People packing snacks for days out
If you plan to take a countable snack on a journey or outing, compare the calories in the number of cakes you expect to eat, not just the figure per 100 g.
Who is comparing these snacks?
Shoppers choosing between plain and sweet cakes
A plain cake, a flavoured rice-and-corn snack and a chocolate-coated cake have different stated portions and nutrition. Check the format before comparing their calorie figures.
Allergy-aware and gluten-free shoppers
Check the exact pack’s ingredients, gluten-free wording and precautionary allergen statements. A rice-based product name does not tell you everything about its other ingredients or possible cross-contact.
What should you check?
Start with the portion you would actually eat, then use the per-100 g panel to compare different cake sizes and formats.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Calories per portion | Read the kcal per cake or snack and its stated weight. Compare kcal per 100 g for a common weight basis; the NHS notes that a manufacturer’s portion may differ from yours. | I want to know the calories in the number of cakes I will pack or eat, especially when one product calls a thin and another calls a larger cake a serving. |
| Plain or sweet format | Compare coatings and ingredients as well as kcal. Kallo lists 18 kcal per Organic Unsalted Thin and 84 kcal per milk-chocolate cake; these are differently sized products, not a like-for-like weight comparison. | If I want a plain base, I would check plain cakes first. If I want a ready-sweetened snack, I would compare its stated portion and full nutrition panel instead of assuming it matches a plain cake. |
| Salt, sugars and allergens | Check salt and sugars per 100 g and, where given, per portion. Read the exact pack’s ingredients, allergen emphasis, precautionary statements and any gluten-free claim. | My choice needs to account for the ingredients and allergen information on the product I will actually take away, not just the words ‘rice cake’ on the front. |
| Toppings and storage | Account for toppings separately from the cake’s nutrition figure. Follow the opened-pack storage instructions for the product you buy. | I may eat a plain cake with a topping or open the pack during a trip, so I need to consider the whole snack and how I will keep the remaining cakes. |
Common comparison mistakes
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Assuming a coating makes no difference
Kallo lists 84 kcal per milk-chocolate cake, compared with 27 kcal for its lightly salted cake. The different formats also need their sugars and saturated fat checked on the nutrition panel.
Choose by the snack you intend to eat: compare plain and coated products per portion and per 100 g rather than treating them as interchangeable rice cakes.
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Comparing front-of-pack calories without the portion
A calorie figure may describe one cake, one snack or a manufacturer-defined portion. Those figures do not necessarily represent the same weight or the amount you will eat.
Find the serving weight and kcal per piece, then use the per-100 g figures when comparing products of different sizes.
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Treating ‘gluten-free’ as an all-allergen guarantee
Gluten-free wording concerns gluten; it does not rule out other declared ingredients or precautionary allergen statements. The Food Standards Agency explains that precautionary labelling communicates possible unintentional allergen presence.
For allergy or coeliac needs, read the current pack’s ingredients, allergen emphasis and ‘may contain’ wording for the exact product.
Brand and range references
These examples show why the product format matters; figures for one line should not be applied to every product from the same brand.
Kallo
Kallo lists plain, unsalted thin and chocolate-coated rice-cake formats.
- Kallo states 27 calories per Lightly Salted cake and 18 calories per Organic Unsalted Thin.
- Its milk-chocolate cake is a different format at a stated 84 calories per cake. Check the current pack for ingredients and allergen statements.
Tesco
Tesco’s Lightly Salted Rice Cakes provide a clearly stated per-cake portion for comparison.
- Tesco lists 27 kcal and 0.02 g salt per 7.2 g cake, made with brown rice and sea salt.
- Tesco advises checking the pack because food products can be reformulated.
Snack a Jacks
The range includes flavoured rice-and-corn snacks as well as products shoppers may compare with plain cakes.
- Tesco Groceries lists 50 kcal per 13 g snack for Snack a Jacks Caramel Jumbo Rice Cakes.
- The same listing gives 19 g sugars per 100 g and includes allergen information; check the particular flavour and pack.
M&S
M&S lists both lightly salted wholegrain cakes and milk-chocolate-coated cakes.
- Marks & Spencer lists 386 kcal, 0.6 g sugars and 0.33 g salt per 100 g for its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes.
- Its Milk Chocolate Rice Cakes list 481 kcal, 26.4 g sugars and 12.2 g saturates per 100 g, so compare the two formats separately.
Rice cakes and crackers on Joybuy
These options cover a lightly salted rice cake, a flavoured rice-and-corn cake and a lightly salted rice cracker. Check each pack’s portion and nutrition information before using it for a calorie comparison.
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Kallo Organic Lightly Salted Rice Cakes 130g
A lightly salted option to consider if you want to pack plain rice cakes. Check this Organic product’s own pack for calories per cake and allergen statements; figures for Kallo’s other lightly salted cakes should not be assumed to apply to it.
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Kallo Blueberry and Vanilla Rice and Corn Cakes 131g
A ready-flavoured rice-and-corn option for a day out. Compare its calories per cake, sugars per 100 g and ingredients with a plain cake rather than assuming the two formats have the same nutrition.
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The Snack Organisation Presents Lightly Salted Rice Crackers 100g
A lightly salted rice cracker to consider as a savoury snack. Check the pack for its cracker serving size and calories before comparing it with rice cakes; also read its ingredients and allergen information.
Questions about choosing rice cakes
Are all rice cakes alike in calories?
No. Kallo and Tesco list 27 kcal for their reviewed lightly salted cakes, while Tesco Groceries lists 50 kcal for a Snack a Jacks caramel snack and Kallo lists 84 kcal for its milk-chocolate cake. Check serving weights and per-100 g figures before comparing these different formats.
Should I compare calories per cake or per 100 g?
Use both: the per-cake figure helps you count the pieces you intend to eat, while per 100 g gives you a common weight basis. The NHS notes that a manufacturer’s stated portion may differ from the amount you eat.
Is a gluten-free rice cake suitable if I also avoid other allergens?
A gluten-free claim does not answer questions about other allergens. Read the ingredients and precautionary statements on the exact current pack; Food Standards Agency material states that food labelled ‘gluten-free’ must contain no more than 20 mg/kg gluten as sold.
How should I keep an opened pack during a holiday?
Follow the instructions on the pack you buy. Tesco and Marks & Spencer advise keeping their reviewed lightly salted rice cakes cool and dry and sealing them in an airtight container after opening.