Who is choosing these rice cakes?

Father’s Day shoppers looking for a low-fat option

If rice cakes are part of a gift, compare the fat figure on the pack and choose a flavour the recipient enjoys. Check dietary requirements before giving a snack to someone else.

Shoppers who also compare salt

An unsalted rice cake may suit someone who wants to compare salt as well as fat. Ocado’s listing for Kallo Organic Unsalted gives 2.7g fat and 0.0g salt per 100g.

Shoppers choosing by flavour

Sweet, chilli and salt-and-vinegar varieties offer different flavours, but their nutrition figures need checking product by product. Marks & Spencer lists different fat figures for its lightly salted and flavoured rice cakes.

What should you check?

Start with the claim on the pack, then compare fat per 100g; check salt, flavour and allergens separately for the person receiving the gift.

Priority What to check Your needs
Fat claim Read the exact pack wording and total fat per 100g. A reduced-fat claim compares the product with a similar one; NHS guidance describes low-fat food as having no more than 3g fat per 100g. I want to know whether the pack promises a reduction against another product or gives me a low-fat option in its own right.
Flavour and fat Compare flavours on the same per-100g basis. Marks & Spencer lists 2.5g fat for Lightly Salted, 15.2g for Sweet and Salty and 16.2g for Sweet Chilli rice cakes. If the recipient likes a flavoured snack, I would choose a flavour they enjoy rather than assume its fat figure matches a plain rice cake.
Salt Read the salt figure independently of fat. NHS guidance describes 0.3g salt or less per 100g as low; Ocado lists 0.0g per 100g for Kallo Organic Unsalted. Salt matters to the recipient too, so I want to compare it before choosing between salted and unsalted cakes.
Allergens Read the current pack’s ingredients and allergen statement, including any “may contain” wording. Do not use vegan or gluten-free wording as a substitute for that check. Before giving these to someone with an allergy, I need to check the particular pack against what they avoid.

What is easy to overlook?

  • Using “reduced fat” and “low fat” to mean the same thing

    A reduced-fat claim makes a comparison; a low-fat description concerns the product’s fat content. NHS guidance gives a low-fat figure of no more than 3g per 100g for food.

    If you specifically want a reduced-fat product, look for that claim on the pack. If you want to compare how much fat the cakes contain, use the per-100g figure.

  • Assuming every flavour has a similar fat figure

    Marks & Spencer lists 2.5g fat per 100g for its Lightly Salted rice cakes, compared with 15.2g for Sweet and Salty and 16.2g for Sweet Chilli.

    Check the nutrition panel of the flavour you intend to buy rather than applying a plain variety’s figures to it.

  • Letting a fat claim stand in for a salt check

    Fat and salt are separate label figures. Marks & Spencer lists 0.33g salt per 100g for its Lightly Salted cakes, while Ocado lists 0.0g for Kallo Organic Unsalted.

    Compare salt per 100g as well if that distinction matters to the recipient.

  • Relying on dietary labels instead of allergen wording

    Retailer listings for checked Kallo rice cakes include “may contain” statements for milk, sesame and soya. Dietary-preference labels do not replace those warnings.

    For a recipient with an allergy, read the allergen statement on the current pack before gifting it.

Relevant brands and ranges

These examples help distinguish individual rice-cake labels; a figure for one flavour should not be applied to an entire range.

Kallo

Plain, lightly salted and unsalted rice cakes provide options for comparing fat and salt separately.

  • Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado listings for checked Kallo varieties give 2.7g to 2.8g fat per 100g; Ocado lists 0.0g salt per 100g for Organic Unsalted.
  • Checked Kallo listings include “may contain” warnings for milk, sesame and soya. Read the current pack when buying for someone with an allergy.

M&S

Its checked lightly salted and flavoured rice cakes show why the individual flavour matters.

  • Marks & Spencer lists 2.5g fat per 100g for Lightly Salted Rice Cakes.
  • Its Sweet and Salty and Sweet Chilli varieties list 15.2g and 16.2g fat per 100g respectively; do not carry the lightly salted figure across to them.

Snack a Jacks

Its checked salt-and-vinegar jumbo cake and Singles packs offer flavour-led options with nutrition figures given by cake or pack.

  • Snack a Jacks lists 0.6g fat and 0.26g salt per Salt & Vinegar jumbo cake.
  • Checked 23g Singles list 1.7g to 1.9g fat per pack. Check the label before comparing those per-pack figures with another product’s per-100g values.

Tesco

Tesco’s checked Kallo listing is a retailer example, not a nutrition figure for Tesco own-label rice cakes.

  • Tesco lists Kallo Lightly Salted Wholegrain Low Fat Rice Cakes at 2.8g fat per 100g.
  • That listing also says the product may contain milk, sesame and soya; check the pack for the recipient’s requirements.

Rice cakes on Joybuy

These options cover a lightly salted Kallo rice cake and a Marmite-flavoured rice cake. Choose between them by the recipient’s flavour preference, then check the current nutrition and allergen details for the pack you buy.

Kallo Organic Lightly Salted Rice Cakes 130g

Kallo Organic Lightly Salted Rice Cakes 130g

A lightly salted option for someone who prefers a simple rice cake. Sainsbury’s lists 2.7g fat per 100g for this 130g variety; check the current pack’s salt and allergen information for the recipient.

View on Joybuy
Marmite Rice Cakes 110g

Marmite Rice Cakes 110g

A Marmite-flavoured option if the recipient likes that taste. Check the current pack’s fat and salt figures, and read its allergen information before giving it to someone who avoids particular ingredients.

View on Joybuy

Questions about choosing rice cakes

Are “reduced fat” and “low fat” the same thing on rice cakes?

No. “Reduced fat” compares a product with a similar one, whereas NHS food-label guidance describes low fat as no more than 3g fat per 100g. Read the pack’s actual claim and per-100g figure rather than treating the terms as synonyms.

What if salt matters as well as fat?

Compare both figures for the particular variety. Ocado lists Kallo Organic Unsalted at 2.7g fat and 0.0g salt per 100g; Marks & Spencer lists its Lightly Salted rice cakes at 2.5g fat and 0.33g salt per 100g. The choice depends on which figures and flavour matter to the recipient.

Can I give Kallo rice cakes to someone with a milk, sesame or soya allergy?

Do not assume they are suitable. Checked Kallo retailer listings include “may contain” warnings for milk, sesame and soya, so read the allergen statement on the exact pack before giving it to someone with one of those allergies.