CONSUMER: Did you know that your packet of crisps contains between 14% and 37% air?
And it's not because the they are trying to rob you!
How many times have you opened up a packet of your favourite chips (crisps) and questioned how little was inside?
Come now, be honest. We've all done it at least once or twice before. The line of thinking always leads to us assuming that the supplier is robbing us.
Many would think the decreasing amount of chips in a packet is due to the price of potatoes and oil rising. But we are here to say that is far from the truth.
Read more: Consumer inflation soars to 13-year high
In fact, the manufacturers have claimed that the air (empty space) is a nitrogen mix.
This air mix, which amounts to between 14% and 37% of the volume of bags tested, is there for a reason and is not done so maliciously.
"Across all bags tested, the average chip packet was 27% air. The nitrogen mix keeps chips unbroken and fresh, and it doesn't mean that you're being ripped off." (Business Insider)
There's one thing that we can say has been debunked - not all manufacturers are out to rip you off.
In an effort to bring some crispy justice to our dedicated chip craving, Business Insider decided to undertake the responsibility of finding out how much air is contained in various favourites.
"By measuring water displaced in the beaker when unopened, and once again when opened and vacuum sealed to remove all excess air, Business Insider was able to find a percentage difference that – although not exact – gives a good idea of how much air you're buying in a standard large bag of chips." (Business Insider)
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Their findings were quite interesting. "Simba and Pick n Pay private label chips, which resembles Simba chips" were found to have 33% and 37% air.
Of the contenders, Business Insider found that a large bag of "NikNaks had the least amount of nitrogen in the bag, at 14%. While Lays, Flannigan's, Woolworths private label chips, Pringles, and Doritos all had similar levels in their packets – ranging between 23% and 27%."
Although all bags of chips tested were roughly "equal in dimensions and had approximately the same net weight of chips inside." (Business Insider)
All in all, we can say that there is a sound reason behind the space in our chip packets.
Image Courtesy of Facebook