Bake-sale organisers comparing sugar
Compare like-for-like figures on pack labels, then decide how many cakes make up one sale portion. A lower sugar figure does not automatically make a product low in sugar.
Who is this for?
Parents checking allergens
Check the school's arrangements and the exact pack before supplying cakes. A gluten-free product can still contain other allergens.
Volunteers planning portions
Count the cakes in each portion and keep ingredient information accessible, particularly if cakes are removed from their original packaging.
What should you check?
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar and serving size | Compare total sugars per 100g on the same basis, then check the figure per cake or intended serving. Sainsbury's lists Schär at 44g per 100g; M&S lists its Dark Chocolate Jaffa Cakes at 47.2g per 100g. Per-piece figures can follow a different order. | I want to offer a set number of cakes, so I need to know the sugars in that portion, not just the figure for the whole pack. |
| Allergens | Read the purchased pack's ingredients and precautionary allergen statement; check the school's policy. Sainsbury's describes Schär as gluten-free and wheat-free, but lists egg and soya ingredients and possible hazelnuts and milk. | If children have food allergies, I need to know whether a cake is acceptable under the school's arrangements before bringing it in. |
| Portion format | Count the cakes in each pack and decide whether to serve intact packs or separate portions. Keep the original ingredient information accessible if cakes are unpacked. | For a busy sale, counted portions would make serving simpler, provided buyers can still check the ingredients. |
What can trip you up?
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Calling the lowest figure ‘low sugar’
A product can have less sugar than another Jaffa Cake without qualifying as low in sugar. NHS food-label guidance describes more than 22.5g total sugars per 100g as high; every product compared here is above that figure.
Give the exact pack's sugar figures rather than adding a ‘low sugar’ or ‘reduced sugars’ claim to a sale label.
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Assuming smaller cakes mean less sugar in a portion
Pack labels use different serving units. Waitrose lists 12.8g sugars per 25g serving of its Mini Jaffa Cakes, rather than a figure per mini cake.
Compare per 100g, then check how many pieces you intend to offer and what the label says about that serving.
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Repacking without ingredient information
Jaffa Cakes in this comparison have different ingredients and precautionary allergen statements. Removing the wrapper can make that information harder for buyers to check.
Read the purchased pack, follow the school's arrangements and keep its ingredient information available when serving.
Relevant brands and products
These examples help distinguish sugar figures, portion formats and allergen statements; each statement applies to the product described, not every product from the brand.
McVitie's
Original orange Jaffa Cakes are available in counted packs, including packs of three.
- Waitrose lists 50g sugars per 100g and 5.4g per cake for the checked Original product.
- The checked Original contains wheat, egg, milk and soya. Sainsbury's lists 16.3g sugars for a three-cake snack-pack serving.
M&S
Dark Chocolate Jaffa Cakes offer another full-size cake for a label comparison.
- M&S lists 47.2g sugars per 100g and 5.4g per cake for the checked product.
- M&S says this product is unsuitable for people with nut or peanut allergies.
Sainsbury's
Its own-label Orange Jaffa Cakes come in a 150g pack.
- Sainsbury's lists 49.6g sugars per 100g and 6.2g per cake for the checked pack.
- Check the pack's ingredients and precautionary allergen statement before taking it to school.
ASDA
Its own-label orange Jaffa Cakes come in a 150g pack.
- ASDA lists 50g sugars per 100g and 6.3g per cake for the checked product.
- The checked product contains wheat, soya and egg and carries additional precautionary allergen information.
Waitrose
Mini Jaffa Cakes are an option when the size of each piece matters.
- Waitrose lists 12.8g sugars per 25g serving for the checked minis.
- The listed 51.1g sugars per 100g does not establish a lower-sugar product; check how many minis make up the portion you intend to serve.
Schär
Its gluten-free, wheat-free Jaffa cakes may be worth checking against a school's arrangements for separately identified alternatives.
- Sainsbury's lists 44g sugars per 100g and 5.5g per biscuit for the checked product.
- It contains egg and soya ingredients and may contain hazelnuts and milk; gluten-free does not mean free from other allergens.
Joybuy product options
These McVitie's packs are options for serving Original Jaffa Cakes in counted portions. Compare their pack formats with the number of cakes you plan to offer; neither should be treated as a reduced-sugars option on that basis.
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McVitie's The Original Jaffa Cakes Snack Pack, 6 × 3, 198g
Six three-cake packs make it possible to offer counted groups without dividing a larger pack at the sale. Check the purchased pack's sugar figures and allergen information against the school's arrangements.
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McVitie's 80 Jaffa Cakes, 1.07kg
The 80-cake pack lets organisers count out portions for a larger sale. Decide how many cakes to serve together, and keep the purchased pack's ingredient and allergen information accessible when dividing it.
Common questions
Does less sugar than another Jaffa Cake mean ‘low sugar’?
No. NHS food-label guidance describes more than 22.5g total sugars per 100g as high and no more than 5g per 100g as low. All the products compared here exceed its high-sugars figure, even though their label figures differ.
Are the sugars on the label the same as free sugars?
No. According to the NHS, the nutrition label's total sugars figure includes sugars beyond those counted as free sugars. Use it to compare product labels, not as an exact measure of a child's free-sugars intake.
Can I put ‘reduced sugars’ on a bake-sale label?
Do not infer that claim from one Jaffa Cake having a lower label figure than another. UK Department of Health and Social Care guidance says nutrition claims must meet the applicable claims rules; instead, you can give the purchased pack's stated sugar figures without presenting the cake as a qualifying ‘reduced sugars’ product.
Does every school bake sale need food-business registration?
Not automatically. Food Standards Agency guidance says a local authority may decide registration is unnecessary for very limited, infrequent food activity; Food Standards Scotland says occasional activity is unlikely to need registration. The organiser should check the actual activity and packaging arrangements with the relevant local authority rather than assume one answer applies to every sale.
How should I store cakes before the sale?
Follow the purchased pack's storage and best-before instructions. Check its ingredients again before serving, and keep the pack information available if you divide the cakes into portions.