Choose custard creams for the part they play in your bake, checking the current pack for ingredients and allergens rather than treating a retailer’s cocoa policy as proof that the biscuits are Fairtrade-certified. If cocoa is your Fairtrade priority, choose chocolate or cocoa with a FAIRTRADE Mark, or a Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark that names cocoa; check any Fairtrade claim on the custard creams separately.
If Fairtrade sourcing matters for the cocoa in your bake, look for a product-specific mark on the chocolate or cocoa. A Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark identifies the ingredient it covers; it does not certify every ingredient in the finished bake.
For a crumb base, layers or decoration, compare the current ingredients and the amount of cream filling. Check the biscuit’s own pack if you also want it to carry a Fairtrade claim.
The standard Sainsbury’s, Asda, McVitie’s and Crawford’s examples list wheat and milk ingredients. Sainsbury’s separately describes its Free From Custard Creams as milk and gluten free; check the pack of whichever product you use against the required exclusions.
Decide which ingredient needs Fairtrade credentials, then check dietary suitability and how the custard cream will be used in the recipe.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade claim | Check the specific pack for the FAIRTRADE Mark. For a Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark, read which ingredient it names. The Fairtrade Foundation distinguishes a mark covering all certifiable ingredients in a product from one covering a named sourced ingredient. | I want Fairtrade cocoa in my bake, so I’ll check the chocolate or cocoa for a mark that covers it. If I want the custard cream itself to carry a Fairtrade claim, I’ll check that pack separately. |
| Allergens | Read the current ingredients and precautionary allergen wording on each pack. Standard custard creams in the Sainsbury’s, Asda, McVitie’s and Crawford’s listings contain wheat and milk; check a free-from product against the particular ingredients you need to avoid. | Someone eating the bake needs to avoid an ingredient, so a vegetarian description alone does not answer my allergen question. |
| Recipe fit | Compare the flour ingredients and filling description for the way you plan to use the biscuits. Sainsbury’s Free From version uses rice and maize flours, while M&S describes its Extra Cream variant as having more vanilla cream. | For crumbs or a layered dessert, I’ll choose a biscuit whose composition suits the recipe rather than assume every custard cream has the same filling and flour base. |
A vegetarian statement, palm-oil sourcing statement or retailer cocoa policy addresses a different question from a Fairtrade mark on a particular product.
Check the biscuit or cocoa pack for its own FAIRTRADE Mark, or read the named ingredient on a Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark.
The standard products described by Sainsbury’s, Asda, McVitie’s and Crawford’s list wheat and milk. A separately labelled free-from biscuit can have a different flour recipe.
Choose against the required ingredient exclusions using the current pack, then consider whether the biscuit and filling suit your bake.
Product information and recipes can change, making an earlier listing an unreliable final allergen check.
Read the ingredients and allergen statement on the pack you actually use before serving the finished bake.
These biscuit examples illustrate differences worth checking; a brand’s inclusion here does not establish a Fairtrade claim for its custard creams.
Lists a standard 200 g custard cream and a separate 125 g Free From version.
Lists a 400 g standard custard cream.
A 300 g standard custard cream described in a UK wholesale listing.
A 300 g standard custard cream listed by Tesco.
Lists 165 g Extra Cream Custard Creams for a bake where the filling matters.
These options cover two parts of the baking decision: cocoa for a recipe and a gluten-free custard cream. Check the cocoa’s Fairtrade mark and each product’s current allergen information on its pack.
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Cocoa is an ingredient to consider when Fairtrade sourcing matters for the chocolate component of a biscuit bake; it is not a custard cream. Check the 125 g pack for the Fairtrade mark and its milk allergen advice before use.
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These 125 g gluten-free custard creams are a biscuit option for a bake that requires gluten-free ingredients. Check the current pack for any other ingredients you need to avoid and for any product-specific Fairtrade mark.
No. A cocoa policy describes sourcing requirements for products within its scope; it is not a Fairtrade certification claim for every biscuit. Check the particular custard-cream pack for a FAIRTRADE Mark or a Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark naming the relevant ingredient.
Check the chocolate or cocoa product for the FAIRTRADE Mark. If it carries a Fairtrade Sourced Ingredient Mark instead, the Fairtrade Foundation says the mark names the ingredient it covers; check that it names cocoa when cocoa sourcing is your concern.
Do not assume so: the standard Sainsbury’s, Asda, McVitie’s and Crawford’s examples list wheat and milk. Look for a product specifically labelled for the required exclusion and read its current ingredient and allergen statement; a gluten-free label alone does not answer a milk-allergy question.
Check the pack you receive before using the biscuits, because recipes and online product information can change. The Food Standards Agency says the 14 allergens must be emphasised in the ingredients list of prepacked food or drink; read that list and any precautionary allergen wording relevant to your bake.