Hosts comparing fat figures
If familiar crisp flavours matter alongside a lower declared fat figure, compare the exact flavours per 100g and check the amount in each bag.
Who is this for?
Hosts handing out individual bags
Multipacks can make it easier for guests to choose a flavour and inspect its own label. Check the inner-bag size as well as the number of bags.
Hosts serving guests with food allergies
Check the ingredients and precautionary allergen statement for every flavour. Keep packets available, and avoid mixing foods or serving utensils where cross-contact matters.
What should you check?
Start with the nutrition panel for the exact flavour, then decide whether individual bags or a sharing bag will work for your guests.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat comparison | Compare fat per 100g on the exact products; for individual bags, also read the per-bag figure. Check what any reduced-fat claim is compared with. | I want a lower declared fat figure, rather than choosing on a front-of-pack description alone. In a 2024 Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland survey of 611 people in Northern Ireland, 49% said they actively used traffic-light labelling when shopping for food; that finding is not specific to crisps. |
| Portions and flavours | Check the weight of each inner bag and which flavours the multipack contains. For sharing bags, plan how guests will identify what is in each bowl. | Guests should be able to pick a flavour and see its packet. Walkers lists six 22g bags in its Oven Baked variety pack; Seabrook lists 18g bags for Salt & Vinegar Crunchies. |
| Allergens | Read each flavour’s ingredients and ‘may contain’ wording. Keep packaging available and use separate utensils where cross-contact is a concern. | If a guest needs to check an allergen, I want the exact packet beside the food, not just the name of the range. The Food Standards Agency recommends retaining packaging for prepacked food served at events. |
| Salt and full panel | Compare salt and other nutrition values per 100g as well as fat, then check the stated serving or bag size. | A lower fat figure is only one part of my comparison. Seabrook lists 16.4g fat and 2.18g salt per 100g for Salt & Vinegar Crunchies. |
Party-shopping pitfalls
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Assuming ‘baked’ settles the nutrition comparison
Fat and salt do not necessarily follow the same pattern. Seabrook lists 16.4g fat and 2.18g salt per 100g for Salt & Vinegar Crunchies.
Compare the full panels on a per-100g basis, then look at the amount in each bag.
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Putting different flavours in one unlabelled bowl
Guests lose access to the exact ingredient statement, and shared utensils can introduce cross-contact.
Keep original packets beside separate bowls. The Food Standards Agency recommends retaining prepacked-food packaging at events, while Anaphylaxis UK advises separating foods and utensils where allergens are present.
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Assuming reduced fat settles a school-event decision
Reduced-fat wording does not establish whether a product meets a school’s food requirements. England’s HFSS retail-promotion rules and its school-food requirements address different settings.
If food is being supplied through a school, check the applicable UK nation, the school’s requirements and the exact product before ordering. Department for Education guidance addresses food provided in state-funded schools in England.
Brand and range references
Walkers
The Oven Baked range offers individual bags in familiar flavours.
- Walkers lists 13g fat per 100g for Oven Baked Sea Salt and states that it has 50% less fat than regular potato crisps.
- The variety pack contains different flavour recipes. Check each packet for ingredients and allergen warnings.
Tyrrells
Lentil Crisps offer a non-potato option for a sharing bowl.
- Tyrrells lists 19g fat per 100g for Sour Cream & Onion Lentil Crisps and describes its lentil range as having 30% less fat than standard potato crisps on average.
- The Sour Cream & Onion flavour contains milk and may contain soya and gluten. Check its packet before serving.
Seabrook
Salt & Vinegar Crunchies are a dried-potato snack, rather than a standard sliced crisp.
- Seabrook lists 16.4g fat per 100g for Crunchies, compared with 30.4g per 100g for its Sea Salted potato crisps.
- Crunchies list 2.18g salt per 100g; check their allergen wording as well as the fat figure.
Kettle Chips
Lightly Salted is a sharing-bag choice to consider when its stated dietary suitability matters more than fat reduction.
- Kettle Chips describes Lightly Salted as suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
- Kettle Chips lists 29.5g fat per 100g for Lightly Salted; do not treat its name as a reduced-fat claim.
McCoy's
Salted is a conventional ridged crisp for guests seeking that format rather than a lower-fat option.
- McCoy's lists 1.3g salt per 100g for Salted, giving shoppers a figure to compare with other exact flavours.
- It also lists 32g fat per 100g and says the product may contain milk, soya, gluten and mustard.
REAL Hand Cooked Crisps
This hand-cooked range is relevant to flavour-led sharing, rather than an assumed fat-reduction target.
- REAL describes its range as vegetarian and gluten-free.
- Its Ham & Colman's Mustard recipe lists 28.2g fat per 100g. Check the exact flavour’s ingredients and label.
Joybuy options for the party
These options include an individual-bag Walkers multipack, potato-snack alternatives, lentil chips and a single bag of vegetable crisps. Compare their exact labels and serving formats for your guests.
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Walkers Oven Baked Variety Pack, 6 x 22g
Six individual bags offer Sea Salt, Cheese & Onion and Salt & Malt Vinegar for guests choosing their own flavour. Check each packet: ingredients and allergen statements differ between flavours.
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PopChips Sour Cream & Onion 85g
An 85g bag is an option for sharing rather than handing out sealed individual portions. If serving it in a bowl, retain the packet so guests can check the exact ingredients and allergen statement.
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Eat Real Sea Salt Lentil Chips 95g
These lentil chips offer a non-potato choice in a 95g bag. Compare the exact packet’s fat and salt figures with the other snacks you are considering, and keep its allergen information available if serving from a bowl.
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Frula Green Bean Vegetable Crisps 30g
The 30g bag provides a single green-bean-flavoured option. If guests expect conventional potato crisps, offer it as a distinct choice and check its nutrition and allergen label before serving.
Questions about choosing and serving
Does reduced fat mean there is less salt too?
No: check both figures for the exact flavour. Seabrook lists 16.4g fat but 2.18g salt per 100g for Salt & Vinegar Crunchies, so the fat figure alone cannot answer the salt question.
Should I keep the packets if I put crisps in bowls?
Yes, keep each original packet beside the corresponding bowl so guests can check its ingredients. The Food Standards Agency recommends retaining prepacked-food packaging at events; Anaphylaxis UK also advises keeping foods and utensils separate where allergens are present.
Do all flavours in a reduced-fat multipack have the same allergens?
Not necessarily. The Walkers Oven Baked variety pack contains different recipes, including flavours with milk or barley-containing ingredients. Read every inner packet rather than relying on the multipack’s reduced-fat description.
Does a reduced-fat label make crisps suitable for a school Halloween event?
No such conclusion follows from the label. Department for Education guidance addresses food provided in state-funded schools in England, while Department of Health and Social Care guidance describes separate HFSS rules for specified retail and online promotions in England. For a school event, check which nation’s requirements apply, the school’s rules and the exact product.