Sistema Snack Capsule To Go review: a two-in-one design ideal for small portions

Price on writing: £6 | Buy now from Amazon

Whether you’re working from the office or heading into the great outdoors with your family, preparing to eat lunch and snacks outside the home can be far more complicated than it sounds. First, you’ll need a lightweight, airtight container to prevent sticky spillages, especially when carrying foods with liquid or sauce. You may also find yourself packing different-sized Tupperware containers in an attempt to keep wet and dry foods separate, and of course, you mustn’t forget your cutlery. Before you know it, this simple bite to eat has become a bulky bag full of containers and packets, weighing you down significantly during your commute. 

Sistema claims its Snack Capsule is a great option for grub on the go, with two separate compartments in one handy portable container. It's a brand trusted by Mumsnet users, but will this two-in-one capsule live up to expectations? From easy office lunches and lunchtime treats for the kids, Mumsnet writer Lucy put it to the test to find out. Here’s her honest verdict.

For more buys tried and tested by MNHQ experts, don’t miss our guides to the best toaster and kettle for your kitchen.

Our verdict

• Design: 4/5

• Quality of seal: 5/5 

• Versatility: 3/5

• Ease of cleaning: 5/5

• Ease of storing: 4/5

• Value for money: 3.5/5

The Sistema Snack Capsule To Go is a lightweight and portable two-part container ideal for convenient snacking outside the home. It even includes a handy clip-on spork (a combination of a spoon and fork), allowing you to easily tuck into the contents, wherever your travels may take you. 

With two containers that twist onto a central divider, it allowed me to easily store both wet and dry ingredients without leakage, keeping them fresh and separated until the moment I was ready to enjoy them.

A practical option for snacks on the go, my only niggle was that I wished it was slightly bigger to accommodate larger lunchtime portions such as pasta or leftovers.  

Sistema Snack Capsule To Go: design and style

Available in an assortment of four different colours (blue, purple, pink and green), the Sistema Snack Capsule To Go is crafted from robust, hard-wearing plastic. Both sections of the container have a transparent and semi-transparent design, which meant I could easily see what was nestled inside. 

With a capacity of 515ml, this two-part container was ideal for snacks, especially when I wanted to keep dry and wet ingredients separate, such as granola and yoghurt, salad and coleslaw, or even cereal and milk for breakfasts in the office. 

While younger children may struggle with the ‘twisting’ action required to open the capsule, I found it was ideal for housing smaller snacks and portion sizes. As the container is safe for the microwave without the lid, I only wish it had been a little larger, as I’d have loved to be able to store and reheat leftover pasta in it on the days I went to the office.  

The clip-on ‘spork’ was also a great addition - it prevented the need to take separate cutlery when eating outside of the home. I did find the spork came unclipped quite easily, however, which does leave the potential for it to get lost quite easily.

The simple two-in-one design of the Snack Capsule was a real plus point for portability. Two of the smaller containers from the Joseph Joseph Nest Lock set I also tested could have stored the same wet and dry ingredients without mixing - however, this would inevitably have taken up more space in my bag.

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Leak test: how well does the Sistema Snack Capsule's seal perform? 

I tested the Sistema Snack Capsule To Go container storing a range of different foods, including yoghurt, fruit and granola, while my youngest took it to school as part of her packed lunch, stashing fruit in one half and popcorn in the other.

It was important to make sure the containers were twisted correctly into the divider (as there is the potential to ‘cross-thread’ them if you’re not gentle), but once they were screwed tight, the seal held really well. I was able to tip the container completely upside down without any spillages and as such, I felt confident enough to pop the entire container into my handbag without worrying about losing the contents. 

If you’re using the Snack Capsule with children, I would make sure that they feel confident opening the container  by themselves, particularly as you need to turn each side the right way up before twisting it to release the lid.

Related: The best lunch box for the office or school

What was the Sistema Snack Capsule like to store?

The Sistema Snack Capsule is a compact and small container (measuring just 13cm high), so it takes up very little space in your bag or during storage. 

Whilst I haven’t managed to lose it (yet!), I do feel there is the potential for the spork to get lost inside your kitchen cupboards or accidentally left behind when outside the home. 

How easy was the Sistema Snack Capsule to clean?

The Sistema Snack Capsule To Go was very easy to clean by hand, but it can also be popped in a freestanding or integrated dishwasher (on the top shelf), so it's quick and convenient to wash and then dry on a dish rack, ready for reuse the following day.

Despite storing a variety of foods in the capsule, I have yet to see any noticeable signs of staining or discolouring on the container itself. 

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Price: is the Sistema Snack Capsule To Go worth it?

The Sistema Snack Capsule is high quality, durable and convenient for snacking on the go. At the time of writing, it retails for around £6 to £7, and although this may feel expensive for a single item, its portable two-in-one nature and included spork makes it good value for money overall.

As mentioned previously, however, I’d love to see a larger version of the same capsule and would be willing to pay a little more for the benefit.

How we tested

I used the Sistema Snack Capsule To Go to store snacks for my trips to the office, treats outside the home when visiting National Trust venues with my children, and for my daughter’s packed lunches. Throughout a fortnight, the capsule was used to store a range of both wet and dry foods including yoghurt, granola, cereal, fruit, and popcorn. 

During testing, I carefully assessed the container’s overall quality and versatility, the strength of the leakproof seal, how simple it was to clean, and how easy it was to store when not in use.

• Tested over a fortnight for snacks outside the home   

• Stored a combination of wet and dry contents simultaneously to assess the freshness and ability to separate food 

• Emptied, washed and refilled the capsule to test the ease of cleaning, both by hand and in the dishwasher.

• Cross-compared with the other food storage containers I've tested for Mumsnet

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About the author

Lucy Cotterill is a mum of two and a Content Writer at Mumsnet, specialising in baby/child and lifestyle product reviews and round-ups. Having written product reviews on her own blog Real Mum Reviews since 2012, Lucy loves to research and explore the pros and cons of products, scrutinising expert opinions and consumer feedback to help people make confident purchases.  

Whether she is whipping up cakes or biscuits with the kids or simply attempting not to burn the toast during breakfast, Lucy loves spending time in the kitchen, testing a variety of kitchen appliances and utensils. This year, she’s been on a mission to find the best food storage containers for Mumsnet, trying out 10 different products to find the top options for families. Lucy has also written various Mumsnet kitchen roundups including the best slimline dishwashers, best kettles for hard water and best dishwasher cleaners, to name a few.

About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

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