Sunbites Sweet Chilli Wholegrain Crisps, 6 x 25g

Sunbites are wholegrain chips: a dough of four whole grains, formed into rippled squares and seasoned. This is the Sweet Chilli flavour, in six 25g bags, 150g in all, and the listing says each bag is one serving. The full product name on the pack is sweet chilli flavour wholegrain snack, and the pack gives a Leicester address for SUN.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the chips are made from wholegrains (whole corn, whole wheat, whole brown rice flour and whole oat flour, 82%), sunflower oil, a seasoning of sugar, salt, flavouring, tomato powder, onion powder, paprika powder, garlic powder, citric acid, cayenne pepper powder and paprika extract for colour, and sugar.

Four whole grains

The pack says 100% wholegrain: every grain on the list is whole, with its bran and germ. Whole corn, whole wheat, whole brown rice and whole oats make up 82% of the chips.

Whole corn first

Whole corn is the first grain on the list, so it makes up more of the chips than the wheat, rice or oats, and it gives them a golden colour and a toasty note.

Oats and gluten

Oats are one of the cereals containing gluten under UK allergen rules, so the oat flour, like the wheat, is highlighted on the list.

Brown rice

Whole brown rice flour is milled from rice with its bran left on, which is what makes it a whole grain.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrate is 61g per 100g, and most of it is starch from the grains rather than sugar.

Fibre

The label gives 6.7g of fibre per 100g and 1.7g in a bag.

Sweet first

Sugar leads the seasoning, so the first taste is sweet, like a Thai style sweet chilli sauce. The label gives 5.9g of sugars per 100g and 1.5g in a bag, amber on the front of pack scale, just over the 5g line.

Then the chilli

Cayenne pepper powder brings the heat, with paprika for a sweet pepper note, and tomato, onion and garlic give the sauce its body. The heat is gentle and building.

Lightly salted

At 0.56g of salt per 100g and 0.14g in a bag, this is the least salty Sunbites flavour we stock.

Protein

The label gives 7.3g of protein per 100g and 1.8g in a bag, from the grains.

Numbers for one bag

The pack gives 119 kcal (498 kJ), 5.2g of fat, 0.5g of saturates, 15g of carbohydrate, 1.5g of sugars, 1.7g of fibre, 1.8g of protein and 0.14g of salt for each 25g bag. That is about 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 7% of the fat and 2% of the salt. Per 100g it is 475 kcal (1991 kJ), 21g of fat, 2g of saturates, 61g of carbohydrate, 5.9g of sugars, 6.7g of fibre, 7.3g of protein and 0.56g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 21g is red. Saturates at 2g are amber. Sugars at 5.9g are amber. Salt at 0.56g is amber, near the bottom of its band.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight wheat and oats, cereals containing gluten. The allergy advice says the chips may contain barley, milk and soya. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians; there is no vegan statement, and they are not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Only natural flavours

The pack says only natural flavours. The colour is paprika extract.

Sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is the only oil on the list, and the label gives 2g of saturates per 100g.

Recycled plastic

The listing says the bags are made using 50% recycled plastic, counted through a certified mass balance approach.

The texture

The chips are rippled squares, firmer and grainier than a potato crisp, with a toasted cereal note from the whole grains.

Six bags

At 25g, each bag is one serving, 119 kcal. Six bags cover a school or working week with one to spare.

The pack

The red outer bag carries the SUN name down one side, the words sweet chilli and 100% wholegrain, with rippled chips beside red chillies and one of the small bags in the corner.

Who it suits

A sweet, gently hot wholegrain chip suits a lunchbox and anyone who likes a grainy, wholegrain snack. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten.

Serving ideas

A bag goes with a chicken wrap, a noodle salad or a cheese sandwich.

In the kitchen

Crushed over a noodle salad, a bag adds a sweet chilli crunch.

Storage and packaging

The listing advises a cool, dry place; the bags are packed in a protective atmosphere, which keeps the chips fresh until each is opened.

Other sizes and flavours

The same recipe comes in a 28g bag. In the same six bag format we also stock Sunbites Lightly Salted and Sour Cream and Cracked Black Pepper.

Sizes of Sunbites Sweet Chilli Wholegrain Crisps 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.