Do not treat an ordinary custard cream as a reduced-sugar choice: the checked Tesco and Sainsbury's biscuits are labelled high in sugars per biscuit, and M&S Extra Cream Custard Creams list 40.2g sugars per 100g. If reduced sugar is essential, check the claim and nutrition panel on the exact pack; the Joybuy biscuits below offer different flavours and formats, not a verified reduced-sugar custard cream.
If you want a custard-cream-style snack, check the exact product claim and sugar values rather than assuming a familiar biscuit meets that requirement. The Tesco, Sainsbury's and M&S products discussed here are conventional custard creams, not substantiated reduced-sugar choices.
A sealed biscuit pack can be kept together and accessible in your cabin bag. GOV.UK says food can obstruct X-ray images, so security staff may need to check a bag manually.
Check sugars per 100g to compare products by weight, then sugars per biscuit or portion for the amount you plan to eat. Front-of-pack traffic-light information can provide another quick comparison where it appears.
Start with the sugar wording on the exact biscuit pack, compare the nutrition figures on the same basis, then consider how you will carry it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Product claim | Read the exact sugar-related claim and nutrition panel for the flavour and pack you are buying. Do not treat 'Free From' or a plain biscuit appearance as a sugar claim. | I need a substantiated sugar-related claim, not simply a conventional custard cream. Tesco separately lists standard and Free From custard creams; that distinction alone says nothing about which has less sugar. |
| Sugar figures | Compare sugars per 100g for a weight-for-weight view, then check the per-biscuit or per-portion figure. Tesco lists 28.3g per 100g and 3.4g per biscuit; Sainsbury's lists 26.5g per 100g and 3.3g per biscuit for the products discussed here. | If I plan to eat a particular number of biscuits, the per-biscuit figure helps me read the label in that context. Different biscuit or portion sizes can make a per-item comparison misleading on its own. |
| Traffic-light labels | Where a pack has traffic-light labelling, use its sugar indicator alongside the full nutrition panel. The checked Tesco and Sainsbury's custard creams both show a high sugar indicator per biscuit. | I use front-of-pack labels to compare foods quickly, then read the figures behind them. In the Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland's 2024 survey of 611 people in Northern Ireland, 49% said they actively used traffic-light labelling when shopping for food. |
| Travel packing | Keep the biscuit pack accessible if travelling with hand luggage. Check your departure airport, airline and destination requirements for your itinerary. | I want a snack I can identify easily if my bag is inspected. GOV.UK warns that food can obstruct X-ray images and lead to a manual bag check. |
The checked Tesco and Sainsbury's products are marked high in sugars per biscuit, while M&S Extra Cream Custard Creams list 40.2g sugars per 100g. A non-chocolate coating is not a substitute for reading the label.
If reduced sugar matters to your choice, look for a relevant claim on the exact product and read its current nutrition panel before selecting it.
Biscuits and stated portions can differ in size, so a per-biscuit figure alone does not give a weight-for-weight comparison.
Compare sugars per 100g first, then use the per-biscuit or per-portion value to assess the amount you intend to eat.
GOV.UK says food can obstruct X-ray images and a bag may need to be checked manually.
Keep the biscuit pack easy to identify, and check the rules for your departure airport, airline and destination before travelling.
Tesco lists Free From Custard Creams separately from its standard product. The name does not, by itself, establish that the biscuits contain less sugar.
Check the specific pack's sugar-related wording and nutrition figures rather than using its dietary positioning as a shortcut.
These individual product labels provide points of comparison; they do not describe every custard cream sold by each retailer.
Tesco lists Custard Cream Biscuits 400G and a separate Free From Custard Creams product.
Sainsbury's lists its own-label Custard Creams in a 200g pack.
M&S positions Extra Cream Custard Creams as a more generously filled custard cream.
These are biscuits to consider if you are open to a different airport snack: two sandwich-cookie options and an oat biscuit. None is a custard cream. Read each exact pack's sugar wording and nutrition panel rather than treating 'zero sugar' and 'no added sugar' as the same claim.
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These sandwich cookies offer a different flavour from custard creams for a packed snack. The 97g product name carries a 'Zero Sugar' claim; check the exact pack's nutrition panel and ingredients before buying.
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The cookies-and-cream format may appeal if you want a filled biscuit but not necessarily custard-cream flavour. The 210g product name says 'No Added Sugar'; check the pack for its sugar figure, ingredients and any sweetener information.
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This 285g oat biscuit offers dark chocolate and ginger rather than a cream filling. If your choice depends on sugar content, check the exact pack's claim and nutrition panel; the product name alone is not a sugar figure.
Not on the checked product information. Tesco and Sainsbury's mark their standard custard creams high in sugars per biscuit, while M&S lists 40.2g sugars per 100g for Extra Cream Custard Creams. Those details do not substantiate a reduced-sugar claim for any of these specific products.
Compare sugars per 100g for a weight-for-weight comparison, then read the per-biscuit or per-portion value for the amount you expect to eat. Where available, front-of-pack traffic-light labelling can help you compare products at a glance, but check the full panel for the exact pack.
Check your departure airport, airline and destination requirements for your trip. GOV.UK says food in hand luggage can obstruct X-ray images and a bag may need a manual check, so keep the biscuit pack accessible.