Healthy snackification? Stiftung Warentest tests crisps made from pulses
20.3.2023
Translation: machine translated
Pulses are all the rage. Healthier snacking with lentil and chickpea crisps? A test by Stiftung Warentest shows how much depends on the variety.
They have long been on the shelves of your supermarket: supposedly better snack alternatives to potato crisps. Mostly based on lentils and chickpeas, as pulses are full of protein, B vitamins and minerals. The Stiftung Warentest has tested what is left of them when they are processed into crisps. And came to the conclusion that not all crisps are the same.
The test
The test was carried out in November 2022 on eight different products based on chickpeas or lentils, including Funny-Frisch, Lorenz, Heimatgut and Eat Real, as well as crisps from Aldi, Lidl, Rossmann and dm. The criteria were flavour, the content of critical substances and the amount of fat, salt and protein. The type of packaging - how easy it is to open and recycle - as well as the truthful and complete labelling of the ingredients and contents were also included in the assessment.
The result
Of the eight test candidates, none scored "very good", but some scored "sufficient". Only two received the test grade "good": the winners were the chickpea crisps from Lorenz and the chickpea crisps from dm Bio. Both achieved a 2.4, followed by the lentil crisps from Heimatgut in third place with a 2.9 ("satisfactory").
Bottom of the league with two "sufficient" scores are the varieties from Eat Real (3.6) and Funny-Frisch (4.3)
What applies equally to all of the crisps tested: according to the test results, they contain less fat than potato crisps. On average, this is around 50 per cent. But be careful - this does not mean that they are significantly lower in calories. The saving here is only around 15 per cent, which is partly due to the higher protein content of pulses compared to potatoes.
However, according to "Stiftung Warentest", these crisps are not healthy, as the bag contains more than just vegetables. The snacks only contain a certain amount of lentils and chickpeas. In the eight test candidates, this was between 30 and 45 per cent. Most also contain potato flour, potato starch or potato flakes, and in some cases rice flour, corn flour, sweet potato powder or tapioca starch.
This is a case of fibbing
It also emerged that not all snack suppliers keep their promises:
- At Lidl, for example, the information on the protein content was incorrect. It was only 11.6 per cent instead of the stated 14 per cent.
- Rossmann describes its lentil crisps as a "rich source of fibre", although according to the EU Health Claims Regulation, they must contain at least six grams of fibre per 100 grams. According to the test, there were only four.
- Funny-Frisch mainly uses sunflower oil instead of the healthier rapeseed oil listed.
- And the organic supplier Heimatgut also tries to play tricks on us and writes "No preservatives" on the snacks. Firstly, these are not permitted for organic products anyway and secondly, they are generally unusual for crisps. -
And otherwise
It is also worth mentioning that Aldi in particular attracted negative attention on the topic of harmful substances. A substance that is considered carcinogenic was detected in these crisps. In terms of flavour, however, another test candidate was the only one to perform significantly worse than the others: With their smell of old oil, the Eat Real crisps spoilt the testers' desire to snack right from the start. This variety also stands out due to its packaging. It was the only one to be classified by Stiftung Warentest as zero per cent recyclable.
Conclusion: Not all suppliers are honest with their customers. Although the legume snacks are healthier than conventional potato crisps, they are not healthy either.
If you still want to indulge in protein-rich snacking fun, you will find here and there in the shop.
Cat lady and coffee lover from up north. Always on the lookout for «News and Trends».
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