Organisers planning a tea or coffee break
A ginger biscuit gives delegates a spiced choice; a plain digestive adds a non-ginger option. Check the packs you intend to serve rather than assuming either type meets a particular dietary requirement.
Who are you catering for?
Caterers managing declared allergens
Match each biscuit to delegates’ stated requirements and keep the ingredient and allergen information for the exact product supplied. A gluten-free label does not answer every other allergen question.
Buyers ordering for larger groups
Use pack weight and any stated biscuit or serving count to work out quantities. Plan a separately requested dietary option by its own pack size rather than assuming every biscuit pack serves the same number.
What should you check before ordering?
Decide which flavours to offer, then check each actual product against dietary requirements and the number of delegates you expect to serve.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Allergen information | Check the delivered pack’s ingredients and highlighted allergens. Keep accurate information available when biscuits are served, including if they are taken out of their packaging. | I need staff to be able to identify the exact biscuit and answer a delegate’s allergen question before it is eaten. |
| Dietary suitability | Check the specific gluten-free or vegan label and the full ingredient statement. Do not assume one exclusion means the biscuit meets every dietary requirement. | A delegate needs a separate biscuit, so I want an option that matches their stated requirements rather than a general ‘free from’ assumption. |
| Flavour choice | Distinguish standard ginger nuts from plain original digestives. A gingerbread chocolate digestive is a different flavour and format from either. | For a mixed break, I would like a ginger choice without making it the only biscuit on the table. |
| Quantity | Compare pack weights and any stated biscuit or serving counts. Recheck the information on the packs delivered for the event. | I’m ordering for a group and need to know how many packs of each biscuit to put out. |
Common catering mistakes
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Assuming gluten-free means free from every allergen
A gluten-free biscuit may still contain ingredients relevant to another delegate’s declared allergy.
Read the full label of the exact pack supplied and match it to each stated requirement before offering it as an alternative.
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Serving only ginger nuts to a mixed group
A ginger-led biscuit does not give someone who wants a non-ginger flavour another choice.
Consider serving a plain digestive alongside ginger nuts, with a separately identified dietary option where required.
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Assuming all packs provide the same quantity
Pack weights and stated biscuit counts differ, so counting packs alone can make ordering less accurate.
Use each product’s weight and any stated serving count when planning quantities for the break.
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Using an old ingredient listing at service
The information used when ordering may not match the stock delivered for the event.
Check the delivered labels and retain the corresponding ingredient and allergen information while the biscuits are served.
Relevant biscuit brands and ranges
McVitie’s
The researched range includes a ginger nut and a separate plain original digestive, giving organisers two distinct biscuit flavours.
- Sainsbury’s lists approximately 25 biscuits in its 250g McVitie’s Ginger Nuts pack.
- The original digestive is a wheatmeal biscuit, not a gluten-free alternative; check the label of the particular pack ordered.
Tesco
Tesco lists a standard 300g Ginger Nut Biscuits pack and a distinct 180g Free From Ginger Nuts pack.
- Tesco labels the standard pack suitable for vegans and the Free From pack gluten-free, wheat-free, milk-free, egg-free and suitable for vegans.
- Those labels describe specific exclusions, not suitability for every allergy; check the complete label against delegates’ needs.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s lists standard Ginger Snaps and a separate Free From Ginger Crunch Cookies product.
- Its 300g Ginger Snaps listing states approximately 30 servings.
- The Free From product is a cookie rather than the same ginger-snap format; compare its own label and pack size.
Waitrose Essential
Waitrose Essential Ginger Nuts provide another standard ginger-biscuit option for a conference break.
- Waitrose lists a 300g pack with approximately 30 servings.
- Check its ingredient and allergen statement before using it for a delegate with a dietary restriction.
Joybuy biscuit options
These options include plain and gluten-free digestives, a gingerbread chocolate digestive, and ginger biscuits. A gluten-free digestive is not a gluten-free ginger nut, so choose by both biscuit type and the delegate’s requirements.
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McVitie’s Digestives the Original 2x315g
The twin-pack format offers a plain digestive alongside a ginger option. Check the delivered packs for ingredients and allergens before serving.
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Schar Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits 150g
This 150g gluten-free digestive offers a non-ginger biscuit for someone requesting a gluten-free option. Check the complete pack label against any other declared requirements.
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McVitie’s Gingerbread Chocolate Digestives 266g
A 266g gingerbread chocolate digestive for a flavoured biscuit choice. It is not the plain digestive or classic ginger nut discussed above; check its own ingredient label before service.
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Border Biscuits Fiery Ginger Crunch 135g
This 135g ginger-crunch pack offers a ginger choice. Check how many packs the event needs and read the delivered label before making dietary-suitability claims.
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Border Biscuits Dark Chocolate Gingers 150g
The 150g pack combines ginger biscuits with dark chocolate rather than offering a plain ginger nut. Use its own pack information to plan quantities and check allergens.
Conference biscuit FAQs
Do conference caterers need to provide allergen information for biscuits?
Yes. GOV.UK guidance for food businesses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and Food Standards Scotland guidance for Scotland, explain the requirement to provide allergen information for food supplied to consumers, including prepacked and non-prepacked food. Keep information for the exact biscuits served available to delegates.
Is a gluten-free biscuit enough for every special-diet request?
No. Gluten-free describes one aspect of a product, not its suitability for every allergy or dietary requirement. Check the complete label against the delegate’s declared needs before selecting or serving it.
Can biscuits be served out of their packets?
They can, provided the caterer can still give accurate allergen information for each biscuit served. Keep the original packaging or an accurate product-specific record accessible, and make it clear which information belongs to which biscuit.
How many biscuit packs should an organiser order?
Work from each pack’s stated contents rather than assuming biscuits or servings are equal across products. Sainsbury’s lists approximately 25 biscuits for its 250g McVitie’s Ginger Nuts pack, while Waitrose lists approximately 30 servings for its 300g Essential Ginger Nuts pack; check the packs delivered before finalising service quantities.