Shoppers looking for a low-fat food
Start with fat per 100 g, not the size or calorie count of one bag. The checked Quavers Cheese and Monster Munch Pickled Onion products exceed the threshold in GOV.UK guidance for a low-fat claim on solid foods.
Who is this choice for?
Households planning individual portions
Separate bags make it possible to check the stated fat and calories for the portion you intend to serve. Compare the weight of each inner bag too: a 16 g bag and a 20 g bag are not equal-sized portions.
Buyers checking ingredients for others
Flavours and snack types can have different ingredients. If anyone needs to avoid an allergen, check the exact pack and each flavour in a mixed multipack rather than relying on the name of the range.
What should you check?
Decide whether you need a food labelled low fat or are comparing the contents of individual bags. Then check the exact multipack variant you plan to buy.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Low-fat claim | Read fat per 100 g. GOV.UK guidance permits a low-fat claim for a solid food only at no more than 3 g fat per 100 g; calories per bag measure something different. | If I need a food that qualifies as low fat, a small bag or an under-100-calorie label is not enough to establish that it does. |
| One-bag portion | Compare the inner-bag weight, fat per bag and calories per bag for the exact flavour. Walkers lists 4.9 g fat per 16 g Quavers Cheese bag and 5 g per 20 g Monster Munch Roast Beef bag. | For an occasional individual portion, I want to know what is in the bag I would actually open. Those two bags have different weights, so their per-bag figures are not a like-for-like comparison of fat content. |
| Pack contents | Check the number and size of inner bags and whether the multipack contains one flavour or several snack types. Read each type’s nutrition declaration in a mixed pack. | Individual bags may be easier for us to share without opening one large pack, but I cannot assume every flavour has the same values. |
| Allergens | Read the ingredient and allergen statements for the exact variant, including each snack type in a mixed pack. Recheck the packaging when buying, as formulations can change. | When buying for someone who needs to avoid particular ingredients, I need the statement for the flavour they will eat, not just a description of the outer pack. |
Common buying mistakes
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Equating under 100 calories with low fat
Walkers lists 86 kcal per 16 g bag of Quavers Cheese, but also 30.8 g fat per 100 g. Joybuy lists 98 kcal per bag of Monster Munch Pickled Onion and 25 g fat per 100 g. Both per-100-g fat values exceed the threshold in GOV.UK guidance for a low-fat claim on solid foods.
If low fat is the requirement, check fat per 100 g before using the per-bag calorie figure to compare portions.
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Treating different-sized bags as equal servings
Walkers lists 4.9 g fat in a 16 g Quavers Cheese bag and 5 g in a 20 g Monster Munch Roast Beef bag. The Quavers bag contains slightly less fat as sold, while the Roast Beef product has less fat per 100 g: 25 g against 30.8 g.
Use per-bag figures to compare the portions you would serve and per-100-g figures to compare the foods on the same weight basis.
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Assuming baked means low fat
Walkers describes Wotsits Cheese as baked rather than fried, but its nutrition panel for a 22.5 g pack lists 33 g fat per 100 g. Preparation wording does not establish whether a snack meets the low-fat threshold.
Read the nutrition declaration on the particular multipack; do not transfer the 22.5 g pack’s per-bag value to a different bag size.
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Using one flavour’s label for a mixed pack
Tesco describes its Mixed Snacks pack as containing different snack types. Their ingredients, allergen statements and nutrition values should not be treated as identical.
Check each included flavour before sharing, particularly when someone needs to avoid an ingredient.
Brand and pack references
These examples illustrate different pack formats and label checks; a brand name alone does not establish whether a particular multipack is low fat.
Quavers
Tesco lists a Quavers Cheese 12 × 16 g multipack, and Walkers provides nutrition figures for a 16 g Cheese bag.
- Walkers lists 86 kcal and 4.9 g fat per 16 g bag, figures you can use when comparing that individual portion.
- Walkers also lists 30.8 g fat per 100 g, above the threshold in GOV.UK guidance for a low-fat claim on solid foods. Check the ingredients if milk is a concern.
