Do not treat a Free From custard cream as sugar-free: Sainsbury’s lists 24.9 g sugars per 100 g for its Free From custard creams, and Asda lists 25 g per 100 g. For a sugar-free claim in Great Britain, the condition published by legislation.gov.uk is no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g for a biscuit. If that requirement is firm, check the exact product and any delivery substitute; a different biscuit style may be an option if you cannot identify a qualifying custard cream.
The distinction between sugar-free and Free From matters most when either sugars or particular ingredients determine which biscuit you can order.
Check the sugars figure for the exact biscuit rather than relying on Free From, vegan or allergen wording. For a biscuit sold with a sugar-free claim in Great Britain, legislation.gov.uk sets a condition of no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g.
Free From custard creams may address an ingredient requirement without meeting a sugar-free one. Check the current ingredients and allergen information alongside the nutrition panel: Sainsbury’s and Asda each list around 25 g sugars per 100 g for their Free From custard creams.
Compare carbohydrate, sugars, saturates and the stated serving size if those figures matter to your food choices. Diabetes UK also highlights portion size in its snack advice; a sugar-free name alone does not describe the whole nutrition panel.
Start with the sugar-free claim and per-100 g figure, then check ingredient requirements and how your delivery service handles replacements.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar-free status | Check the claim on the exact product and its sugars per 100 g. For a biscuit in Great Britain, legislation.gov.uk gives no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g as the condition for a sugar-free claim. | If sugar-free is essential to me, a Free From label or a small per-biscuit figure is not enough to settle the choice. |
| Free From ingredients | Read the current ingredient and allergen information separately from the sugars figure. Sainsbury’s Free From custard creams list 24.9 g sugars per 100 g; Asda’s list 25 g per 100 g. | I may need to avoid gluten or milk, but I also want to know whether the same biscuit meets a separate sugar-free requirement. |
| Whole nutrition panel | Compare carbohydrate, sugars and saturates on the same stated basis, then look at the serving size. Diabetes UK highlights portion size when discussing snacks. | When choosing a sweet biscuit, I want the portion and nutrition figures, not just a claim on the front of the pack. |
| Delivery substitutes | Review the retailer’s substitution controls and inspect the replacement’s ingredients and nutrition information. Tesco accepts shopper notes, while Sainsbury’s says customers can opt out of substitutes. | A replacement needs to meet my ingredient and sugar criteria too; a similar-looking biscuit might not. |
Free From can refer to ingredients such as gluten or milk. Sainsbury’s and Asda list 24.9 g and 25 g sugars per 100 g respectively for their Free From custard creams, above the Great Britain condition for a sugar-free claim published by legislation.gov.uk.
Check the sugar-free claim and the per-100 g sugars figure independently of the allergen labels.
A per-biscuit number does not replace the per-100 g basis used for a sugar-free claim. It also leaves out other figures that may matter when comparing snacks.
Use sugars per 100 g for the claim check, then compare carbohydrate, saturates and serving information for the exact products you are considering.
A replacement can have different sugars, ingredients or allergens. Sainsbury’s says it offers substitutes where possible unless shoppers have asked it not to.
Use substitution settings or notes where available. If an essential requirement is at stake, inspect the replacement before accepting it; Asda says unwanted delivered substitutes can be handed back to the driver.
These are references to particular Free From custard cream listings, not a judgement about every biscuit sold by each retailer.
Tesco Groceries describes its Free From Custard Creams 125 g as gluten-free, milk-free and suitable for vegans.
Sainsbury’s describes its Free From Custard Creams 125 g as milk- and gluten-free vanilla-flavour biscuits.
Asda lists Free From Custard Creams 125 g with gluten-free and milk-free labelling.
These Joybuy listings are a sandwich biscuit and a digestive biscuit, not custard creams. If you are considering a different style to meet a sugar-free requirement, check the current pack’s sugars per 100 g before choosing.
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A sandwich biscuit to consider if you are willing to choose a different style from custard creams. Check the pack’s sugars per 100 g rather than relying on the Zero Sugar name alone.
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A digestive biscuit rather than a custard cream. Check the pack’s sugars per 100 g and its warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
For a biscuit in Great Britain, legislation.gov.uk gives no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g as the condition for a sugar-free claim. Check the claim and nutrition declaration for the exact product you intend to order.
The Free From label does not establish that they are sugar-free. Sainsbury’s lists 24.9 g sugars per 100 g and Asda lists 25 g per 100 g for their Free From custard creams. Tesco’s listing describes gluten-free, milk-free and vegan suitability, which are different characteristics from sugar-free status.
No. The name does not give you the full carbohydrate, saturates or serving information. Compare the nutrition declarations for the products you are considering; Diabetes UK also highlights portion size in its snack advice.
Set your substitution preferences before ordering, then check any replacement against your sugar and ingredient requirements. Tesco allows notes for a personal shopper, Sainsbury’s says customers can ask not to receive substitutes, and Asda says unwanted delivered substitutes can be handed back to the driver.