As the cost-of-living crisis persists, many households are tightening budgets, especially when it comes to grocery shopping. One trend that consumers have noticed is shrinkflation – products shrinking in size or quantity while prices remain steady or rise. This phenomenon affects a range of everyday items, including crisps.
In October, Which?, the UK’s independent consumer group, revealed numerous cases of shrinkflation across various supermarket staples like toothpaste, coffee, chocolate, and even medicine. Crisps, a beloved snack, aren’t immune to this trend either.
Curious about what you’re actually getting in a bag of crisps, I set out on an experiment. I purchased multiple “grab bags” from popular brands such as Walkers, Hula Hoops, Quavers, Skips, NikNaks, Wotsits, Monster Munch, Cheetos, Doritos, and Mini Cheddars. My goal was to count the number of crisps in each packet and weigh the contents to see if they matched the net weight stated on the packaging.
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I purchased all packets from Sainsbury’s, picking one flavour per brand. For fairness, whole crisps were counted as one, and broken pieces were combined to form whole crisps. Small crumbs and flavour dust at the bottom were excluded from the crisp count but included in the weight measurement. A digital kitchen scale was used to weigh each packet’s contents.
UK regulations by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) require pre-packaged food products to clearly display the net quantity, which must be accurate and not misleading. This includes the weight of the product minus packaging.
Here’s what I discovered:
- Monster Munch Pickled Onion: 17 crisps; weight matched label (40g). Large crisps meant fewer pieces, but the bag felt full and most crisps were whole.
- Doritos: 21 crisps; 2g over stated weight (50g). Strong flavour, though fewer crisps than expected.
- Quavers (Ready Salted): 43 crisps; weight matched label (34g). Majority were broken into smaller pieces.
- Wotsits (Salt & Vinegar): 25 crisps; weight matched label (40g). Crisps tasty but fewer in number and some broken.
- Cheetos: 14 crisps; 1g under stated weight (37g). Heavy flavour dust at bottom reduced crisp count and weight.
- Mini Cheddars: 35 crisps; weight matched label (40g). Fewer crisps than expected but flavourful.
- Hula Hoops Ready Salted (Grab Bag): 63 crisps; 2g under stated weight (34g). Bag felt full with mostly intact crisps.
- Skips: 106 crisps; weight not measured due to scale limitations. Very light crisps made counting a challenge but volume was generous.
- Mini Cheddars Cheese & Onion: 23 crisps; 2g under weight (38g). Many broken crisps and higher price (£1.45).
- Hula Hoops (original): 32 crisps; weight matched label (45g). Well-filled and mostly unbroken crisps.
- Walkers Max Paprika: 24 crisps; weight matched label (50g). Larger crisps explained lower count.
- Walkers Oven-Baked: 19 crisps; slight variation in weight (~38g). Low crisp count but most were large and intact.
- Walkers Ready Salted: 28 crisps; 1g under weight (44g). Many crisps broken but classic taste remains.
- Quavers Cheese & Onion: 30 crisps; weight matched label (45g). Crunchy and tangy.
- NikNaks: 91 crisps; 1g under weight (44g). Irregular shapes made counting difficult; flavour milder than expected.
Overall, Cheetos and Monster Munch had the fewest crisps, partly due to their size and heavy seasoning. Walkers Oven-Baked and Doritos also felt underwhelming in quantity despite adequate net weight. Packaging air is essential to prevent crisps from being crushed during transport, which explains why bags often appear fuller than they are.
While most packets' net weights closely matched their labels, some discrepancies likely stem from my kitchen scales’ limitations.
Will this experiment stop me snacking on crisps? Definitely not. But next time, I might just grab my scales before buying, to make sure I’m getting what I pay for.