Hosts looking for more protein
If the party spread needs a food described as high in protein, check its nutrition information rather than treating any maize snack with protein in its name as qualifying.
Who is choosing these snacks?
Shoppers choosing familiar savoury snacks
Wotsits, Monster Munch and Frazzles offer different maize-based flavours and formats. Choose the exact pack for the flavour and serving format you want, without assuming it will provide the party’s protein option.
Hosts catering for different diets
Check each current pack’s ingredients and allergen statement before serving snacks to guests, particularly if packets will be emptied into shared bowls.
What should you check before buying?
Decide whether you want a familiar maize snack, a corn-and-legume alternative or a separate food that meets your protein requirement. Then compare the exact packs you plan to serve.
Classic maize snacks
Choose when: The party bowl is mainly about familiar savoury flavours and textures.
Bear in mind: Do not rely on these snacks as the spread’s high-protein food.
Corn and broad beans
Choose when: You want a sharing snack containing corn alongside legumes; Tesco lists Graze Marmite Crunch with both.
Bear in mind: Its listed nutrition values do not meet the 20%-of-energy criterion for a ‘high protein’ claim in the annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
A separate protein option
Choose when: A food qualifying as high in protein is a firm requirement as well as party snacks.
Bear in mind: You may need to serve two different foods and check that the separate option suits your guests’ diets.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Protein claim | Read protein and energy on the same per-100-g basis. The annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, published by legislation.gov.uk, specifies at least 20% of energy from protein for a ‘high protein’ claim; do not use the product name as the test. | If the snack itself needs to qualify as high in protein, I’ll check the exact product’s nutrition information rather than its flavour or branding. |
| Sharing format | Check the pack size and how you intend to serve it. Tesco lists a 120 g Frazzles Bacon Sharing Bag; its panel gives 6.8 g protein and 2.7 g salt per 100 g. | I want enough savoury snack for a shared bowl, but I don’t want the sharing format to stand in for a protein check. |
| Allergens | Read the current pack’s ingredients, declared allergens and precautionary statements before mixing products. Walkers lists milk- and soya-derived ingredients for Monster Munch Pickled Onion; Tesco lists a broad ‘may contain’ statement for Graze Marmite Crunch. | Guests need to be able to identify what is in each snack, especially if I serve more than one product. |
| Snack base | Check the first ingredients of the exact flavour and format. Walkers lists maize for Monster Munch Pickled Onion but potato starch first for Quavers Cheese. | If I’m choosing a maize snack, I want to check the ingredients rather than group every familiar crisp together. |
What could be overlooked?
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Taking ‘protein’ in the name as a high-protein claim
Tesco lists Graze Marmite Crunch at 15 g protein and 441 kcal per 100 g, which works out at about 14% of energy from protein. The annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, published by legislation.gov.uk, specifies 20% for a ‘high protein’ claim.
Compare the current pack’s protein and energy values on the same basis, and keep ‘source of protein’ distinct from ‘high protein’.
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Making corn puffs the party’s protein option
Walkers lists 6 g protein per 100 g for Monster Munch Pickled Onion, while Tesco lists 6.8 g per 100 g for Frazzles Bacon Sharing Bag. Those figures alone are not a reason to treat either snack as a high-protein food.
Serve them for the flavours and formats you want; check a separate food if qualifying as high in protein is important.
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Emptying different snacks into one bowl too soon
The listed snacks differ in ingredients and allergen statements. Once packets are removed, guests may struggle to tell which snack came from which pack.
Check the physical packs first, keep their information available and use separate bowls where guests need to distinguish products.
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Assuming every familiar crisp is maize-based
Walkers lists potato starch first in Quavers Cheese, whereas its Monster Munch Pickled Onion ingredient list includes maize. They should not be treated as identical snack bases.
Check the exact flavour’s ingredients before including it in a maize-snack comparison.
Brands and retailer references
These references describe particular products and listings, not every snack sold under each name.
Walkers
Walkers lists maize-based options including Monster Munch Pickled Onion and Wotsits Really Cheesy.
- The listed products offer different flavours and formats for a party table.
- Walkers lists 6 g protein per 100 g for Monster Munch Pickled Onion; check the exact Wotsits pack for its own nutrition and allergen information.
Smiths
Tesco lists Smiths Frazzles Bacon in a 120 g sharing bag.
- The listed bag provides a sharing format.
- Tesco gives 6.8 g protein and 2.7 g salt per 100 g for that bag; check its current allergen information before serving.
Graze
Tesco lists Graze Marmite Crunch as a sharing snack made with broad beans and corn.
- Its listed ingredients include 41% broad beans and 34% fried corn, with 15 g protein per 100 g.
- At 441 kcal per 100 g on Tesco’s panel, about 14% of its energy comes from protein. The listing also carries a broad precautionary allergen statement.
Rude Health
Tesco lists Rude Health Organic Corn Triangles with organic corn as the main ingredient.
- The listed ingredients specify 89% organic corn.
- Tesco describes this product as a source of protein, not as high in protein; check the current pack if protein content determines your choice.
Tesco
Tesco’s product listings provide ingredient and nutrition information for several of the snacks discussed here.
- Individual listings allow comparison of stated per-100-g values and pack ingredients.
- Check the current physical pack, particularly for allergen statements and differences between flavours or formats.
Joybuy options for a separate party snack
These are non-maize savoury snacks to consider alongside a maize-snack bowl. If you need a food labelled high in protein, check each current pack’s nutrition information before choosing it for that purpose.
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Wuxianzhai Vegetarian Beef Snack, Soy Sauce Flavour, 108g
A soy sauce-flavoured option to serve separately from maize snacks. Check the current pack’s nutrition, ingredients and allergen statement before offering it to guests.
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Hao Ba Shi Vegetarian Beef Steak, Spicy Flavor, 62g
A spicy, non-maize snack for a separate serving dish. Check its current nutrition and allergen label, and consider whether the flavour suits your guests.
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Hao Ba Shi Skewered Spicy Vegetarian Meat, 60g
A skewered spicy snack rather than a maize puff. Keep it separate from other party snacks and check the current pack’s nutrition, ingredients and allergen information before serving.
Questions about protein and party snacks
What does ‘high protein’ mean on a food label?
The annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, published by legislation.gov.uk, specifies that at least 20% of a food’s energy must come from protein for a ‘high protein’ claim. Use protein and energy values from the same current nutrition panel when checking a particular food; the word ‘protein’ in its name is not the test.
Is Graze Marmite Crunch a high-protein maize snack?
Its Tesco listing gives 15 g protein and 441 kcal per 100 g, equivalent to about 14% of energy from protein—below the 20% criterion in the annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Tesco describes it as a source of protein, and its listed ingredients include 41% broad beans and 34% fried corn.
Can Wotsits, Monster Munch or Frazzles be the party’s protein option?
Choose them for their flavours and snack formats rather than assuming they qualify as high in protein. Walkers lists 6 g protein per 100 g for Monster Munch Pickled Onion, and Tesco lists 6.8 g per 100 g for Frazzles Bacon Sharing Bag. Check the exact Wotsits pack separately rather than applying either figure to it.
What should I check before putting snacks into party bowls?
Read each current pack’s ingredients, declared allergens and precautionary statement first, then keep the packs available so guests can identify what is in each bowl. The listed products have different ingredient and allergen information, so do not assume that all maize-based snacks suit the same dietary requirements.