Health & Nutrition

Questions:

What are RIs and how are they calculated?

Answer:

Reference Intake (RI’s) are a guide to the maximum number of calories, fat, saturates, sugars and salt an average adult should consume per day. The ‘traffic light’ labelling on the front of our packs shows what percentage of RI’s one serving or portion provides, helping you make a more informed choice about what you eat and drink.

What is the difference between saturated and non-saturated fat in Walkers crisps?

Answer:

Saturated fat and unsaturated fat differ in their chemical structure and their impact on health. Saturated fat is associated with blood cholesterol levels, so dietary advice recommends managing the intake of this in our diet. We use a blend of Sunseed and Rapeseed oil to cook our crisps, which has up to 75% less sat fat than traditional cooking oils.

How do Walkers fit into a balanced diet?

Answer:

The Government’s Eatwell Guide shows how snacks can be part of a balanced diet. It is generally accepted that 8-10% of your calories can come from a snack. For an average woman who needs around 2000 calories per day, this would be 160 – 200kcals. As an example, a 32.5g pack of Walkers Cheese & Onion flavour crisps contains 161kcals. More info about the Eatwell guide can be found here - www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-eatwell-guide/

What percentage of your RIs of (salt/ sat fat/ calories) are in a packet of Walkers?

Answer:

A standard packet of Cheese & Onion 32.5g contains 8% calories, 1% sugar, 14% fat, 4% saturated fat and 7% salt of an adult's daily reference intake. Please go to our range page and click on each of the flavours to find out more.

Why do Walkers contain salt?

Answer:

Saltiness is one of the five tastes that our senses can detect (along with bitterness, sweetness, sourness and unami). Salt helps to bring out the flavour of food, making it taste good. It's what helps give our crisps their delicious flavour. Many of us in the UK eat too much salt, and to help people understand how much they are consuming, we clearly label the salt content of our products on the front of the packs.

Why don't you reduce the amount of salt in your crisps?

Answer:

We are dedicated to reducing our salt levels across all of our products and we have made great progress over the years. It means that today, a 32.5g bag of Walkers Cheese & Onion contains 0.4g of salt; that's 7% of the daily reference intake.

Why is too much salt bad for you?

Answer:

Hi There, It is recommended that adults should consume <6g salt per day and children even less. High salt intakes may cause or exacerbate conditions such as high blood pressure, stroke or heart disease. You can find out how much salt is in our crisps, clearly labelled, on the front of our packs.

Why do we need salt in our diets?

Answer:

Salt is a combination of sodium and chloride. Sodium is an essential nutrient in the body which helps us absorb certain nutrients from our food and water from our gut. Sodium is important for regulating bodywater content and the balance of electrolytes in our bodies. The recommended daily intake of salt is 6g - a32.5g bag of Walkers has 0.4g (7%).

Aren't Walkers crisps just empty calories? There's nothing good in them

Answer:

Our Walkers crisps are made from 100% British potatoes and are cooked with our blend of Sunseed and rapeseed oil which is 75% lower in saturates than traditional cooking oils. We do not include nutrition claims on our standard products right now and we don't think it would be appropriate to promote crisps on the basis of a health benefit. Crisps are a fun, tasty snack.

Why do you have lower calorie options? E.g. Walkers Baked

Answer:

We love to give consumers choice, whether it’s flavours, portion sizes or lighter alternatives. That's why we offer lower fat options such as Sunbites, along with our ‘Oven Baked’ crisps which are baked, rather than fried.

Do you feel that multi-packs encourage people to eat more than one pack of Walkers a day?

Answer:

We believe in giving people choice and value - offering a range of portion sizes and pack formats - from our single serve bags to our multipacks, to help people plan for the week ahead. While Walkers do sell multipacks, one bag is considered a serving/portion.

Aren't you misleading customers if not ALL the ingredients in the range are from the UK?

Answer:

We make no claim that our all our ingredients are grown in the UK, we simply like to highlight the fantastic British produce that we have the privilege of having access to.