If you need gluten-free digestives, choose an exact pack labelled gluten free rather than an ordinary digestive: the checked Tesco, McVitie’s, Crawford’s and M&S ordinary products contain wheat. Tesco and Sainsbury’s list plain 188 g gluten-free digestives made with oats; Schär lists a 150 g gluten-free digestive with no oats in its ingredients. Check the physical pack for other allergens, and compare pack weights before choosing.
Check the gluten-free statement on the exact pack before comparing pack sizes. Tesco Groceries lists wheat in its ordinary digestives but gluten-free oats in its Free From version; the similar names do not make them interchangeable.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s list oats in their checked plain gluten-free digestives. Schär UK lists no oats in the ingredients of its 150 g Digestive Biscuits, though its soya content and precautionary allergen information still need checking.
Ordinary and gluten-free digestives can be bought for different people, but keep crumbs and shared utensils away from food intended to remain gluten free. Check each pack separately rather than relying on the biscuit name.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label | Look for an explicit gluten-free statement on the exact pack. Check the ingredients for named cereals; the checked ordinary Tesco, McVitie’s, Crawford’s and M&S digestives contain wheat. | I need a digestive that is labelled gluten free, not just a biscuit with a familiar name. |
| Oats and allergens | Check oats separately from gluten. Tesco and Sainsbury’s list gluten-free oats in their plain Free From digestives; Schär UK lists soya but no oats in its 150 g recipe. Read the physical pack for other allergens and precautionary warnings. | If I avoid oats or another ingredient, I need to check the exact recipe, even when the biscuit is labelled gluten free. |
| Pack size | Compare the stated weights of suitable products: the checked plain Tesco and Sainsbury’s packs are 188 g, while Schär’s is 150 g. Check the pack size again for a different variant. | I want to know how much biscuit is in each pack before choosing between different sizes. |
| Plain or coated | Check the variant’s ingredients rather than carrying over details from the plain pack. Tesco and Sainsbury’s list milk and soya ingredients in their checked 166 g chocolate-coated gluten-free digestives. | For a chocolate-coated biscuit, I need to check the coating as well as the gluten-free statement. |
The checked ordinary Tesco, McVitie’s, Crawford’s and M&S digestives contain wheat, despite sharing a category name with gluten-free alternatives.
Confirm that the exact pack is labelled gluten free before considering it for someone avoiding gluten.
The checked plain Tesco and Sainsbury’s Free From digestives contain gluten-free oats. Schär’s listed recipe has no oats but contains soya; Schär UK and Ocado show different precautionary egg information.
Read the physical pack for every ingredient or precautionary warning relevant to you. If the egg information matters, seek clarification before choosing the Schär pack.
The checked plain Tesco and Sainsbury’s gluten-free packs are 188 g, while Schär’s is 150 g.
Compare the stated weights of products that meet your dietary requirements.
Tesco Groceries lists both ordinary digestives and Free From gluten-free variants; check which line the pack belongs to.
Sainsbury’s lists plain and chocolate-coated Free From digestives with different ingredients and pack weights.
Schär UK lists a 150 g gluten-free Digestive Biscuits product whose ingredients contain no oats.
The checked McVitie’s Original Digestive is an ordinary biscuit, not a gluten-free digestive.
The checked Crawford’s 400 g Digestives are an ordinary wheat-based option.
M&S describes gluten-free items within its Made Without range, but that range name does not apply to its ordinary Digestive Biscuits.
These options include a gluten-free digestive and a gluten-free Hobnob. The Hobnob is a different type of biscuit, so choose it only if you are open to an alternative to digestives.
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A digestive option for shoppers avoiding gluten and oats: Schär UK lists maize, soya and buckwheat ingredients, with no oats in the listed recipe. The 150 g product contains soya; Schär UK says it may contain lupin and eggs, while Ocado’s displayed warning mentions lupin. Check the physical pack if these allergens matter.
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This labelled gluten-free 150 g Hobnob is an alternative biscuit, not a digestive. Check its physical pack for ingredients and allergen information before choosing it for a specific diet.
No. The checked ordinary Tesco, McVitie’s, Crawford’s and M&S digestives contain wheat. Look for a gluten-free statement and read the ingredients on the exact pack.
The Food Standards Agency states that food labelled ‘gluten free’ must contain no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten as sold to the consumer. ‘Very low gluten’ has a different limit of 100 mg/kg, so the two statements are not interchangeable.
Not necessarily if oats are also an issue. Coeliac UK says most people with coeliac disease can eat gluten-free oats, but a small number are sensitive to them. The checked plain Tesco and Sainsbury’s gluten-free digestives both contain oats; check the exact pack when choosing.
Use the physical pack’s ingredient and allergen information before eating the biscuits. If the delivered product is unsuitable or differs from its description, contact the retailer or manufacturer about that particular pack.
The checked plain Tesco and Sainsbury’s gluten-free digestives are 188 g packs, while Schär’s digestive pack is 150 g. Compare the stated weights only after confirming that each biscuit meets your ingredient requirements.