a different flavour or a familiar brand name is not enough to settle the choice. |
Common buying mistakes
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Comparing only the per-100g figure
That figure helps compare products of different sizes, but it is not necessarily the amount eaten. Walkers lists 96 kcal for its 22g Oven Baked Sea Salt bag; Tyrrells lists 208 kcal for a 40g Lightly Sea Salted pack.
If you expect to finish the bag, compare its full-pack calories. Put a portion from a sharing bag into a bowl before revision.
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Reading “less fat” as “fewer calories”
Tyrrells describes its lentil crisps as lower in fat than standard potato crisps on the brand's comparison basis, while its Sour Cream & Onion lentil crisps list 141 kcal and 0.60g salt per 30g serving.
Check calories, fat and salt separately for the serving you plan to eat.
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Choosing by a tiny calorie difference alone
Seabrook lists 81 kcal and 0.39g salt for an 18g Salt & Vinegar Crunchies bag, compared with 82 kcal and 0.30g salt for its 18g Sea Salted bag.
Compare salt, flavour and the exact product's dietary information as well as kcal per bag.
Brand references
These figures describe the named products and serving sizes, not every crisp sold under each brand.
Walkers
Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt is an individually portioned crisp to compare by its 22g bag.
- Walkers lists 96 kcal, 2.8g fat and 0.19g salt per bag.
- Its product page includes may-contain warnings for milk, wheat, gluten, barley, soya, celery and mustard.
Seabrook
Crunchies are small crisp-style potato-snack bags rather than conventional sliced potato crisps.
- Seabrook lists 82 kcal per 18g Sea Salted bag and 81 kcal per 18g Salt & Vinegar bag.
- Salt differs between those flavours: 0.30g and 0.39g per bag respectively.
Tyrrells
Its lentil crisps and Lightly Sea Salted potato crisps offer different formats to assess by serving.
- Tyrrells lists 141 kcal and 0.60g salt per 30g serving of Sour Cream & Onion lentil crisps.
- Lightly Sea Salted potato crisps list 156 kcal per 30g serving from a sharing bag, or 208 kcal per 40g pack.
KETTLE Chips
Lightly Salted provides a conventional crisp comparison on the brand's sharing-pack product page.
- KETTLE lists 516 kcal, 29.5g fat and 0.7g salt per 100g.
- Work out the calories for the portion taken from a sharing pack rather than treating the per-100g figure as a serving.
McCoy's
McCoy's Salted is a ridged crisp comparison.
- McCoy's lists 533 kcal, 32g fat and 1.3g salt per 100g.
- Its product page warns that Salted may contain milk, soya, gluten and mustard.
REAL Hand Cooked Crisps
REAL Sea Salt is another conventional sharing-bag comparison.
- Tesco's REAL Sea Salt 150g listing gives 503 kcal and 1.33g salt per 100g.
- Tesco advises checking the physical label because food formulations can change.
Joybuy snack options
These options include portioned crisp-style snacks, a baked crisp, a seaweed snack and a sharing bag. Compare the stated pack sizes before choosing a revision snack; seaweed and wheat snacks are not potato crisps.
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PopChips Sour Cream & Onion 5 x 17g
Five individual 17g bags provide a defined portion for a study break. Check the nutrition and allergen information on this flavour's pack.
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Walkers Oven Baked Cheese & Onion 6 x 22g
This baked Cheese & Onion variant comes in six 22g bags. Check its own nutrition and allergen label rather than using figures for Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt.
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Wheat Crunchies Crispy Bacon 6 x 20g
This wheat snack comes in six 20g bags rather than a single sharing bag. Check the exact pack's ingredients and dietary statements before choosing the bacon flavour.
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CJ Bibigo Crispy Seaweed Snack Bulgogi 3 x 5g
Three 5g seaweed-snack packs offer a much smaller portion and a different food from potato crisps. Compare its label and flavour with what you want from a study-break snack.
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PopChips Sour Cream & Onion 85g
This 85g sharing bag requires you to choose a portion yourself. Use the pack's serving information to compare it with an individual bag, and check its allergen label.
Questions about revision snacks
How do I compare crisp calories for one study break?
Compare calories for the amount you expect to eat. Seabrook lists 81–82 kcal per 18g Crunchies bag and Walkers lists 96 kcal per 22g Oven Baked Sea Salt bag; a sharing bag needs a measured portion before its per-serving figure describes your snack.
Does less fat mean fewer calories?
Not necessarily. Tyrrells makes a lower-fat comparison for its lentil crisps against standard potato crisps, but lists 141 kcal per 30g serving of its Sour Cream & Onion variety. Compare the calories, fat and salt for the portion separately.
Should I check salt in a small bag?
Yes, if salt matters to your choice. Seabrook lists 0.39g salt in an 18g Salt & Vinegar Crunchies bag and 0.30g in its 18g Sea Salted bag, despite their similar calorie figures.
Can I rely on a brand name for allergy checks?
No. Check the current label for the exact product and flavour. Walkers lists several may-contain allergens for Oven Baked Sea Salt; that statement should not be assumed to describe a different Walkers flavour.
Do England's school-food rules cover every revision snack?
No. Department for Education guidance on school food concerns food and drink provided in state-funded schools in England; it is not a blanket rule for private revision shopping across the UK. If you plan to take a snack into school, check that school's policy.