Smiths Frazzles Bacon Snacks, 120g

Frazzles are the bacon flavour corn snacks from Smiths, shaped and striped like little rashers of streaky bacon. This is the 120g sharing bag, which the listing says holds four servings. The full product name on the pack is crispy bacon flavour corn snacks, and the maker on the label is Walkers Snack Foods Ltd.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the snacks are made from corn (maize), rapeseed oil and a bacon flavour seasoning of salt, hydrolysed vegetable protein (soya), dextrose, flavour enhancers (monosodium glutamate and disodium 5' ribonucleotides), potassium chloride, sugar, yeast powder, flavourings (soya), lactose (milk), yeast extract, dried yeast, whey powder (milk), corn starch, colours (paprika extract and sulphite ammonia caramel), smoked maltodextrin, carob flour and rosemary extract, with beetroot red for colour.

Bacon without bacon

There is no bacon on the list. The smoky, meaty taste comes from smoked maltodextrin, hydrolysed vegetable protein, yeast in three forms and the flavourings, and the pack says the snacks are suitable for vegetarians.

Rashers

Each piece is a rippled strip of corn with red and pale stripes, like a little rasher of streaky bacon. Beetroot red, the last ingredient, is the main colour, with paprika extract and caramel colour in the seasoning.

Baked, not fried

The pack says baked not fried. The label gives 23g of fat per 100g, red on the front of pack scale, and 2g of saturates, amber.

Carob flour

Carob flour, from the pods of the carob tree, sits near the end of the seasoning and adds a dark, roasted note to the smoke.

The savoury

Hydrolysed vegetable protein, from soya, comes second in the seasoning, with monosodium glutamate and disodium 5' ribonucleotides to strengthen the savoury taste. This bag does contain MSG.

Salt first

Salt leads the seasoning, and potassium chloride sits beside it. The label gives 2.7g of salt per 100g and 0.82g in a 30g serving, red on the front of pack scale and nearly twice the red line.

Lactose and whey

Lactose and whey powder, both from milk, carry the seasoning and soften it. They are why a bacon snack contains milk.

Numbers per serving

The label gives 146 kcal, 7g of fat, 0.6g of saturates, 18g of carbohydrate, 0.7g of sugars, 0.6g of fibre, 2g of protein and 0.82g of salt for a 30g serving. That is about 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 10% of the fat and 14% of the salt.

Numbers per 100g

Per 100g the label gives 485 kcal, 23g of fat, 2g of saturates, 61g of carbohydrate, 2.4g of sugars, 1.9g of fibre, 6.8g of protein and 2.7g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 23g is red. Saturates at 2g are amber. Sugars at 2.4g are green. Salt at 2.7g is red.

Corn

Corn, or maize, is the first ingredient, and the corn dough is shaped into the rippled rashers.

Dextrose and sugar

Dextrose and sugar sit in the seasoning, the sweet side of a crispy bacon rasher. The label gives 2.4g of sugars per 100g, green on the front of pack scale.

Carbohydrate and fibre

The label gives 61g of carbohydrate per 100g, of which 2.4g are sugars; the rest is starch from the corn. Fibre is 1.9g and protein 6.8g per 100g.

Caramel colour

Sulphite ammonia caramel is a caramel colour that darkens the seasoning, beside paprika extract.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight soya, in the hydrolysed vegetable protein and flavourings, and milk, in the lactose and whey powder. The allergy advice says the snacks may contain celery, cereals containing gluten and mustard. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians; they are not vegan. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Four servings

The listing says the 120g bag holds four servings of 30g. Tip a serving into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.

Once opened

The listing advises a cool, dry place and says to eat the snacks within 3 days of opening, so fold the bag down and clip it shut.

No artificial preservatives

The pack says there are no artificial preservatives. Rosemary extract, the last ingredient in the seasoning, is a natural antioxidant.

Rapeseed oil

Rapeseed oil is the only oil on the list.

The pack

The deep red bag carries a yellow lightning bolt, the Smiths diamond logo, the Frazzles name in yellow letters, the words crispy bacon in red and yellow, a few striped Frazzles and the 120g weight.

Who it suits

A smoky, salty bacon snack with no meat suits vegetarians who miss a bacon flavour, and anyone who likes a crunchy, rippled corn snack. Anyone watching salt should note the 2.7g per 100g, and it is not suitable for anyone avoiding milk, soya or MSG.

Serving ideas

Put a bowl out with a cold beer, or serve Frazzles beside a cheese sandwich or a tomato soup.

In a sandwich

Frazzles in a buttered roll with a slice of cheddar make a bacon style crisp sandwich with no bacon.

In the kitchen

Crushed, Frazzles make a smoky, salty crumb for the top of a macaroni cheese, so go easy on the salt in the sauce.

Other Frazzles

We also stock Smiths Frazzles in a six bag multipack of 20g bags, with the same per 100g figures.

Sizes of Smiths Frazzles Bacon Snacks we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.