If a visitor needs a sugar-free option, choose a biscuit only after checking the exact pack’s sugars value per 100 g; do not substitute an ordinary or Free From custard cream on the strength of its name. Tesco lists 25.2 g sugars per 100 g for its Free From custard creams, while ASDA lists 25 g for its Free From version. The sugar-free claim condition published by legislation.gov.uk is no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g; a qualifying alternative need not have the flavour or format of a custard cream.
At a car boot sale, the right biscuit depends on what a visitor actually needs to avoid—not on whether a packet looks like a familiar custard cream.
Check the sugars value per 100 g on the exact pack before calling a biscuit sugar-free. A Free From label or a similar sandwich-biscuit shape does not establish that it meets the sugar-free claim condition published by legislation.gov.uk.
Look for the specific exclusion the visitor needs, then keep the pack available so they can inspect its current ingredients and allergen information. Gluten-free or milk-free does not also mean sugar-free.
Keep packaged biscuits identifiable and their labels available. If supplying refreshments is becoming a regular activity, ask the local authority how food-business requirements apply to your stall.
Start with the requirement that cannot be substituted: sugar-free, a specified ingredient exclusion, or simply a general biscuit refreshment. Then check the exact pack rather than relying on a range name.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar-free claim | Read the sugars value per 100 g on the current pack. Legislation.gov.uk publishes a sugar-free claim condition of no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g of food. | If a visitor asks for sugar-free biscuits, I need the exact product to meet that condition, not merely to look like a custard cream. |
| Gluten and milk | Check the stated Free From exclusions and the full ingredients and allergen information. Tesco and ASDA list Free From custard creams for gluten- and milk-free needs, but list 25.2 g and 25 g sugars per 100 g respectively. | For someone avoiding gluten or milk, I want them to be able to inspect the packet; I will not describe those custard creams as sugar-free. |
| Biscuit format | Check whether the product is a custard cream, another sandwich biscuit or a digestive. Keep the pack name visible so visitors know what is being offered. | A different biscuit works for my refreshment table only if a custard cream’s particular format is not part of the request. |
| Pack information | Keep the original packaging with its current nutrition, ingredient and allergen information. Check those details before making a claim on a stall sign. | I want visitors to read the label for themselves rather than depend on a handwritten description. |
| Stall activity | Consider how often and in what way you supply food. GOV.UK says selling or supplying food at events may amount to food-business activity; ask the local authority about your circumstances. | If I plan to offer biscuits regularly, I need to establish which requirements apply before trading. |
Free From identifies particular exclusions. Tesco Free From custard creams list 25.2 g sugars per 100 g, and ASDA Free From custard creams list 25 g per 100 g.
Read the stated exclusions and the sugars value separately. For a sugar-free claim, compare the exact pack with the condition published by legislation.gov.uk: no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g.
Tesco’s standard custard creams list 28.3 g sugars per 100 g, wheat flour and whey powder from milk. Sainsbury’s standard version lists 26.5 g sugars per 100 g and also includes wheat and milk-derived ingredients.
Keep standard biscuits distinct from options intended for sugar-free, gluten-free or milk-free requests, and let visitors inspect the original packet.
A sugar-free description does not explain a biscuit’s full carbohydrate content. Diabetes UK notes that polyols contain carbohydrate and calories and advises individual discussion with a healthcare team where insulin adjustment is involved.
Describe the product and its label accurately rather than promising medical suitability. Make its nutrition and ingredient information available.
GOV.UK says that selling, storing, handling or distributing food may make an activity a food business, depending on the circumstances.
Before offering refreshments regularly, ask the local authority how the requirements apply to your activity. Keep the biscuits in their original packs so product information remains available.
These examples show why the exact product label matters: a standard custard cream, a Free From version and a biscuit labelled for sugar-free use answer different requests.
Tesco lists both standard and Free From custard creams.
Sainsbury's lists a standard custard cream and a separate Free From product.
ASDA’s Free From custard creams address stated gluten- and milk-free needs, not a sugar-free request.
Morrisons describes its Free From custard creams as gluten- and milk-free vanilla-flavour biscuits.
Gullón presents a Zero Sugar Free Biscuits range as a route to consider when the biscuit need not be a custard cream.
These are labelled zero-sugar biscuit alternatives for a stall where a custard cream is not essential. One is a sandwich cookie and the other a digestive; check each current pack’s sugars value and ingredients before offering it for a strict sugar-free request.
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A sandwich-cookie option when a custard cream is not required. The pack is 97g; check its current sugars value per 100 g and ingredients before describing it to visitors as sugar-free.
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A digestive-biscuit alternative rather than a custard cream. The pack is 400g; check its current sugars value per 100 g and ingredients against the visitor’s requirements.
Not necessarily: Free From refers to specified exclusions. Tesco’s Free From custard creams list 25.2 g sugars per 100 g and ASDA’s list 25 g, both above the sugar-free claim condition of no more than 0.5 g per 100 g published by legislation.gov.uk. Check the exact pack for both its exclusions and nutrition values.
Do not use that description for the standard Tesco or Sainsbury’s products cited here: their listings give 28.3 g and 26.5 g sugars per 100 g respectively. For any other biscuit, check the current pack against the published sugar-free claim condition before describing it that way.
Yes. Keeping each pack available lets visitors inspect its current ingredients, allergens, nutrition values and product name, rather than relying on a stall sign or your memory.
It could. GOV.UK says that selling or supplying food at an event may amount to food-business activity, depending on what you do. Ask the local authority about your planned stall and how often you will trade before assuming registration is unnecessary.
No sugar-free label establishes individual medical suitability. Diabetes UK notes that polyols contain carbohydrate and calories. Provide the pack’s nutrition and ingredient information rather than making a suitability promise; anyone adjusting insulin should follow advice from their healthcare team.