Wotsits
Tesco lists Wotsits Cheese in a 12 × 16.5 g multipack; Walkers describes the Cheese snack as baked rather than fried.
- The multipack format provides separate bags for sharing.
- Walkers’ nutrition figures of 7.4 g fat per bag and 33 g per 100 g relate to a 22.5 g Cheese pack. Read the 16.5 g multipack’s own label for its per-bag amount; Wotsits Cheese declares milk.
Monster Munch
The checked 20 g Monster Munch bags include Roast Beef, while Joybuy lists Pickled Onion in a 6 × 20 g multipack.
- Walkers lists 5 g fat and 98 kcal per 20 g Roast Beef bag; the Pickled Onion listing states 98 kcal per bag.
- The checked Roast Beef and Pickled Onion products each list 25 g fat per 100 g, above the low-fat claim threshold for solid foods. Check allergens for the exact flavour.
Tesco
Tesco lists its own-label Cheese Puffs 10 Pack 170 g and Mixed Snacks 30 Pack 530 g as multipack options.
- The Mixed Snacks description identifies several included snack types, helping buyers see that it is a variety pack rather than a single-flavour maize-snack pack.
- Check the current nutrition and ingredient labels of the included snacks individually; Tesco notes that food products can be reformulated.
Joybuy multipack options
These corn-based snacks and popcorn are options for comparing individual portions, not a list of foods established as low fat. Use each exact pack’s fat-per-100-g declaration if a low-fat claim matters to your choice.
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Organix Barbeque Gruffalo Claws Corn Puffs, 4 × 15 g
Four 15 g bags offer separate portions; this variant is labelled for toddlers aged 12 months and over. Check the current fat-per-100-g declaration rather than treating its small bags as evidence of a low-fat food.
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Love Corn Salt & Vinegar, 10 × 45 g
The ten 45 g bags let you compare a stated individual portion with other pack sizes. Check fat per bag and per 100 g on this flavour’s label, and review its allergen warning if nuts are a concern.
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Love Corn Habanero, 10 × 45 g
This Habanero variant also comes in ten 45 g bags, so compare its own nutrition declaration rather than assuming it matches another flavour. Check the packaging for nut and peanut handling warnings when relevant.
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Doritos Chilli Heatwave, 5 × 30 g
Five 30 g bags provide separate portions of this corn tortilla snack. Use the exact pack’s nutrition declaration for fat per 100 g and check its milk, soya, wheat and gluten warnings if relevant.
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Propercorn Sweet & Salty, 6 × 14 g
This popcorn multipack contains six 14 g bags. Compare its label per bag and per 100 g separately: the small portion size alone does not establish a low-fat claim. Check the milk warning if relevant.
Frequently asked questions
What does low fat mean on a solid snack in the UK?
GOV.UK guidance on nutrition claims says a solid food may make a low-fat claim only if it contains no more than 3 g fat per 100 g. Check that figure on the exact product rather than judging by bag size or calories per bag.
Are the checked Quavers and Monster Munch multipacks low fat?
No. Walkers lists Quavers Cheese at 30.8 g fat per 100 g, and Joybuy lists the checked Monster Munch Pickled Onion multipack at 25 g per 100 g. Both exceed the 3 g per 100 g threshold in GOV.UK guidance for a low-fat claim on solid foods.
How do I compare individual bags of different sizes?
Use fat per bag to compare the portions you would actually serve, and fat per 100 g to compare the foods on an equal-weight basis. Walkers lists 4.9 g fat in a 16 g Quavers Cheese bag and 5 g in a 20 g Monster Munch Roast Beef bag; their different weights matter to the interpretation.
Does a baked maize snack qualify as low fat?
Not on preparation wording alone. Walkers describes Wotsits Cheese as baked rather than fried, yet its panel for a 22.5 g pack lists 33 g fat per 100 g. Check the fat-per-100-g figure on the exact multipack you are considering.
Can I use one bag’s ingredients for a whole variety pack?
No. Tesco’s Mixed Snacks pack contains different snack types, so read the ingredients, allergens and nutrition information for each included flavour. One bag’s declaration should not be applied to the others.