Travellers comparing sugar
If you want a sweet biscuit for the car, compare sugars per 100g as well as per biscuit. A familiar custard-cream name does not tell you whether the recipe has less sugar.
Who is choosing these snacks?
Travellers needing gluten-free portions
Gluten-free custard creams in separate two-biscuit packs may be easier to distribute at stops than biscuits from one opened pack. Check the current label against each traveller's requirements.
Families packing a shared snack
Think about how many biscuits to bring and check ingredients before sharing. The Tesco and Sainsbury's standard examples contain wheat and milk-derived ingredients.
What matters when choosing?
Compare the recipe on a per-100g basis first, then use portion information to decide what to pack for the journey.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar comparison | Compare sugars per 100g on the current packs. Tesco Groceries lists 28.3g per 100g for its standard custard creams; Sainsbury's lists 26.5g per 100g for its standard pack. Check sugars per biscuit separately when deciding how many to bring. | I want to compare recipes fairly rather than mistake a smaller biscuit or pack for a lower-sugar product. |
| Nutrition labels | Check the sugars figure and any reduced-sugar wording on the exact pack. GOV.UK's Check the label guidance explains that traffic-light labels, where shown, indicate high, medium or low amounts of fat, saturates, sugars and salt. | I use labels to compare snacks before packing them. In the Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland's 2024 tracker, 49% of the 611 Northern Ireland adults interviewed from 16 September to 23 November 2024 actively used traffic-light labelling when shopping for food; that figure describes label use, not a preference for lower-sugar biscuits. |
| Portions for travel | Check the number of biscuits per portion pack and the size of a shared pack. Sainsbury's Schär listing describes five packs containing two biscuits each. | For separate snack stops, I may prefer packs I can hand out without opening all the biscuits at once. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the physical pack's ingredients and allergen statement. The Tesco and Sainsbury's standard examples contain wheat and milk-derived ingredients; check the current Schär pack if you need its gluten-free variant. | Someone travelling with me may need a biscuit that meets a specific dietary requirement, so I need to check the exact product before sharing it. |
What should you avoid assuming?
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Assuming extra cream means less sugar
Marks & Spencer lists 40.2g sugars per 100g for its Extra Cream Custard Creams, compared with 28.3g for Tesco's and 26.5g for Sainsbury's standard examples. Filling style is not a substitute for a nutrition comparison.
Compare the current packs' sugars per 100g, and check any reduced-sugar wording on the exact product you intend to buy.
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Treating gluten-free as a sugar claim
Schär's gluten-free positioning and separate portions answer different needs from sugar reduction.
Choose the biscuit format for the dietary requirement it addresses, then compare sugars per 100g separately if that also matters to you.
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Relying on an old ingredient listing
Ingredients and nutrition information can change; M&S advises checking the physical pack. This matters particularly when a passenger must avoid an ingredient.
Before departure, read the current pack's ingredients and allergen statement rather than relying only on an online listing.
Which brand examples help with comparison?
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists a standard custard cream in a 400g pack.
- Its listing gives both 28.3g sugars per 100g and 3.4g per biscuit, useful for comparing recipes and planning portions.
- This standard product is not presented as reduced sugar and contains wheat and milk-derived ingredients.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's lists a standard custard cream in a 200g pack.
- The product listing gives 26.5g sugars per 100g and 3.3g per biscuit.
- Those figures do not make it a reduced-sugar product; check the current pack and its wheat and milk ingredients.
Schär
Schär's gluten-free custard creams are listed in five separate two-biscuit packs.
- The portion packs offer a way to carry and hand out defined amounts during a journey.
- Gluten-free labelling does not itself establish a reduced-sugar claim; check the current ingredients and nutrition label for your needs.
M&S
M&S describes its Extra Cream Custard Creams as containing more vanilla cream and real custard powder.
- Marks & Spencer's listing provides per-100g figures for comparison: 40.2g sugars and 13.5g saturates.
- This extra-cream product is not a substitute for checking a reduced-sugar claim, and M&S advises checking the physical pack for current information.
Joybuy biscuit options for the journey
These options include other biscuit styles for shoppers comparing sugar claims, plus a portion-packed gluten-free custard cream. The alternative biscuits are not custard creams, so check their current labels and choose according to the snack you actually want.
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Oreo Zero Sugar Sandwich Cookies 97g
A 97g sandwich-cookie alternative rather than a custard cream. Check the pack's nutrition, ingredients and portion information before adding it to the snack bag.
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Gullon Zero No Added Sugar Cookies and Cream 210g
A 210g cookies-and-cream biscuit option, not a custard cream. “No added sugar” and a sugars-per-100g figure answer different label questions, so check both on the current pack.
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Gullon Zero Sugar Free Original Digestives 400g
A 400g pack of digestive biscuits rather than filled custard creams. If packing from a larger pack for the journey, decide how many biscuits you need and check the current label.
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Gullon Zero Dark Chocolate Ginger Oaties 285g
A 285g dark-chocolate-and-ginger oat biscuit option, with a different flavour and format from custard creams. Compare the current sugars-per-100g figure and ingredients if considering it instead.
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Schär Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g
These gluten-free custard creams come in five separate packs of two biscuits, a format suited to dividing snacks between stops. Check the current pack's ingredients and sugars figure separately; gluten-free does not mean reduced sugar.
Common questions
Are standard custard creams reduced sugar?
Do not assume so from the biscuit name. Tesco Groceries lists 28.3g sugars per 100g for its standard custard creams and Sainsbury's lists 26.5g per 100g for its standard pack; compare the current label and look for a claim on the exact product before buying.
Which custard cream comes in separate packs for a gluten-free traveller?
Schär Gluten Free Custard Creams are listed in five portion packs of two biscuits each. Check the current label against the traveller's ingredients and allergen requirements; the gluten-free format does not establish a reduced-sugar claim.
Should I compare sugars per biscuit or per 100g?
Use sugars per 100g to compare different biscuit recipes on the same basis, then check the per-biscuit or per-portion figure to decide how much to pack. A smaller serving can have a smaller sugar amount without being a lower-sugar recipe.
Do retail HFSS rules decide what can be served on a school trip?
Retail promotion rules do not, by themselves, settle a school-food decision. Department of Health and Social Care guidance concerns HFSS promotion and placement in shops and online retail, while Department for Education school-food guidance concerns food and drink provided in state-funded schools in England. Check the arrangements for the particular school event.