{"id":951623,"date":"2026-11-03T23:26:17","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T23:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/951623\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T23:26:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T23:26:17","slug":"quest-protein-chips-2026-shonky-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/951623\/","title":{"rendered":"Quest Protein Chips – 2026 Shonky Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Shonky Award for confusing getting ripped with ripped-off.<\/p>\n

In the food manufacturing world, it seems that protein is big business. Its presence in everything \u2013 from breakfast cereals and ice cream to instant coffee and bread \u2013 is being loudly promoted on packaging, muscling out the regular foods on our supermarket shelves that don\u2019t boast such credentials.<\/p>\n

We recently investigated the price difference between the standard versions and the protein versions of a range of different food products. We found you\u2019ll be paying, on average, around 50% more per 100g for those items promoting protein on the label.<\/p>\n

Even if you could benefit from more protein in your diet, there are much more cost-effective ways to get it than via these types of foods<\/p>\n

The fact is, very few of us actually need extra protein in our diets. The data shows that the vast majority of Australians meet or exceed their recommended daily protein requirements. <\/p>\n

Even if you are one of the groups that could benefit from more protein in your diet, there are much more cost-effective ways to get it than via these types of foods.<\/p>\n

Nacho chips on a Wagyu budget<\/p>\n

While there\u2019s no shortage of examples of expensive processed foods that promote their protein content, one in particular stood out. <\/p>\n

\"\"This packet of Quest Protein Chips will cost you $6.50 \u2013 that\u2019s more than $20 per 100g.<\/p>\n

Not only might it cost you almost 900% more per 100g than the standard, non-protein version from a different brand, it also carries the sorts of warnings you\u2019d normally expect to see on medication rather than snack food.<\/p>\n

That product is Quest Protein Chips. A single 32g packet of this \u201cprotein-forward\u201d snack will set you back $6.50.<\/p>\n

\u201cFar from being as cheap as chips, this snack food costs more than $20 per 100g,\u201d says CHOICE journalist Marg Rafferty. \u201cThat\u2019s comparable to prices you might pay for Wagyu beef or specialty seafood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Compare the Quest Nacho Cheese Tortilla Style Protein Chips to a bag of Nacho Cheese Flavour Doritos. <\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be paying 886% more for the Quest Nacho Cheese Tortilla Style protein chips than for Doritos<\/p>\n

When we first began looking at these products back in July for our investigation into the \u201cprotein premium\u201d, the Doritos cost $5 for a 170g bag, making the Quest chips 591% more expensive.<\/p>\n

Since then, the Doritos have dropped in price to just $3.50 for 170g, a unit price of just $2.06 per 100g. <\/p>\n

In other words, you\u2019ll be paying 886% more for the protein chips.<\/p>\n

High in protein, but stacked with sodium<\/p>\n

You may be thinking that paying extra for a healthier food is worth it. But like a lot of processed foods that promote protein on the label, you need to check the ingredients carefully to be sure you\u2019re actually eating something that\u2019s good for you.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019ll certainly get a good amount of protein in the Nacho Cheese Tortilla Style (18g per serve), these chips don\u2019t perform as well against other measures.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019ll certainly get a good amount of protein in the Nacho Cheese Tortilla Style, these chips don\u2019t perform as well against other measures<\/p>\n

\"\"They might not deliver 18g of protein, but these Doritos have a third of the sodium and a fraction more fibre than the Quest snack.<\/p>\n

Compare the fibre and sodium in the Quest product to the more familiar Doritos product.<\/p>\n

The Quest chips contain 1.4g of dietary fibre per serve, while the Doritos offer 1.6g in the same 32g serve. And sure, it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll be turning to corn chips to increase your fibre intake. But unlike protein, fibre is something most Australians aren\u2019t consuming enough of. In fact, more than 70% of us fail to reach optimal intake.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re worried about your sodium intake (and studies show that the average Australian consumes almost double the amount of sodium needed for good health) then that\u2019s another reason to steer clear of the Quest product: it contains 327mg of sodium per serve. The Doritos chips contain roughly a third as much (115mg) in 32g.<\/p>\n

Snack food that comes with a warning label<\/p>\n

Perhaps the final word should go to the blurb on the packs of Quest Protein Chips. <\/p>\n

While the marketing text boasts that the product \u201cisn\u2019t just for athletes to enjoy \u2013 they\u2019re for everyone!\u201d, it also carries a prominent warning that these chips are \u201cnot suitable for children under 15 years of age or pregnant women\u201d, and that this food \u201cshould only be used under medical or dietetic supervision\u201d.<\/p>\n

There are lots of good sources of protein that don\u2019t carry warning labels or cost nearly nine times the price of the standard version<\/p>\n

CHOICE journalist Marg Rafferty.<\/p>\n

We asked Quest about the warnings on the label, but we did not receive a response.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore you spend your money on these chips, ask yourself: \u2018am I getting ripped, or just ripped off?\u2019,\u201d says Rafferty.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are lots of good sources of protein that don\u2019t carry warning labels or cost nearly nine times the price of the standard version.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\tMore 2026 Shonky Award winners<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\tVirgin Australia\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tThe Shonky Award for forcing customers to book under pressure.\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\tTicketek & Ticketmaster\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tThe Shonky Award for fleecing fans.\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\tSony Interactive Entertainment\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tThe Shonky Award for asking us to pay to play, but not own.\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\tHisense\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tThe Shonky Award for gaming a broken system\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\tPetcover\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tThe Shonky Award for a policy that\u2019s all bark, no benefit.\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Together, we\u2019re more powerful<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not fair when companies let us down with dodgy products and bad business practices. But when we work together, companies listen and governments change laws.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re up for that fight, and we need your help.<\/p>\n

Donate today and support our quest for a better, fairer, safer Australia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Shonky Award for confusing getting ripped with ripped-off. In the food manufacturing world, it seems that protein…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":951624,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[64,63,137,532],"class_list":["post-951623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=951623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/951624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=951623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=951623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=951623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}