Choose a custard cream if you want a vanilla-filled sandwich biscuit; choose an original digestive if you prefer an unfilled wheatmeal biscuit. On the cited labels, Tesco lists 15.1g sugars and 10.1g saturates per 100g for McVitie’s Original Digestives, while Sainsbury’s lists 26.5g sugars and 10.0g saturates per 100g for its Custard Creams. Check salt, portion size and allergens too: the lower sugar figure does not settle every part of the choice.
Start with the biscuit you actually want, then use the exact pack label to check the details that matter to you.
If the filled sandwich-biscuit format is the point of your tea break, compare portions as well as sugars and saturates. Sainsbury’s lists 59 kcal, 3.3g sugars and 1.2g saturates per biscuit for its 200g Custard Creams.
A wheatmeal digestive offers a different biscuit format, not an automatic nutritional advantage. Tesco’s listing for McVitie’s Original Digestives gives per-100g figures for sugar, fibre, saturates and salt that can be compared with a custard cream’s label.
Look for explicit labelling for each exclusion you need rather than relying on the biscuit type. Tesco labels its Free From Custard Creams gluten free and milk free; check the current pack’s ingredients and allergen information before buying.
Decide on the filled or unfilled format first, then compare nutrition on the same basis and check the exact variant’s ingredients.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Biscuit type | Check whether the pack describes a filled custard cream or an unfilled wheatmeal digestive. Compare coated and extra-cream variants as distinct products. | I’m after a vanilla-filled biscuit with tea, or I’d rather have the wheatmeal biscuit itself. |
| Nutrition label | Compare sugars, saturates and salt per 100g, then check the stated per-biscuit values for the portion you expect to eat. For example, Tesco lists 15.1g sugars, 10.1g saturates and 1.3g salt per 100g for McVitie’s Original Digestives; Sainsbury’s lists 26.5g sugars and 10.0g saturates per 100g for its Custard Creams. | I want to compare the numbers without mistaking a smaller biscuit for a different formulation. In the Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland’s 2024 survey, 49% of the 611 people interviewed reported actively using traffic-light labelling when shopping for food; that figure is about general shopping, not biscuit preference. |
| Dietary compatibility | Read the current allergen and ingredients statements for wheat, milk and any other exclusions that matter. Distinguish a gluten-free or lactose-free label from a milk-free label. | If I need to avoid gluten or milk, the exact pack must state what I need; a free-from name alone does not answer every allergen question. |
| Pack and portion | Check pack size, any per-biscuit nutrition and the storage directions after opening. Use per-100g values when biscuits have different stated serving sizes. | For an individual snack or a shared biscuit tin, I want a pack I can use and store as directed, rather than judging it by size alone. |
Tesco lists less sugar per 100g for McVitie’s Original Digestives than Sainsbury’s lists for its Custard Creams, but their stated saturates are close: 10.1g and 10.0g per 100g respectively. Tesco also lists 1.3g salt per 100g for the digestive.
Compare sugars, saturates and salt on both exact packs, using per-100g figures first and per-biscuit figures for your likely portion.
Tesco labels its Free From Custard Creams gluten free and milk free, and lists 19.9g sugars and 7.9g saturates per 100g. Dietary compatibility and nutrition are separate checks.
Confirm the exclusion you need on the current pack, then compare its nutrition panel with biscuits you can also eat.
A larger pack does not tell you the nutrition per biscuit or how the biscuits should be stored once opened.
Check the biscuit count or serving information where stated, along with the pack’s storage directions and current availability.
These references describe specific listed biscuits, not every product made by each brand or the products available in the Joybuy selection below.
Original Digestives are a wheatmeal alternative to a filled custard cream. Tesco labels the listed Original product suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Tesco lists Crawford’s Custard Creams as a 300g pack of vanilla-flavour cream biscuits suitable for vegetarians.
Tesco Free From Custard Creams offer an explicitly labelled gluten-free and milk-free custard-cream option.
Sainsbury’s 200g Custard Creams provide a reference for a standard filled biscuit with per-biscuit nutrition shown.
Marks & Spencer describes its Extra Cream Custard Creams as containing more vanilla cream and real custard powder.
These options include plain and flavoured digestives alongside a gluten-free custard cream. Compare each variant on its own label rather than applying the figures for a different pack or biscuit.
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An unfilled digestive option if you prefer a wheatmeal biscuit to a custard cream. Joybuy lists 15.1g sugars, 10.1g saturates and 1.3g salt per 100g for this 2x315g pack; check the current allergen statement if you avoid wheat or milk.
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A gluten-free digestive option for someone who wants an unfilled biscuit. Check the current ingredients and allergen statement for any other exclusions, and compare its nutrition panel with the other biscuits you are considering.
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A digestive variant to consider when comparing sugar information on biscuit labels. Read the full nutrition panel and ingredients rather than judging it by the product name alone; the product information warns that excessive consumption may produce a laxative effect.
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A custard-cream option when you want the filled biscuit format and need gluten-free labelling. Joybuy describes this product as gluten free, lactose free and suitable for vegans. Lactose free and milk free are different statements, so check the current pack if you must avoid milk.
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A milk-chocolate digestive for someone who wants that coating rather than a plain wheatmeal biscuit or vanilla-filled custard cream. Check this variant’s own nutrition and allergen label; the figures for Original Digestives should not be applied to it.
No. Sainsbury’s listed Custard Creams are filled sandwich biscuits, while Tesco describes McVitie’s Original Digestives as wheatmeal biscuits. Choose the format you want, then compare the exact products’ labels.
No single label figure settles that choice. Tesco lists 15.1g sugars and 10.1g saturates per 100g for McVitie’s Original Digestives; Sainsbury’s lists 26.5g sugars and 10.0g saturates per 100g for its Custard Creams. Check salt and your likely portion as well, and use the figures for the specific variant you buy.
Yes: Tesco labels its Free From Custard Creams both gluten free and milk free. Check the current pack for the exclusions you need. Do not treat a lactose-free statement on a different product as a milk-free statement.
Follow the directions on the pack you buy. Sainsbury’s directs buyers to keep its Custard Creams in a cool, dry place and use an airtight container after opening for best quality.