Buyers stocking a shared office snack area
Look for a clearly labelled gluten-free digestive and keep its ingredient and allergen information available where colleagues take the biscuits.
Who is buying for?
Teams with more than one dietary requirement
Compare each product’s vegan, milk-free or lactose-free claims separately from its nut, egg, soya and lupin information. Gluten-free does not settle those other questions.
Meeting and break-room organisers
Consider how biscuits will be handed out as well as what is on the label. Glutafin describes its digestive biscuits as small portion packs, which offers a different format from serving an opened shared pack.
What should you check?
Check the biscuit type and gluten-free label first, then narrow the choice by other ingredients and by how the pack will be used.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free digestive | Confirm that the current pack says gluten-free and that the biscuit is a digestive, rather than another gluten-free biscuit style. Keep the pack label available after opening. | I am buying digestives for colleagues who need a gluten-free option, not simply any gluten-free biscuit. |
| Other dietary requirements | Read the ingredients, dietary claims and any ‘may contain’ statements. Tesco Free From lists milk-free and vegan claims but may contain peanuts and nuts; Schär lists soya and may contain lupin and eggs. | If colleagues also avoid milk, nuts, eggs, soya or lupin, I need to check those requirements against the exact pack before putting it in a shared area. |
| Serving format | Check whether the delivered pack has individual portions or will be opened for sharing. Glutafin describes small portion packs; Tesco gives nutrition for one 12 g biscuit. | For a meeting, I may want portions that are straightforward to hand out while keeping the relevant allergen information with them. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming gluten-free covers every allergy
The products have different additional allergen information: Tesco may contain peanuts and nuts, Schär contains soya and may contain lupin and eggs, Gullón contains soya, and Glutafin may contain lupin.
Ask which requirements matter to the intended colleagues, check each current pack and keep its label accessible at the snack point.
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Relying on a product page instead of the delivered pack
Tesco warns that ingredients, nutrition and allergen information can change, so an earlier listing may not describe the pack placed in the office kitchen.
Use the listing to shortlist, then read the delivered pack before serving or sharing the biscuits.
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Applying school-food guidance to an office
The Department for Education’s school-food standards guidance addresses food provided in schools in England. It is a different setting from an ordinary office snack area.
If the biscuits are actually for a school, assess that catering setting under the applicable school-food standards rather than using an office-snack decision unchanged.
Relevant brand and product references
These details concern the named digestive biscuits, not every product sold by each brand.
Tesco Free From
Tesco lists its 188 g Free From Digestives as gluten-free, milk-free and suitable for vegans.
- Tesco gives nutrition per biscuit: 56 kcal for a 12 g biscuit.
- The product may contain peanuts and nuts. Check the pack received, as Tesco says product information can change.
Schär
Schär describes its Digestive Biscuits as gluten-free, wheat-free and lactose-free.
- The manufacturer also labels this product high in fibre.
- Its ingredients include soya, and the product may contain lupin and eggs.
Gullón
Gullón labels its Gluten Free Digestive gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free and vegan.
- The stated nut-free and egg-free claims may matter when choosing for colleagues with those requirements; check the current pack.
- The ingredient list includes soya lecithin, so this is not a soya-free option.
Glutafin
Glutafin describes its Digestive Biscuits as gluten-free and wheat-free, in small portion packs.
- The stated portion format is relevant when handing biscuits out at meetings.
- The product may contain lupin; portion packs do not remove the need to share allergen information.
Joybuy product options
These options include a gluten-free Schär digestive and McVitie’s gluten-free Hobnobs. Hobnobs are a different biscuit style, so check whether that substitution works for the office snack brief.
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Schär Gluten Free Digestive Biscuits 150g
A digestive option when the office brief calls for gluten-free biscuits. The pack is listed as 150 g; Schär also describes its digestives as lactose-free. Its ingredients include soya, and the manufacturer says the biscuits may contain lupin and eggs, so check the current pack against colleagues’ requirements.
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McVitie's Gluten Free Hobnobs 150g
These are gluten-free Hobnobs in a 150 g pack, not digestive biscuits. Consider them only if a different biscuit style meets the office brief, and check the current pack’s ‘may contain’ information for nuts, milk, egg and soya before sharing.
Frequently asked questions
Does gluten-free mean a biscuit is suitable for every food allergy?
No. A gluten-free claim does not settle requirements involving other ingredients or precautionary allergen statements. The UK Food Standards Agency’s allergen guidance names eggs, lupin, milk, peanuts, tree nuts and soybeans among the declared allergens; check the exact biscuit pack before sharing it.
Which gluten-free digestives could work for vegan office snacks?
Tesco lists its Free From Digestives as suitable for vegans, and Gullón labels its Gluten Free Digestive vegan. Check the other requirements too: Tesco says its product may contain peanuts and nuts, while Gullón’s ingredients include soya lecithin.
Can I get gluten-free digestives in small portions for meetings?
Glutafin describes its gluten-free digestive biscuits as small portion packs. Confirm the pack format before ordering for a meeting, and keep its allergen information available to the people receiving them; the product may contain lupin.
Do school-food standards govern an ordinary office snack supply?
The Department for Education’s school-food standards guidance applies to food provided in schools in England, not an ordinary office snack decision. If the destination is a school, assess the biscuits within that school’s applicable catering requirements rather than relying on an office selection alone.