Hosts providing a sugar-free biscuit
Check the sugars figure before putting a sugar-free label on the tray. The pack size, portion information and sweetener warning also matter when serving a group.
Who is this choice for?
Hosts serving guests with different dietary needs
Keep sugar-free, no-added-sugar and standard biscuits clearly distinguished. Leave each pack available so guests can check its ingredients and allergen information for themselves.
What matters when choosing?
Decide whether a sugar-free claim is required before comparing pack sizes and the rest of the nutrition panel. In Great Britain, Business Companion’s Trading Standards guidance sets the sugar-free limit at no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g for a solid food.
Sugar-free digestives
Choose when: The coffee-morning tray needs a biscuit that meets the sugar-free limit; the checked Gullón Zero Original and Siro packs list qualifying sugars figures.
Bear in mind: Both checked packs use polyol sweeteners and carry warnings about excessive consumption.
No-added-sugar digestives
Choose when: Avoiding added sugar, rather than requiring a sugar-free biscuit, is the guest’s preference.
Bear in mind: The no-added-sugar wording on the checked Diablo listing does not establish its total sugars per 100 g.
Standard digestives
Choose when: Guests want a conventional digestive and have not asked for sugar-free biscuits.
Bear in mind: Keep them separate from a sugar-free choice: Asda, Sainsbury’s and M&S list 16 g, 16.3 g and 18.2 g sugars per 100 g respectively for their checked standard digestives.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar claim | Read sugars per 100 g on the current pack. In Great Britain, Business Companion’s Trading Standards guidance gives a limit of 0.5 g per 100 g for a sugar-free claim on biscuits; no-added-sugar and reduced-sugar wording does not establish that figure. | I need to know which biscuits can accurately be labelled sugar-free on the tray. |
| Full nutrition panel | Compare carbohydrate and energy as well as sugars, using the same per-100 g basis. Asda lists 68 g carbohydrate and 430 kcal per 100 g for Gullón Zero Original; Sainsbury’s lists 73 g and 463 kcal for Siro. | If I am serving several biscuits, I want to see what each option contains beyond its sugars figure. |
| Sweeteners | Check the ingredients and portion warning. The checked Gullón pack lists isomalt and maltitol; the Siro listing identifies maltitol sweetener. Both carry an excessive-consumption warning. | I want guests to be able to check the sweeteners before taking biscuits from a shared tray. |
| Allergens | Keep the current packs available. The checked Gullón and Siro options contain wheat and list possible milk or soya; check each pack’s own wording. | Guests need to check whether a biscuit suits their own ingredient and allergen requirements. |
What should you avoid assuming?
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‘No added sugar’ or ‘less sugar’ means sugar-free
Neither description establishes the finished biscuit’s sugars figure. Pladis describes McVitie’s Digestives The Light One range as having 30% less sugar than its original Digestives; that is a different claim.
Before labelling a tray sugar-free, check sugars per 100 g on the current pack against the Great Britain limit in Business Companion’s Trading Standards guidance.
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Sugar-free means carbohydrate-free
The checked Gullón Zero Original and Siro panels both list carbohydrate and energy. A sugar-free claim addresses sugars, not the whole nutrition panel.
Compare the per-100 g figures and the serving information if those details affect your choice.
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The tray label tells guests everything they need
‘Sugar-free’ does not describe allergen suitability. The checked Gullón and Siro biscuits contain wheat and list possible milk or soya.
Keep biscuit types separate and leave their current packaging where guests can check it.
Relevant brands and product lines
These references describe the particular checked products or ranges, not every biscuit made by each brand.
Gullón Zero
The checked Original 400 g pack is a sugar-free plain digestive option.
- Asda lists less than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g and approximately 30 biscuits per pack.
- The checked pack contains wheat and polyol sweeteners, lists possible milk or soya, and carries an excessive-consumption warning.
Siro
The checked sugar-free plain digestives come in a 300 g pack listed by Sainsbury’s.
- Sainsbury’s lists 0.5 g sugars per 100 g for this pack.
- The checked biscuits contain wheat and maltitol sweetener, list possible milk or soya, and carry an excessive-consumption warning.
McVitie’s
Its original Digestives and The Light One range are points of comparison for guests who have not requested sugar-free biscuits.
- Manufacturer pladis describes The Light One range as having 30% less sugar than original Digestives.
- That manufacturer comparison does not establish that The Light One meets the sugar-free limit.
Asda
Its own-brand standard digestives are distinct from the Gullón Zero biscuits it lists.
- Asda publishes a sugars figure for its checked own-brand 400 g Digestive Biscuits.
- At 16 g sugars per 100 g, that own-brand pack is not the sugar-free option.
M&S
Its checked 400 g Digestive Biscuits are a standard digestive option, described by M&S as suitable for dunking.
- M&S identifies demerara sugar in its description of this pack.
- The listed 18.2 g sugars per 100 g rules out this pack when a sugar-free biscuit is required.
Diablo
Its checked 150 g digestive-style product is labelled no added sugar by Tesco Marketplace.
- The no-added-sugar wording may suit a guest whose preference is specifically to avoid added sugar.
- Do not label it sugar-free on that basis alone. The listed ingredients include wheat, milk whey and soya lecithin.
A sugar-free digestive on Joybuy
This option represents the sugar-free plain digestive route for a coffee morning. Check its current packaging when serving guests.
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Gullón Zero Sugar Free Original Digestives 400 g
A plain digestive option for a tray that needs sugar-free biscuits. The checked Original pack lists less than 0.5 g sugars, 68 g carbohydrate and 430 kcal per 100 g. It contains wheat and the sweeteners isomalt and maltitol, lists possible milk or soya, and carries an excessive-consumption warning.
Common questions
Does ‘no added sugar’ mean a digestive is sugar-free?
No. In Great Britain, Business Companion’s Trading Standards guidance sets a sugar-free limit of no more than 0.5 g sugars per 100 g for biscuits. Check the finished product’s sugars figure; the no-added-sugar wording on the checked Diablo listing does not establish it.
Are sugar-free digestives carbohydrate-free?
No. Asda’s checked Gullón Zero Original panel lists 68 g carbohydrate per 100 g, while Sainsbury’s checked Siro panel lists 73 g. Compare the full panel and portion information rather than using the sugar-free wording as a substitute for them.
How can guests check ingredients at a coffee morning?
Keep each biscuit type separate and leave its current pack available. The checked Gullón and Siro sugar-free digestives contain wheat and list possible milk or soya, so the tray’s sugar-free label cannot answer an allergen question.
How should an opened pack be kept?
Follow the instructions on that pack. The checked Gullón listing says to keep it cool and dry, away from sunlight, and reseal it after opening; the Siro listing also specifies a cool, dry place away from sunlight.