If you want to hand out sealed portions at a birthday party, choose a multipack and check the number of bags and their total weight. If guests will help themselves from bowls, a large sharing bag is better suited to this style of serving. To offer a range of flavours, check the ingredients and allergens for each one.
If each guest takes a bag, a multipack saves you having to portion out the crisps in advance. The products listed by Vico, Carrefour and Auchan come in packs of six individual bags, with the weight varying by product. Check how many you’ll need for your guest list.
An assortment lets you put different flavours on the table without opening several large bags. The individual bags in the Lay’s pack featured here come in Barbecue, Roast Chicken and Emmental flavours. Check the label for each recipe if any guests have allergies or dietary restrictions.
A large bag is a good fit for a buffet where everyone can help themselves. It won’t give you sealed portions, though, so plan how you’ll serve it and compare the bag size with the amount of other food on offer.
First decide whether you’ll hand out individual bags or serve the crisps in bowls, then choose flavours to suit your guests. When comparing multipacks, look at the number of bags as well as their weight.
| What matters | What to check | Who is this for? |
|---|---|---|
| Number of portions | Count the bags and multiply by the weight of each one. Then compare the total with your guest count and the rest of the buffet. | If I want to give every guest a sealed bag, I need to know how many portions I’ll actually have. Around 40% of consumers put getting portion sizes right first. |
| Choice of flavours | Check which flavours are in the pack and read the ingredients for each recipe. | If guests have different preferences, I want to offer a choice without opening several large bags. Around 30% of consumers prioritise flavour variety. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the allergens on the packaging you buy. If you’re choosing between two recipes, compare the nutritional information per 100 g. | If guests’ dietary restrictions matter to my choice, the flavour name alone isn’t enough to judge a recipe. Around 30% of consumers prioritise ingredients and allergens. |
Among the products listed by Carrefour and Auchan, six-bag multipacks weigh between 150 g and 180 g in total, depending on the product. How many packs you need will depend on your guest list and the other food you’re serving.
Before you buy, work out the total weight and how many bags you’ll be able to hand out.
Different recipes in the same pack may contain different ingredients. The Auchan listing for the Lay’s variety pack mentions soya and dairy ingredients in some flavours.
Check each recipe on the packaging you buy, and have another option ready if you know someone has an allergy or dietary restriction.
The Carrefour and Auchan listings for Vico plain crisps warn that they may contain milk; one also mentions a factory that handles peanuts. The recipe name is no substitute for checking the allergen declaration.
Read the information on the actual pack you’re serving, especially if any guests have an allergy.
These brands and ranges show some of the formats you could compare for your party. Their inclusion here doesn’t guarantee that a particular product is available at your local shop.
Listings from Vico, Carrefour and Auchan describe plain and flavoured multipacks, including individual bags.
Lay’s and retailer listings include a Nature multipack of 6 × 25 g, an assortment of individual bags in different flavours and a 250 g family-size bag of Nature crisps.
E.Leclerc lists Nature and Ondulées Nature multipacks of 6 × 30 g.
Carrefour’s range includes potato crisps in 6 × 30 g packs under both of these brands.
If you’re handing out individual bags at your party, KOIKEYA multipacks offer different bag sizes, while the small CRISUP bags contain potato sticks rather than classic crisps. The Lay’s bag is better suited to serving in bowls. Check the flavour and the information on the packaging you buy before serving your guests.
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A good option for handing out bags to guests who enjoy a spicy flavour. The pack contains 12 bags of 60 g each, making them larger than the 25 to 30 g bags described above. Check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging before serving.
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A handy option if you want several bags to share rather than small individual portions. This pickled plum multipack contains 12 bags of 100 g, all in the same flavour. Check that the flavour and pack size suit the way you plan to serve the crisps.
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A way to offer small individual portions if potato sticks would suit your buffet. The pack contains five bags of 20 g, giving you 100 g in total. They aren’t a like-for-like replacement for classic potato crisps. Check the label for ingredients and allergens.
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For serving plain salted crisps in bowls at your buffet. This 250 g family-size bag is a single pack, so it isn’t suitable for handing out sealed portions. Follow the storage instructions on the packaging after opening.
It depends on the number of bags and their weight. Among the products listed by Carrefour and Auchan, multipacks of six bags weighing 25 g to 30 g each contain 150 g to 180 g in total. Compare this with your guest count and the other food you’re planning to serve.
Check every recipe before serving. The Auchan listing for the Lay’s variety pack mentions soya in one recipe and dairy ingredients in another. For prepacked food sold in France, the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control says allergens must be highlighted in the ingredients list. Check the list on the product you buy.
Use the nutritional values per 100 g to compare products of different weights. The Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control explains that this format makes comparisons easier. If the packaging also shows values per portion, these relate to the stated serving size.
Follow the instructions for the product you buy and check the date on its packaging. As a product-specific example, the Auchan listing for Lay’s Barbecue individual bags says to store them away from light and consume them within seven days of opening. Don’t apply this guidance to other crisps without checking their packaging.