Anyone preparing individual portions
If you’re handing out snacks during a film or filling several packed lunches, check the number of bags and the weight of each one, not just the total weight of the pack.
Who are these formats for?
Groups with different tastes
If one flavour won’t suit everyone, an assortment gives you more choice. Just check the ingredients in each variety before serving.
Anyone checking ingredients
If milk, peanuts, soya or other ingredients affect your choice, read the information on the packaging of the pack you buy, including any warnings about possible traces.
What should you check?
For a film night, first decide whether you need individual portions, a choice of flavours or one pack to share. Then use the number of bags and their weight to choose the right format.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Individual portions | Number of bags and weight per bag; Auchan and Carrefour, for example, offer packs of six small bags. | I want to hand out portions during the film or pop them into packed lunches without opening a large bag. Around 36% of consumers prioritise having individual portions. |
| Choice of flavours | Flavours included and the ingredients in each one; Auchan offers a Lay's assortment with Barbecue, Roast Chicken and Emmental flavours. | When people in the group have different tastes, I’d rather offer a choice of flavours. Variety is a priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Total quantity | Net weight of the multipack or large bag, and how many portions you plan to serve. | If everyone is sharing the same flavour, I mainly want to make sure there’s enough without having to give everyone an individual bag. Around 21% of consumers prioritise quantity. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Ingredients list and information specific to each flavour on the pack you buy, including “may contain” warnings. | Before serving crisps to someone who needs to avoid an ingredient, I need to check the exact recipe. For around 14% of consumers, this check comes before the format. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Looking only at the number of bags
Two packs with the same number of bags can contain different quantities. For example, Carrefour lists Vico products in six bags of either 27.5 g or 30 g.
Compare the weight per bag and the total net weight with the portions you want to serve.
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Assuming plain crisps are suitable for everyone with allergies
Carrefour’s product information for Vico Extra Craquantes Nature multipacks warns that they may contain milk and are made in a factory that uses peanuts.
Check the ingredients and trace warnings on the exact pack before serving it to anyone who needs to avoid particular ingredients.
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Checking only one flavour in an assortment
The Barbecue, Roast Chicken and Emmental flavours in Carrefour’s Lay's assortment have different ingredients; the Emmental flavour, for example, contains ingredients derived from milk.
Read the information for every flavour instead of assuming that one ingredients list covers the whole pack.
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Confusing a small pack with a multipack
Pringles France, for example, offers a 40 g Original tube. This is a single-serve format, not an indication of how many units are in a multipack.
If you need to prepare several portions, check that the product listing clearly states how many units it contains.
Brands and retailers to consider
Vico
Carrefour and Auchan stock plain multipacks with different weights per bag.
- Carrefour offers Extra Craquantes Nature in 6 × 30 g and La Classique Nature in 6 × 27.5 g.
- For Extra Craquantes Nature, Carrefour warns that the product may contain milk and is made in a factory that uses peanuts. Check the packaging of the product you choose.
Lay's
The brand features in Auchan’s range of small plain bags and assorted multipacks.
- The assortment described by Auchan contains six 26.5 g bags, split between Barbecue, Roast Chicken and Emmental flavours.
- Ingredients vary by flavour; Carrefour’s product information, for example, lists ingredients derived from milk in the Emmental flavour.
Carrefour
The retailer offers its own-brand plain crisps in both multipacks and large bags.
- Its range includes Carrefour Classic' Nature in 6 × 30 g multipacks and 350 g bags. Compare the two formats according to how you plan to serve them.
- Check the product information and weight of the item you actually select: these formats are suited to different needs.
Auchan
The retailer’s multipack range includes individual bags from its own brand and other brands.
- Auchan offers its traditional-style crisps in 6 × 30 g multipacks, as well as Vico and Lay's packs.
- The weight per bag varies between these products, so check the pack you choose.
Pringles
Pringles Original is better suited to shoppers looking for a rigid tube or a small single-serve format than for multipacks of crisps in flexible bags.
- Pringles France offers Original in 40 g, 70 g and 200 g formats.
- These formats don’t specify how many portions a multipack contains. The brand’s website also warns that Original may contain milk and soya.
Joybuy products for individual portions
These two packs make it easy to prepare individual portions for a film-night snack: the first contains chilli crisps in 60 g bags, while the second has tomato-flavoured potato sticks in 20 g bags. Check which format suits the number of people and the type of snack you have in mind.
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KOIKEYA Karamucho Chilli, 12 × 60 g
Ideal for handing out individual bags of chilli crisps to a group. The pack contains 12 bags of 60 g each. Check whether this portion size suits your film night rather than assuming it’s the same as the 25–30 g small bags offered by Auchan and Carrefour. Check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of the pack you buy.
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CRISUP Potato Sticks Tomato Flavour, 5 × 20 g
Prepare five small individual portions if tomato-flavoured potato sticks are the right choice for your film-night snack. The pack weighs 100 g in total, split into five 20 g bags; these aren’t traditional crisps. Check the ingredients list on the pack you buy before serving.
Frequently asked questions
How do you choose the bag size for a film night?
Start with the number of portions you want to hand out, then check the weight shown for each bag. Auchan and Carrefour offer multipacks containing bags of 26.5 g, 27.5 g or 30 g, for example. Packs with larger bags won’t give you the same portion sizes.
Should you check every flavour in a crisp assortment?
Yes, because ingredients can vary from one flavour to another. In the Lay's assortment offered by Carrefour, the Barbecue flavour lists soya and the Emmental flavour contains ingredients derived from milk. Check the information on the pack you buy before serving it to anyone who needs to avoid particular ingredients.
What should you look for on a multipack label in France?
Check the net quantity, ingredients list, highlighted allergens, date marking and nutritional information. The French Ministry of the Economy outlines these labelling rules for prepacked foods. If you’re comparing different flavours, check the nutritional values for each one.
Does an opened large bag keep as well as individually sealed bags?
No. Once opened, follow the storage instructions on the relevant pack, while the remaining bags in a multipack stay individually sealed. For the Lay's assortment offered by Auchan, the retailer recommends storing it away from light and eating it within seven days of opening to preserve its flavour and crunch.
Is Nutri-Score enough to compare two multipacks?
No. If it appears on the packs you’re comparing, consider it alongside the nutritional values, then check the recipe, ingredients, weight per bag and number of bags. A score doesn’t replace checking the allergens in each flavour.