Organisers setting out a shared biscuit table
Choose a pack format that works for a tea-and-coffee station, and keep the product information accessible when biscuits are taken out of their packets.
Who is choosing the biscuits?
Organisers arranging separate dietary options
Check the exact product for vegan, milk-free or gluten-free labelling. Sainsbury's labels its plain digestives suitable for vegans, while its separate Free From Digestives are labelled milk and gluten free but carry a nut-allergy manufacturing warning.
Teams handing out individual portions
A wrapped format may suit distribution away from a shared table. The M&S chocolate digestive bars listed by Ocado come as eight individually wrapped bars; their allergen information still matters.
What matters for a conference break?
Start with attendee requirements, then compare the biscuit style and pack format that fit the way refreshments will be served.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Allergens | Read the current pack's ingredients and allergen statement. Keep that information available if biscuits are served loose, and avoid mixing products in an unlabelled bowl. The Food Standards Agency says retail and catering food businesses must provide allergen information. | I need staff and attendees to be able to identify what is in each biscuit, even after packets have been opened. |
| Dietary options | Check vegan, milk-free and gluten-free claims on each product separately, alongside any manufacturing warnings. Sainsbury's labels its plain digestives vegan and its Free From Digestives milk and gluten free, but says the latter are unsuitable for customers with a nut allergy. | Where attendees need a separate option, I want its label to match their requirements rather than relying on the word “digestive” or “free from”. |
| Biscuit style | Compare plain wheatmeal digestives with vanilla-filled custard creams. For these two Sainsbury's products, the listed sugars are 16.3g and 26.5g per 100g respectively; compare the same measure on any other packs. | A plainer biscuit may suit this break, or I may want to offer a sweet filled biscuit alongside it. |
| Serving format | Check the number and size of inner packs for replenishment, or whether portions are individually wrapped. Tesco lists a 750g custard-cream format as five 150g packs; the M&S chocolate digestive bars listed by Ocado are individually wrapped. | Will the catering team refill a shared table, or hand a biscuit to each attendee? |
What should you avoid assuming?
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Assuming every digestive suits a vegan attendee
Sainsbury's labels its plain digestives suitable for vegans, but its listing for McVitie's Milk Chocolate Digestives describes a chocolate-coated product. The biscuit name alone does not establish suitability.
Order against the exact pack label, and identify any separately chosen dietary option at the refreshment table.
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Assuming “free from” covers every allergy
Sainsbury's labels its Free From Digestives milk and gluten free but says they are unsuitable for customers with a nut allergy.
Match the product's full allergen statement to the requirements supplied for the event.
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Putting biscuits in bowls without retaining their details
Once packets have been removed, staff may be unable to tell attendees which biscuit contains which allergens. The Food Standards Agency says retail and catering food businesses must provide allergen information.
Keep the current packets or an accurate ingredient and allergen record with the catering team, and label separate bowls clearly.
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Planning replenishment around a pack format alone
Tesco lists a 750g custard-cream format divided into five 150g packs, a configuration that could make staged replenishment straightforward.
Confirm the pack configuration and availability before fixing the event order.
Brand and product-line references
Tesco
Tesco lists standard own-label custard creams in a 400g pack and a 750g format divided into five 150g packs.
- The 400g product is described as a vanilla-filled sandwich biscuit.
- Check its wheat and milk ingredients and Tesco's sesame precautionary statement before serving.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's lists standard custard creams, plain digestives and a separately labelled Free From Digestive.
- Its plain digestives are labelled suitable for vegans; its Free From Digestives are labelled milk and gluten free.
- The Free From Digestives carry a nut-allergy manufacturing warning. Check each product rather than applying one label to the range.
M&S
M&S has an Extra Cream Custard Cream and a chocolate-coated digestive-bar format.
- Ocado lists the digestive bars as eight individually wrapped portions.
- The bars are chocolate-coated rather than plain digestives; check their milk, wheat, barley and soya information.
Crawford's
Crawford's 300g custard creams are vanilla-flavour cream-filled sandwich biscuits.
- Tesco's product listing describes them as suitable for vegetarians.
- The listed product contains wheat and milk and may contain sesame seeds.
McVitie's
McVitie's is a digestive option; its listed Milk Chocolate Digestives are distinct from a plain digestive.
- Sainsbury's describes the chocolate product as wheatmeal biscuits covered in milk chocolate.
- Do not use the chocolate variant's details to judge the ingredients or dietary suitability of a plain McVitie's pack.
Digestive options on Joybuy
These digestive packs are options for the plainer-biscuit side of a conference order. Check each current pack label before using it to meet an attendee's dietary requirement.
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McVitie's Digestives The Original, 2 x 315g
A plain digestive option for a shared conference biscuit table. The listed pack contains 2 x 315g; check its current wheat and dietary information before serving it as a separate option.
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Gullon Zero Sugar Free Original Digestives, 400g
A separately labelled sugar-free digestive option in a 400g pack. Check the current ingredients, wheat information, milk and soya precautionary statements, and any consumption warning before including it in the conference order.
Questions about serving conference biscuits
Are digestives necessarily a lower-calorie choice than custard creams?
Do not assume so from the biscuit name. Sainsbury's lists 16.3g sugars per 100g for its plain digestives and 26.5g for its custard creams, but a sugar comparison does not establish an energy comparison. Check both figures per 100g on the packs you plan to buy.
Can standard custard creams serve as a milk-free option?
Not the checked Tesco and Sainsbury's standard products: their ingredient information includes milk-derived whey. Choose an explicitly labelled separate product where a milk-free option is required, and check its full allergen statement.
What allergen information should remain available at a conference?
Keep accurate information for the exact biscuits being served, including those taken out of their packets. The Food Standards Agency says retail and catering food businesses must provide allergen information; Food Standards Scotland states that the requirement covers both prepacked and non-prepacked food. Retain current labels or an accurate allergen record so staff can answer questions about each product.
Does a gluten-free digestive cover every allergy requirement?
No. Sainsbury's labels its Free From Digestives milk and gluten free, but says they are unsuitable for customers with a nut allergy because of manufacturing methods. Check the exact pack against the requirements for your attendees.
Do conference biscuits need to be individually wrapped?
Choose wrapping according to how the biscuits will be distributed, rather than treating it as a substitute for allergen information. Ocado lists M&S chocolate digestive bars as eight individually wrapped bars; check their ingredients and allergen details just as you would for biscuits from a shared pack.