Viewers comparing nutrition labels
If you want to put out a snack with comparatively less fat, the per-100g figure lets you compare packs of different sizes. You can then use the serving information to decide how much to offer.
Who is this for?
People serving snacks with dips
Maize tortilla chips offer a sharing format for dips. Compare their fat and salt labels with other snacks rather than assuming that a sharing bag has the same serving size as an individual pack.
Households sharing with vegan or free-from guests
Check the specific pack for ingredients and allergen information before serving everyone from the same bowl. Dietary suitability and fat content are separate decisions.
What should you compare?
Start with the per-100g nutrition panel, then check the portion you plan to serve and whether the ingredients suit everyone sharing.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat content | Compare fat per 100g across the products you are considering. Read the figure rather than treating “baked” or a small pack as a fat comparison. | I want to compare labels before choosing a snack. In a Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland survey of 611 people in Northern Ireland in September–November 2024, 49% said they actively used traffic-light labelling when shopping for food; that figure is not specific to maize snacks. |
| Portions | Check both per-100g and per-serving figures. The stated servings for Wotsits Cheese Toastie and Tesco Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips are 12g and 25g respectively. | For a match-length snack, I would rather decide how much goes into the bowl than compare two differently sized servings as though they were equal. |
| Salt | Compare salt on the same per-100g basis. Tesco Groceries lists 0.45g for its Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips; Walkers UK lists 0.81g for Wotsits Cheese Toastie and 1.96g for standard Wotsits Cheese. | Fat is not my only consideration when several savoury snacks will be shared. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredient list to confirm maize or corn is present, then check the current pack’s allergen statement. Walkers UK lists chickpea flour and maize in Wotsits Cheese Toastie and states that it contains milk. | If guests avoid particular ingredients, I need a snack they can share—not merely one with a lower fat figure. |
Common buying mistakes
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Reading “baked” as “reduced fat”
Walkers UK describes standard Wotsits Cheese as baked, not fried, yet its label lists 33g fat per 100g. Cooking-method wording alone does not tell you how its fat figure compares.
Use the nutrition panels of the snacks you are choosing between, and compare fat per 100g.
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Comparing only the figures for one serving
A 12g serving of Wotsits Cheese Toastie and a 25g serving of Tesco Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips represent different amounts of food. Their serving figures do not provide an equal-quantity comparison.
Compare per 100g first, then use the pack’s serving information to plan what goes on the table.
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Assuming free-from means lower fat or salt
Tesco Groceries lists 23.9g fat per 100g for Free From Onion Maize Snack Rings and 22.7g for Free From Cheese Balls; the Cheese Balls list 1.73g salt per 100g.
Choose a product that meets the relevant dietary requirement, then compare its fat and salt figures with other suitable products.
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Assuming every puffed snack contains maize
Walkers UK lists potato starch first in Quavers Cheese, whereas maize is the first ingredient in standard Wotsits Cheese. A similar snack shape does not establish the ingredients.
If maize matters to your choice, check the ingredient list on the particular product.
Brand and range references
These label examples help distinguish snack formats and variants; a brand name alone cannot establish the fat content or dietary suitability of every product in its range.
Wotsits
Walkers UK lists several maize-containing Wotsits variants, including Cheese Toastie, Crispy Bacon and standard Cheese.
- Their listed fat figures differ: 18.1g, 21g and 33g per 100g respectively, according to Walkers UK.
- Cheese Toastie contains milk; standard Cheese being labelled “baked not fried” does not establish a lower fat figure.
Tesco Free From
The Tesco Groceries labels describe Onion Maize Snack Rings and Cheese Balls as suitable for vegans; the onion rings are also described as gluten free.
- The range provides labelled options to check when guests have dietary requirements.
- The two products list 23.9g and 22.7g fat per 100g respectively, so check nutrition separately from dietary labels.
Tesco
Tesco Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips are a maize-based sharing option to consider if you are putting out dips.
- Tesco Groceries lists maize flour, rapeseed oil and salt as ingredients, with 20.5g fat and 0.45g salt per 100g.
- Use the per-100g figure alongside the amount you expect to serve from the bag.
Quavers
Quavers Cheese is a puffed-snack reference, but its Walkers UK ingredient list begins with potato starch rather than maize.
- Its ingredient list makes it straightforward to check against a maize-specific shopping requirement.
- Do not substitute Quavers Cheese for a maize snack on the basis of its format; Walkers UK lists 30.8g fat per 100g for this variant.
Joybuy snack options
These options include popcorn, tortilla chips and a grilled corn snack for putting out during the match. Compare each pack’s current nutrition and allergen information against your priorities; they are not the same products as the label examples above.
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Propercorn Lightly Sea Salted 70g
A 70g popcorn option for a bowl rather than chips for dips. Check the pack’s fat and salt figures per 100g before choosing it for a lower-fat snack table.
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Doritos Chilli Heatwave 180g
A 180g tortilla-chip pack to consider for sharing with dips. Compare its per-100g fat and salt figures with other chips, and check the allergen statement before serving guests.
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calbee Kappa Ebisen Grilled Corn Snack 80g
An 80g corn-snack pack for the match table. Read its nutrition panel when comparing fat and salt, and check the ingredient and allergen statements if wheat or soya matters to anyone sharing.
Questions about maize snacks
Does “baked not fried” mean a maize snack has less fat?
Not on its own. Walkers UK labels standard Wotsits Cheese “baked not fried” and lists 33g fat per 100g; compare the fat figures of the particular snacks you are considering.
Which fat figures are useful when comparing packs?
Start with fat per 100g so different pack and serving sizes do not distort the comparison. Walkers UK lists 18.1g per 100g for Wotsits Cheese Toastie, while Tesco Groceries lists 20.5g for Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips; then use the serving information to decide how much to put out.
What if guests need a vegan or gluten-free snack?
Check the exact pack before sharing it. Tesco Groceries describes Free From Onion Maize Snack Rings as suitable for vegans and gluten free, but dietary labels do not tell you their fat content; this product lists 23.9g fat per 100g.
Is Quavers Cheese a maize snack?
Do not assume so from its puffed format: the Walkers UK ingredient list for Quavers Cheese starts with potato starch. If you specifically want maize, look for maize or corn in the ingredients of the pack you buy.
How should opened tortilla chips be kept during the match?
For Tesco Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips, Tesco Groceries advises keeping the opened product in an airtight container. Follow the storage instructions on the specific pack you serve.