Travellers comparing fat content
If you want a dry snack for the train, compare plain or lightly salted rice cakes with flavoured options using fat per 100g. Then check the portion you would take.
Who is this choice for?
Shoppers who read nutrition labels
Check the exact pack for fat, saturates, salt and the stated serving size rather than relying on its front-of-pack description. In the Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland’s 2024 survey, 49% of the 611 people interviewed said they actively used traffic-light labelling while shopping for food; that figure is not specific to rice cakes.
Travellers checking allergens
Read the current pack’s ingredients and precautionary statements before travelling. Kallo says its Lightly Salted rice cakes may contain milk, sesame seeds and soya, even though those are not the product’s listed main ingredients.
What should you check?
Start with a like-for-like nutrition comparison, then choose the flavour and pack format that work for your journey.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Fat and portion | Compare fat and saturates per 100g on the exact products. Check per-cake or per-pack figures separately for the portion you plan to take. | I want to compare fat fairly without confusing a cake with a whole pack. In the Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland’s 2024 survey, 49% of 611 people interviewed between 16 September and 23 November said they actively used traffic-light labelling while shopping for food; this measures label use, not demand for lower-fat rice cakes. |
| Flavour and salt | Compare salt per 100g, then check the stated portion. Snack a Jacks lists 0.63g salt per 23g Salt & Vinegar Singles pack; a different format needs its own label check. | A savoury flavour appeals to me, but I also want to know how much salt is in the pack I will eat on the train. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients and precautionary allergen statement. Kallo says its Lightly Salted product may contain milk, sesame seeds and soya. | Before setting off, I need to check whether this particular pack fits my allergen requirements; a vegan or gluten-free description does not answer that question. |
| Packing and storage | Check the pack’s storage instructions and how you will protect opened cakes. M&S advises keeping its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes in an airtight container once opened. | If I am taking only part of a pack, I want a way to keep the remaining cakes dry and protected in my bag. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming a ‘low fat’ label identifies the lowest-fat pack
M&S lists 2.5g fat per 100g for its Eat Well Lightly Salted Rice Cakes; Kallo lists 2.8g per 100g for its Lightly Salted product, which Kallo describes as low fat. The wording alone does not make the comparison.
Use fat per 100g to compare products, then read the portion figures for the amount you intend to take.
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Applying one flavoured product’s figures to every rice cake
The researched Snack a Jacks Salt & Vinegar Jumbo product lists 5.8g fat and 1.3g salt per 100g, while Kallo Lightly Salted lists 2.8g fat and 0.3g salt per 100g. Different flavours and formats need separate checks.
Choose flavour deliberately, and compare nutrition values for the exact pack rather than the brand as a whole.
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Using a dietary description instead of the allergen statement
Kallo describes its Lightly Salted rice cakes as made to a vegan recipe but also warns that they may contain milk, sesame seeds and soya.
If you need to avoid an allergen, check the current pack’s ingredients and precautionary statement against your own requirements.
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Opening a large pack without planning how to store it
M&S advises storing its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes in an airtight container after opening. An opened pack needs protection during a journey.
Keep the packet sealed until needed, or put the portion you are carrying in a protective container.
Relevant brand references
These figures describe particular products, not every rice cake sold under each brand.
Kallo
Kallo’s Lightly Salted wholegrain rice cakes are a plain-flavour reference when comparing fat per 100g.
- Kallo lists 2.8g fat and 0.3g salt per 100g, and 27 kcal per rice cake, for the researched Lightly Salted product.
- Its precautionary statement says it may contain milk, sesame seeds and soya. Do not apply these figures to Kallo Organic or another variant without checking that pack.
M&S
M&S Eat Well Lightly Salted Rice Cakes provide another per-100g figure for a lightly salted product.
- M&S lists 2.5g fat and 0.33g salt per 100g for this product.
- Check the current pack for ingredients and allergens, and follow its airtight-storage advice after opening.
Snack a Jacks
The researched Salt & Vinegar Jumbo and Singles products illustrate why flavour and pack format need separate nutrition checks.
- Snack a Jacks lists 0.6g fat and 0.26g salt per Salt & Vinegar Jumbo cake; its 23g Salt & Vinegar Singles pack lists 1.7g fat and 0.63g salt.
- Per-cake and per-pack figures describe different portions and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Tesco
Tesco lists a 130g Lightly Salted Rice Cakes product for shoppers considering an own-label option.
- The lightly salted format is relevant to a comparison with other plain or lightly salted packs.
- Read its current nutrition and ingredient panels before making a fat or allergen comparison.
Rice cakes and crackers on Joybuy
These options include lightly salted and flavoured rice cakes, plus a lightly salted rice cracker. Compare each exact pack before treating it as a lower-fat choice; the Kallo Organic product here is not the non-organic Kallo Lightly Salted product discussed above.
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Kallo Organic Lightly Salted Rice Cakes 130g
A lightly salted option for the journey. This is the Organic 130g variant: check its own nutrition panel and allergen statement rather than using figures for Kallo’s non-organic Lightly Salted rice cakes.
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Marmite Rice Cakes 110g
A savoury-flavoured 110g option. Check fat and salt per 100g and per portion on this pack, together with its ingredient and allergen information.
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Snack A Jacks Jumbo Caramel 159g
A caramel-flavoured 159g pack for someone who prefers a sweet option. Compare its own fat, sugar and portion figures; Salt & Vinegar figures do not describe this variant.
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The Snack Organisation Presents Lightly Salted Rice Crackers 100g
A 100g lightly salted rice-cracker alternative for travel. Compare its nutrition and ingredients with rice cakes directly; the similar flavour description does not establish the same composition.
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Snack A Jacks Jumbos Sour Cream & Chive Sharing Rice Cakes 117g
A savoury 117g sharing pack. Check this flavour’s fat, salt, portion and allergen information rather than transferring figures from Snack a Jacks Salt & Vinegar.
Questions about rice cakes for travel
Does ‘low fat’ mean a rice cake has the least fat?
No. Compare the exact products per 100g: M&S lists 2.5g fat per 100g for its Eat Well Lightly Salted Rice Cakes, while Kallo lists 2.8g per 100g for its Lightly Salted product, which it describes as low fat. Check the serving figures separately for the portion you plan to take.
Can I compare a Snack a Jacks Jumbo cake with a Singles pack?
Yes, but use the same basis for a like-for-like nutrition comparison. Snack a Jacks gives Salt & Vinegar Jumbo figures per cake and Salt & Vinegar Singles figures per 23g pack; those portion figures answer different questions about how much you would eat.
How should I carry rice cakes on a train?
Keep them dry and protected in your bag. M&S advises storing its Lightly Salted Rice Cakes in a cool, dry place and transferring them to an airtight container after opening.
Can I rely on vegan wording if I need to avoid milk, sesame or soya?
No. Kallo says its Lightly Salted rice cakes are made to a vegan recipe but may contain milk, sesame seeds and soya. Check the current physical pack’s ingredients and precautionary allergen statement against your own requirements before travelling.