For a gym-bag crisp, compare the fat in the portion you will carry, not just the reduced-fat claim: Walkers lists 2.8g fat per 22g serving for Oven Baked Sea Salt. Tyrrells Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps list more protein per serving, at 3.9g per 30g, but also 6.0g fat and 0.60g salt, so they answer a different preference. If the snack needs to include protein around training, consider the crisps alongside a suitable protein-containing food rather than treating the pack as the whole snack.
If you want crisps in your gym bag and are comparing fat per portion, a pack with a clearly stated serving size makes the label easier to use. Walkers lists a 22g serving for its Oven Baked Sea Salt crisps; check the figures on the particular flavour you buy.
If you want the snack to include protein as well as carbohydrate, consider what you will eat with the crisps. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises including both in the pre-exercise snack described in its guidance, rather than relying on a crisp pack alone.
A reduced-fat comparison does not tell you the salt content, serving size or allergens. Compare those details on the exact flavour and pack, especially when switching between potato and lentil crisps.
Start with the amount you intend to carry or eat, then compare nutrition for that amount and per 100g. A front-of-pack comparison may use a different reference product from the one beside it on the shelf.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat and portion | Read fat per serving and per 100g, alongside the claim’s comparison basis. Walkers states 50% less fat than regular potato crisps for Oven Baked Sea Salt and lists 2.8g fat per 22g serving. | I want to take one clearly sized pack and know the fat content of the amount I will eat. |
| Protein and timing | Compare protein for the stated serving: Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt lists 1.3g per 22g; Tyrrells Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps list 3.9g per 30g. If planning a pre-exercise snack, consider the carbohydrate-and-protein combination described by University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. | If this is more than a savoury treat, I want to plan what else to pack so the snack includes protein. |
| Salt | Check salt on the exact pack as well as fat. Walkers lists 0.19g salt per 22g serving for Oven Baked Sea Salt; Tyrrells lists 0.60g per 30g for Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps. | A reduced-fat claim alone will not answer my question about salt, particularly if I am comparing different serving sizes. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredient list, allergen statement and suitability wording for the particular flavour. Do not carry a statement from one flavour across an entire range. | I need a pack that fits my dietary requirements, with allergen information I can check before putting it in my bag. |
| Pack format | Check the bag weight, number of servings and nutrition for the amount you intend to eat. Decide whether individual bags or a larger bag suit that plan. | I would rather choose the pack I will actually use than buy a larger one solely because it is promoted. In the Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland’s 2023 survey of 601 people interviewed in Northern Ireland, 48% said promotions made them more likely to buy chocolate confectionery, crisps and snacks. |
Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt lists 1.3g protein per 22g serving. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes a pre-exercise snack containing carbohydrate and protein when a meal was not eaten two to three hours earlier.
If you want that combination, plan a suitable protein-containing food alongside the crisps.
The stated servings differ: 22g for Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt and 30g for Tyrrells Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps. Their salt figures therefore describe different amounts of food.
Use the per-100g panels for a like-for-like label comparison, then check the figures for the portion you expect to eat.
In the Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland’s 2023 survey of 601 people interviewed in Northern Ireland, 48% said a promotion made them more likely to buy chocolate confectionery, crisps and snacks. That finding concerns those snack categories, not gym-goers specifically.
Before choosing a larger bag, check its serving count and the nutrition for the amount you intend to pack.
These examples help distinguish reduced-fat comparisons from other reasons to choose a crisp. Suitability and nutrition statements apply to the named products, not automatically to every flavour from a brand.
Oven Baked Sea Salt is a potato-crisp example with a manufacturer comparison claim: 50% less fat than regular potato crisps.
Its lentil crisps offer a pulse-based alternative. Tyrrells claims 30% less fat than standard potato crisps on average, using a comparison of almost 300 standard potato crisps reviewed in March 2021.
KETTLE Lightly Salted is a potato-crisp reference for shoppers checking stated dietary suitability rather than a reduced-fat claim.
Seabrook Sea Salted is another potato-crisp reference with product-specific dietary suitability information.
McCoy's Salted provides a conventional ridged-crisp reference when comparing nutrition panels.
REAL describes its range as vegetarian and gluten-free. Check the particular product and pack for your requirements.
These options include two Walkers Oven Baked multipacks for carrying individual bags and one larger PopChips bag. Compare the nutrition and allergen information on each actual pack; the Walkers Sea Salt figures discussed above should not be applied to these different flavours or packs.
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Six 22g bags let you put an individual pack in a gym bag. Check the fat and salt figures for each flavour, along with its milk, barley and other allergen warnings.
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This multipack contains six 22g bags, so you can carry one without taking the whole pack. Check this flavour’s own fat, salt and allergen information; it contains milk.
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The 85g bag needs a separate portion decision if you do not intend to eat it all at once. Compare nutrition for the amount you plan to take; this product contains milk, so check its full allergen statement.
They can be one part of it, depending on what else you have eaten. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust advises that a snack taken 60 to 90 minutes before exercise, when no meal was eaten two to three hours beforehand, should include carbohydrate and protein with minimal fat; a crisp pack alone does not address every part of that guidance.
Check the protein in the portion rather than relying on the crisp format: Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt lists 1.3g per 22g serving, while Tyrrells Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps list 3.9g per 30g. If you want the snack to include another protein-containing food, choose one that suits your dietary requirements and how you will store it.
No: a reduced-fat comparison does not establish either result. Walkers Oven Baked Sea Salt lists 0.19g salt and 96 kcal per 22g serving, while Tyrrells Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps list 0.60g salt and 141 kcal per 30g serving. Compare the exact packs per 100g and for the amount you intend to eat.