Who is this choice for?

Lunch-break shoppers comparing sugars

If you want a warm drink with lunch, the sugars and calories in the prepared mug are more useful for comparison than a front-of-pack word such as “light”.

People making drinks with hot water

An instant powder with hot-water instructions suits a kettle-only lunch break. Follow the stated powder measure if you want the labelled serving figures to apply.

Shoppers checking ingredients

If milk, soya or barley affects your choice, read the current pack. Galaxy Light lists all three, while the other lighter examples also contain milk.

What should you compare?

Start with the drink as you will make it: check the powder measure and liquid before comparing the nutrition figures.

Priority What to check Your needs
Sugars per mug Read sugars per prepared serving and check the powder measure. Tesco Groceries lists 3.1g for Galaxy Light made with 10g powder and 200ml water, and 4.0g for a 211ml serving of Tesco Lighter; Ocado lists 6.1g for M&S Low Calorie made with 11g powder and 200ml water. I want to compare the drink I will make, rather than assume “low calorie” also means the lowest sugars.
Calories Compare figures for the specified preparation. The same Tesco Groceries and Ocado listings give 38 kcal for Galaxy Light, 40 kcal for Tesco Lighter and 38 kcal for M&S Low Calorie per stated water-prepared serving. A drink alongside lunch suits me, but I want to see what its stated serving contributes rather than judge it by the product name.
Ingredients Check the current ingredients and allergen statement. Galaxy Light lists milk, soya and barley; Tesco Lighter contains milk and may contain soya; M&S Low Calorie contains milk. If an ingredient affects what I can have, I need the label for this pack, not an assumption based on a previous purchase.
Preparation Check the water quantity and powder measure used for the nutrition panel. If you use filtered or long-life milk instead, include that milk when considering the finished drink. At work, hot water may be simplest. If I add milk, I cannot use the water-prepared figures as the totals for my mug.

Common comparison mistakes

  • Assuming fewer calories means fewer sugars

    Tesco Groceries lists Galaxy Light at 38 kcal and 3.1g sugars per stated water-prepared serving. Ocado lists M&S Low Calorie at the same 38 kcal but 6.1g sugars for its stated water-prepared serving.

    Read both values and their serving instructions before choosing between them.

  • Comparing powder with a finished mug

    Nutrition per 100g of powder describes a different quantity from a serving made with 10g or 11g of powder and water.

    Use the prepared-serving panel where available, and check how much powder it assumes. Milk changes the finished drink’s figures.

  • Overlooking ingredients on a lighter variant

    Galaxy Light lists milk, soya and barley; Tesco Lighter and M&S Low Calorie contain milk. The products also differ in their sweetener ingredients.

    Read the current pack’s ingredients and allergen statement before buying if these affect your choice.

Brand and product references

These examples refer to particular products or ranges; a brand name alone does not establish the nutrition of every variant.

Galaxy

Galaxy Light Instant Hot Chocolate 210g is an instant option with a stated hot-water serving.

  • Tesco Groceries lists 3.1g sugars and 38 kcal for 10g powder made with 200ml hot water.
  • The product lists milk, soya and barley. Check its stated measure: the Joybuy listing gives instructions using 20g of powder, so the 10g serving figures cannot simply be applied to that mug.

Tesco

Tesco Lighter Hot Chocolate 270g is an own-brand instant drink prepared with hot water.

  • Tesco Groceries lists 4.0g sugars and 40 kcal per 211ml prepared serving.
  • It contains milk and sucralose and may contain soya; check the current pack.

M&S

M&S has an Instant Low Calorie Hot Chocolate variant as well as standard instant hot chocolate.

  • Ocado lists 38 kcal and 6.1g sugars for an 11g serving made with 200ml hot water.
  • The low-calorie variant contains milk and sucralose; its 38-kcal figure does not mean it has the lowest sugars of these examples.

Options

Options includes a Belgian Chocolate instant hot-chocolate variant.

  • The Joybuy listing states 40 kcal and 5.7g sugars per serving.
  • Its listed ingredients include milk and aspartame, with a statement that it contains a source of phenylalanine.

Cadbury

Cadbury lists hot chocolate and cocoa powder as separate products within its UK range.

  • The range gives shoppers different product types to assess by their own preparation instructions.
  • Check the nutrition for the particular variant and prepared serving rather than treating the range as one recipe.

Hot-chocolate options on Joybuy

These two instant chocolate drinks are options to check if you make a hot-water drink with lunch. Use each product’s own serving instructions when comparing its nutrition.

Galaxy Light Instant Hot Chocolate 210g

Galaxy Light Instant Hot Chocolate 210g

For a hot-water drink at lunch, the Joybuy description gives a preparation of 20g powder with 200ml hot water. It lists barley, milk and soya. Check the pack’s nutrition for that 20g preparation before comparing it with figures published for a 10g serving.

View on Joybuy
Cadbury Highlights Milk Chocolate Drink 180g

Cadbury Highlights Milk Chocolate Drink 180g

For a quick lunch-break drink, the Joybuy description says to mix this powder with hot water. Its nutrition entry lists 38 kcal and 2.7g sugars for 211g, but check the pack for the powder measure and preparation that correspond to that entry before comparing it with another mug. The ingredients include milk and sweeteners.

View on Joybuy

Questions about preparation and labels

Which of the compared hot-water servings has the least sugars?

Among these three stated servings, Galaxy Light has the lowest listed sugars: Tesco Groceries gives 3.1g for 10g powder made with 200ml hot water, against 4.0g for a 211ml serving of Tesco Lighter. Ocado gives 6.1g for M&S Low Calorie made with 11g powder and 200ml hot water. Check the measure on the pack you buy; a larger serving changes the comparison.

Does “low calorie” also mean lowest in sugars?

No. Ocado lists M&S Low Calorie at 38 kcal and 6.1g sugars per stated water-prepared serving, while Tesco Groceries lists Galaxy Light at 38 kcal and 3.1g sugars for its stated water-prepared serving. Compare both figures, including their powder measures.

Can I use filtered or long-life milk instead of water?

Check the product’s preparation instructions before using your chosen milk. The Galaxy Light, Tesco Lighter and M&S figures compared here are for hot-water preparations; adding milk changes the finished drink’s nutrition, so those figures no longer give the total for your mug.

What if I need to avoid milk, soya or barley?

Read the current pack’s ingredients and allergen statement before choosing a product. Galaxy Light lists milk, soya and barley; Tesco Lighter contains milk and may contain soya; M&S Low Calorie and Options Belgian Chocolate contain milk. Do not assume a “light” variant excludes an ingredient.