Whether you’re watching TV, sitting together or at a party – chips are the universal everyday snack. But be careful: As the Stiftung Warentest found out, some potato chips can have undesirable side effects.
Chips are still very popular. Last year, around 6.65 million people consumed potato chips or sticks several times a week. Reason enough for the experts at Stiftung Warentest to take a closer look at the snacks. In issue 11/2022, the experts therefore examined 25 products. Not only the classic chips were tested, but also stacked chips and other potato snacks.
Various aspects were taken into account in the study. In addition to ingredients, sensory properties such as appearance, smell and taste are also included in the evaluation. A pollutant test is also part of the investigation.
The result of the study is sobering: no candidate achieved the rating “very good”. Just eight products were found to be “good”. The experts rated six packs of chips as “satisfactory” and “sufficient”. The remaining five varieties are given the seal “poor” and thus fail. In addition to some organic chips, some well-known branded products are disappointing. Among other things, the taste of the potato snacks was disappointing, but the discovery of critical ingredients also caused negative reviews.
The detailed test report is available from Stiftung Warentest for a fee.
As already mentioned, at least eight types of chips were found to be “good”. These are:
Brands like Pringles and Kettle, on the other hand, fare less well – and even contain pollutants. Among other things, mineral oil hydrocarbons or glycoalkaloids were found during the investigations. “Undesirable health effects can no longer be ruled out with a small quantity of chips starting at around 40 grams,” explains Stiftung Warentest. The pollutants can trigger gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
If you want to avoid the corresponding imponderables, you can also take the scepter in your own hands and make the chips in the in-house oven. Expensive kitchen appliances are not needed.
That’s how it works:
Finished!
Anyone who has acquired a taste for it and would like to have even crispier chips can purchase a dehydrator if necessary. This means that other vegetables can also be used as a snack between meals. Our colleagues from AllesBeste have tested which models are particularly recommended. We have summarized the results for you in the following table.
