If Fairtrade cocoa matters to you, Ocado’s listing for the 191 g M&S milk-chocolate-coated custard creams makes a product-specific cocoa sourcing claim; it does not mean every ingredient is Fairtrade. For a snack shortly before a 5K, choose something you already tolerate and trial its timing in training: Sports Dietitians Australia advises familiar, carbohydrate-rich, lower-fat foods before exercise, so a chocolate coating is not a reason to choose a biscuit as running fuel.
If custard creams are already familiar to you, compare the portion you would eat and try the timing during training. Sports Dietitians Australia advises against experimenting with an unfamiliar snack on competition day; a biscuit is not essential running fuel.
Check the claim on the exact pack. Ocado’s listing for the 191 g M&S milk-chocolate-coated custard creams identifies Fairtrade cocoa sourced using mass balance. That statement is about cocoa in that product, not every ingredient or every M&S custard cream.
Let the current pack’s ingredients and allergen information guide the choice. The ordinary custard creams listed by Tesco and Sainsbury’s contain wheat and milk; the listed M&S coated biscuit also contains soya. Separately labelled free-from products need their own pack check.
Decide whether cocoa sourcing, a familiar pre-run snack or an ingredient exclusion drives the purchase, then compare the portion you would actually eat.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade cocoa | Look for wording naming cocoa on the exact product. The Fairtrade Foundation explains that its Sourced Ingredient mark applies to the named ingredient; mass balance allows certified and non-certified cocoa to mix during processing. | I want a claim about cocoa in the biscuit I buy, rather than assuming any chocolate coating or palm-oil sourcing statement means Fairtrade cocoa. |
| Pre-run snack | Consider familiarity, timing and the portion’s carbohydrate and fat. Sports Dietitians Australia advises trialling snacks in training and choosing familiar, well-tolerated, carbohydrate-rich, lower-fat foods before exercise. | Before a 5K, I would rather use a snack I know I tolerate than try a different coated biscuit for the first time. |
| Ingredients | Read the delivered pack’s ingredients and allergen information. The listed ordinary biscuits contain wheat and milk, while the listed M&S coated version also contains soya; assess any free-from alternative on its own label. | If I avoid an ingredient, its presence matters more to my choice than the biscuit’s coating or cocoa claim. |
| Portion and storage | Compare nutrition per 100 g before comparing differently sized biscuits, then check per-biscuit figures for the amount you plan to eat. Follow the pack’s storage directions after opening. | I want to know what my portion contains, without treating one plain biscuit and one larger coated biscuit as equal servings. |
They concern different ingredients or schemes. Ocado’s Fairtrade cocoa wording applies to the listed 191 g M&S coated product; an RSPO palm-oil statement on another biscuit does not establish Fairtrade cocoa.
Match the sourcing wording to the exact product and named ingredient before choosing on that basis.
Tesco lists 6.9 g fat for one 27 g chocolate-coated biscuit and 2.5 g for one of its plain biscuits. Those per-biscuit figures describe different products and serving sizes.
Compare the packs’ per-100 g figures on a common basis, then check the figures for the portion you expect to eat.
Ingredient and allergen details matter when avoiding wheat, milk or soya, and product information can change.
Check the current pack’s ingredients, allergen information and any precautionary statements before eating.
M&S lists both plain Extra Cream Custard Creams and a separate 191 g milk-chocolate-coated product.
Tesco lists plain custard creams and a separate milk-chocolate-coated version, with nutrition information for each.
Sainsbury’s lists a 200 g plain custard cream and a separate Free From Custard Creams product.
McVitie’s Tasties Custard Creams Biscuits 300 g are a plain custard-cream reference for this choice.
Tesco lists Crawford’s Custard Creams 300 g as another plain biscuit option.
This gluten-free custard cream option is relevant if an ingredient exclusion shapes your choice. Check its current pack for your other requirements, including any cocoa-sourcing claim.
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A gluten-free custard cream to consider if that exclusion matters to you. If you plan to eat it before a 5K, trial the snack and its timing during training; check the current pack for other ingredients you need to avoid.
No. The Fairtrade Foundation explains that a Sourced Ingredient mark identifies the named ingredient. Ocado’s listing for the 191 g M&S coated custard creams describes Fairtrade cocoa sourced using mass balance, which allows certified and non-certified cocoa to mix during processing.
Trial the snack and its timing during training instead. Sports Dietitians Australia advises choosing familiar, well-tolerated foods before exercise rather than experimenting on competition day.
Follow the directions on your pack. Tesco and Sainsbury’s advise keeping their listed plain custard creams cool and dry and using an airtight container after opening.
Read the delivered pack before eating, particularly if ingredients or allergens affect your choice. If the product differs from what you ordered, contact the seller about the specific problem.
Check the particular pack’s ingredients and allergen information. UK government food-labelling guidance requires ingredients, including allergens, to be identified on prepacked food packaging or its attached label; Food Standards Scotland also explains that allergen information must be available when allergens are used as ingredients.