Food News

The theme tune to the new "Tatort" crime thriller is already playing. Now it's time to grab some drinks and crisps and nothing stands in the way of a cosy, exciting evening in front of the TV.

Instead of the classic potato crisps, many people now prefer the supposedly healthier alternatives. Snacks made from lentils, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, sweetcorn, carrots and beetroot are becoming increasingly popular. But are they really "healthier"? The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Centre investigated this question and recently carried out a random sample of the vegetable snacks on sale.

The results were just as disillusioning as the first study in 2020. 

Crisps made from deep-fried pulses and vegetable puree hardly differ from potato products in terms of salt, fat and calorie content. The fat content is often slightly lower, but the energy content per 100 g remains comparably high. It is therefore worth taking a look at the nutritional table and comparing all the values before falling for the temptation to choose a slightly "healthier" snack.

One trick to resist the temptation to empty the whole bag is to take only a small portion and keep the rest as far away as possible. Admittedly, this also requires a good deal of self-discipline.

YOUR PLUS: The food laboratories of the AGROLAB GROUP not only test the popular snack products for complete nutritional information and correct allergen labelling, but also for numerous undesirable compounds such as acrylamide, mineral oil components (MOSH/MOAH) and mycotoxins.

Author: Dr Frank Mörsberger