For a plain mid-morning rice cake with little fat, compare the nutrition panel per 100 g rather than judging by how light one cake feels. Sainsbury's No Added Salt, M&S Lightly Salted and Kallo Lightly Salted Wholegrain list 2.4 g, 2.5 g and 2.8 g fat per 100 g respectively; choose according to whether no added salt, a lightly salted flavour or a base for toppings matters more. A higher-protein rice cake is a different choice: M&S Barbecue High Protein lists 16.2 g fat per 100 g.
If you want a ready-to-eat rice cake mid-morning, the fat figure per 100 g gives you a consistent way to compare packs. A small amount of fat per cake alone does not tell you whether the product meets the low-fat figure for solid foods.
A no-added-salt plain cake and a lightly salted cake offer different choices. Sainsbury's lists less than 0.01 g salt per cake for its No Added Salt Rice Cakes; Kallo and M&S give per-100-g salt figures for their lightly salted products.
A plain cake can be used with a topping. If the rice cake itself needs to provide more protein, compare that figure alongside fat: M&S lists 24.8 g protein and 16.2 g fat per 100 g for its Barbecue High Protein Rice Cakes.
Start with fat per 100 g, then compare the salt, protein and labelling that matter for the way you plan to eat the cakes. Per-cake and per-pack figures are useful for portions, but should not be mistaken for per-100-g figures.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat and claim wording | Read fat per 100 g. The nutrition-claims annex published by legislation.gov.uk specifies no more than 3 g fat per 100 g for a low-fat claim on solid foods. Check the exact claim rather than treating 'light', 'reduced fat' and 'low fat' as interchangeable. | I want to compare rice cakes on the same basis, even when the cakes or packs differ in size. |
| Salt | Compare salt per serving and, where given, per 100 g. Sainsbury's lists less than 0.01 g per cake for its No Added Salt product; Kallo Lightly Salted Wholegrain lists 0.3 g per 100 g, and M&S Lightly Salted lists 0.33 g per 100 g. | If salt matters to me, I want to distinguish no added salt from lightly salted or flavoured cakes, rather than relying on the name alone. |
| Protein and toppings | Check protein and fat together on the same per-100-g basis. M&S lists 24.8 g protein and 16.2 g fat per 100 g for its Barbecue High Protein cakes. A plain cake can also serve as a base for a topping. | For a mid-morning snack, I may prefer a plain base with a topping; if protein in the cake itself is my priority, I can accept that it is a different choice from the plain low-fat options. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current pack's ingredient and allergen information for the exact variety. Kallo warns that its Lightly Salted Wholegrain Rice Cakes may contain milk, sesame seeds and soya. | I need to check the particular pack when an ingredient or possible cross-contact affects what I can eat. |
Fat per cake and fat per 100 g answer different questions. M&S Barbecue High Protein Rice Cakes, for example, list 16.2 g fat per 100 g, whereas its plain Lightly Salted cakes list 2.5 g per 100 g.
Use the per-100-g fat figure to compare products; legislation.gov.uk's nutrition-claims annex sets 3 g per 100 g as the low-fat figure for solid foods.
Snack a Jacks lists 0.63 g salt per 23 g pack for its Salt & Vinegar multipack. That is a different serving and product from Sainsbury's No Added Salt Rice Cakes, which list less than 0.01 g per cake.
If salt is important to your choice, check the serving size as well as the salt figure before comparing flavoured and plain varieties.
M&S Barbecue High Protein Rice Cakes list 24.8 g protein per 100 g, but also 16.2 g fat per 100 g. The protein figure does not make them equivalent to a plain low-fat cake.
Decide which nutrient you are comparing first, then read both figures on the same per-100-g basis.
Kallo states that its Lightly Salted Wholegrain Rice Cakes may contain milk, sesame seeds and soya. A plain flavour does not remove the need to read a cross-contact warning.
Check the current label of the exact variety if any of those allergens matter to you.
These examples show why the exact variety matters: plain, flavoured and higher-protein cakes from the same category can have different nutrition figures.
Kallo's Lightly Salted Wholegrain Rice Cakes are a plain option with 2.8 g fat and 0.3 g salt per 100 g, according to Kallo.
Sainsbury's No Added Salt Rice Cakes offer a plain choice with 2.4 g fat per 100 g, according to its product information.
M&S lists both a plain lightly salted wholegrain cake and a separate Barbecue High Protein variety.
Snack a Jacks offers flavoured, portioned rice-cake snacks, including a Salt & Vinegar multipack.
Tesco Groceries lists Tesco-branded rice cakes alongside Kallo and Snack a Jacks products in its rice-cakes category.
These Joybuy options include a plain, lightly salted cake, two sweet-flavoured cakes and a savoury Marmite variety. For a low-fat mid-morning choice, compare the current pack's fat per 100 g; check sugar, salt and allergens where they matter to you.
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An apple-and-cinnamon-flavoured option when you want a ready-to-eat cake rather than a plain base for toppings. Check the pack's sugar figure and allergen information alongside fat per 100 g.
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A blueberry-and-vanilla-flavoured rice and corn cake for a sweet mid-morning snack, not a neutral topping base. Compare its sugar and fat figures on the current pack, and read its allergen label.
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A plain, lightly salted wholegrain option if you want to add your own topping. Joybuy's product description lists 27 kcal per cake; check the current pack for fat and salt per 100 g and for allergen warnings. This organic variety is distinct from Kallo's non-organic Lightly Salted Wholegrain cakes.
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A Marmite-flavoured savoury choice rather than a plain cake for toppings. Check salt on the current pack if that affects your choice, and read the ingredient and allergen label if you avoid gluten or celery.
No: the wording alone does not establish the same fat content. For solid foods, the nutrition-claims annex published by legislation.gov.uk specifies no more than 3 g fat per 100 g for a low-fat claim. Read the exact claim and the per-100-g nutrition figure rather than treating 'reduced' and 'low' as interchangeable.
Sainsbury's No Added Salt Rice Cakes list less than 0.01 g salt per cake and 2.4 g fat per 100 g. Kallo Lightly Salted Wholegrain and M&S Lightly Salted are different products: they list 0.3 g and 0.33 g salt per 100 g respectively.
Choose according to which figure matters for this snack. M&S Barbecue High Protein Rice Cakes list 24.8 g protein but also 16.2 g fat per 100 g, so they are not a low-fat substitute for its plain Lightly Salted cakes. A plain cake with a topping is another way to put together a mid-morning snack.
Yes, if an allergen is relevant to you, read the label of the exact variety. Kallo labels its Lightly Salted Wholegrain Rice Cakes gluten free but warns that they may contain milk, sesame seeds and soya through manufacturing-site cross-contact.