Who is this choice for?

Custard-cream lunch packers

If you want the sandwich biscuit in your lunch, the sugar figure per biscuit helps you assess the portion you actually pack. The per-100 g figure lets you compare products independently of biscuit size.

Snackers open to another biscuit

If a lower labelled sugar amount per biscuit matters more than the custard filling, a digestive is another option to consider. It has a different flavour and format from a custard cream.

Lunch packers with food exclusions

If you need to avoid a particular ingredient, check the supplied pack’s ingredients and allergen statements. A Free From label addresses stated exclusions; it does not, by itself, tell you whether the biscuit contains less sugar.

What should you check before choosing?

Decide whether the custard filling, the labelled sugar in your portion or an ingredient exclusion takes priority, then compare the relevant pack information.

Priority What to check Your needs
Sugar in the portion Check sugars per biscuit and the number you will pack. For the cited standard products, Sainsbury’s lists 3.3 g, Tesco and Asda 3.4 g, and Crawford’s 3.6 g per biscuit on Tesco’s listing. I want to know how much sugar the biscuits I take contribute, rather than judge a portion by the size of the packet.
Recipe comparison Use sugars per 100 g to compare biscuits independently of serving size. The same listings give 26.5 g for Sainsbury’s, 28.3 g for Tesco, 29 g for Asda and 30.7 g for Crawford’s. If biscuits differ in size, I want a like-for-like label measure as well as the figure for each biscuit.
Biscuit type Check whether you are comparing custard creams or another biscuit. McVitie’s lists 1.3 g sugars per The Light One digestive; its stated 30% reduction is against the average digestive biscuit, not custard creams. I could switch biscuit type if the labelled sugar per biscuit matters more to me than the custard filling.
Ingredients and storage Read the supplied pack’s ingredients and allergen statements for any exclusion. If splitting a pack across lunches, follow its storage directions; Tesco and Asda advise cool, dry storage and an airtight container after opening for their listed custard creams. I need to check suitability before packing biscuits, and I may keep the opened packet for another lunch.

Common buying mistakes

  • Calling the lowest figure a reduced-sugars claim

    A smaller sugar figure than another ordinary custard cream does not, on its own, establish a reduced-sugars claim.

    Compare the labelled grams per biscuit and per 100 g without treating the lowest figure in this group as a claimed reduced-sugars product.

  • Comparing packets instead of the biscuits packed

    Per-100 g figures compare products, but the number of biscuits in your lunch determines the sugar contributed by that portion.

    Check the label’s per-biscuit figure and use the number you intend to take when comparing lunch portions.

  • Treating Free From and lower sugar as the same goal

    Sainsbury’s lists 3.5 g sugars per Free From custard cream and 3.3 g per standard custard cream. McVitie’s The Light One is a digestive, not a custard cream.

    Check ingredient suitability separately from sugar, and decide whether keeping the custard filling matters to you.

Brand and product-line references

These figures describe the named products, not every biscuit made by each brand; check the pack when choosing a particular variant.

Sainsbury’s

The cited standard and Free From custard creams address different shopping needs.

  • Sainsbury’s lists 3.3 g sugars per standard biscuit and 3.5 g per Free From biscuit.
  • The Free From product’s stated gluten- and milk-free suitability does not make it the lower-sugar option in this pair.

Tesco

Its listed standard custard creams provide both per-biscuit and per-100 g sugar figures.

  • The 400 g product lists 3.4 g sugars per biscuit and 28.3 g per 100 g.
  • Check the current pack label before using these figures for a purchase.

Asda

Its listed standard custard creams include portion and storage information.

  • The 400 g product lists 3.4 g sugars per biscuit and 29 g per 100 g.
  • The cited standard product is not established as a reduced-sugars variant.

Crawford’s

Tesco’s listing gives sugar figures for the named 300 g custard creams.

  • The listing gives 3.6 g sugars per 11.9 g biscuit and 30.7 g per 100 g.
  • Tesco marked that listing out of stock when checked; that does not establish availability elsewhere.

M&S

Extra Cream is a distinct custard-cream variant for readers considering the filling as well as the nutrition label.

  • M&S describes extra vanilla cream and lists 40.2 g sugars per 100 g for this product.
  • Compare a per-biscuit portion using the current pack rather than assuming a serving figure from the per-100 g value.

McVitie’s

Its Tasties custard creams and The Light One Digestives are different biscuit types.

  • McVitie’s lists 1.3 g sugars per The Light One digestive and states that it has 30% less sugar than the average digestive biscuit.
  • That digestive comparison does not describe the sugar content of Tasties custard creams.

Custard creams on Joybuy

This gluten-free custard-cream option keeps the sandwich-biscuit format. Check its current nutrition panel for sugars per biscuit before comparing a packed portion with the standard products above.

Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g pack

Schar Gluten Free Custard Creams 125g

If you want custard creams in a packed lunch, use the current pack’s per-biscuit sugar figure to assess the number you plan to take. Check its ingredients and allergen statements if a food exclusion matters.

View on Joybuy

Frequently asked questions

Does a lower sugar figure make a custard cream a reduced-sugars product?

No: a lower figure than another ordinary biscuit does not by itself establish a reduced-sugars claim. For a separate label comparison, NHS food-label guidance describes more than 22.5 g total sugars per 100 g as high; the four cited standard custard creams list 26.5–30.7 g per 100 g in the Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda listings.

Are Free From custard creams lower in sugar?

Not necessarily. Sainsbury’s lists 3.5 g sugars per Free From biscuit and 3.3 g per biscuit for its standard custard creams. Check the supplied pack for both the exclusion you need and its sugar figure.

How should I keep biscuits from an opened packet for another lunch?

Follow the packet’s storage instructions. The cited Tesco and Asda custard-cream listings advise cool, dry storage and an airtight container after opening.

What should I check if I need to avoid an allergen?

Check the supplied product’s ingredients, emphasised allergens and any precautionary statements for the particular ingredient you need to avoid. As the UK Food Standards Agency explains, a precautionary “may contain” statement concerns possible unintended allergen presence; a product name alone does not answer that question.