According to a report by the foodies at The Grocer, we Brits love crisps above all other snacks.
This is no surprise to me personally. Crisps are perfect. Watching a film? Have some crisps. Out at the pub with some friends? May as well split some bags of crisps while you tuck into your pints.
That being said... did you know that crisps often expire on a Saturday – and for Walkers Crisps especially, it’s always a Saturday?
Feel free to run to your cupboard to check, but it’s true!
So, why do crisps expire on a Saturday?
So, on their FAQ’s section on the Walker’s Crisps website, the crisp giants revealed the secret behind their weekend expiry dates.
They said: “It’s absolutely true! Our production week starts on a Sunday, with everything made that week having the same Best Before date. So when our recommended 12 week shelf life is up, the end date will therefore land on (you guessed it) – Saturday.”
However, if you’d never noticed and aren’t much of a stickler for sticking to expiration dates, chances are, you’ll be fine if your crisps are out of date.
The food experts at Tasting Table explained that crisps (or potato chips if you’re in the States) don’t so much go off as go stale: “Chips get stale over time because the starch molecules in the potatoes begin to crystallise in the presence of water, which can be absorbed from the air or from the gluten molecules within the potatoes.
“The network of molecules in the potatoes changes as the starch molecules crystallise, and the result is a less snappy chip. In short, eating stale chips won’t make you sick or pose any serious health risks, but it’s kind of a drag.”
Eat my crisps sooner rather than later... shouldn’t be an issue, tbh.