Caterers with a sugar-free brief
You need a digestive-style biscuit labelled sugar-free, rather than one described only as no added sugar or reduced sugar. Keep its ingredients and any sweetener warning available at the refreshment table.
Who is choosing the biscuits?
Organisers serving mixed dietary needs
You may need separate choices for sugar-related and allergen-related requests. Check each biscuit’s current label instead of assuming that sugar-free also means gluten-free or milk-free.
Buyers seeking a reduced-sugar digestive
If the brief does not require sugar-free biscuits, a reduced-sugar mainstream digestive may be an option. Describe it accurately so delegates do not mistake it for a sugar-free choice.
What should you check?
Start with the wording of the catering brief, then compare pack claims, sugars per 100 g, allergen information and sweetener warnings.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar-free request | Check the sugar-free claim and sugars per 100 g on the current pack. Sainsbury’s lists Siro Sugar Free Digestive Biscuits at 0.5 g sugars per 100 g. | If the event brief says sugar-free, I need a biscuit labelled accordingly, not one described only as lower in sugar. |
| Other sugar claims | Keep no added sugar and reduced sugar distinct from sugar-free. Tesco Marketplace describes Diablo as no added sugar; Tesco lists McVitie’s The Light One at 8.9 g sugars per 100 g. | A no-added-sugar or reduced-sugar option works for my event only if that wording meets the brief. |
| Sweeteners and portions | Read the ingredients, any excessive-consumption warning and the pack’s serving information. Sainsbury’s lists maltitols and such a warning for Siro. | With biscuits available across several breaks, I want delegates to be able to see the relevant sweetener warning. |
| Allergens | Check declared ingredients and may-contain statements on the delivered pack. Sainsbury’s lists wheat and possible milk and soya for Siro. | I need to give delegates accurate product information rather than treating a sugar claim as an allergen claim. |
| Free-from requests | Assess free-from labels separately from sugars per 100 g. Tesco labels its Free From Digestive Biscuits gluten, wheat and milk free, but lists 24.8 g sugars per 100 g. | For a gluten-, wheat- or milk-free request, I would choose against that requirement separately from any sugar-free request. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Calling no added sugar or reduced sugar “sugar-free”
Those phrases describe different products. Tesco lists McVitie’s The Light One at 8.9 g sugars per 100 g, while Tesco Marketplace describes Diablo as no added sugar without establishing its total sugars in the cited listing.
Write the required claim into the catering brief and check the final pack before using the same wording on a table label.
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Missing a sweetener warning
Sainsbury’s lists maltitols in Siro Sugar Free Digestive Biscuits and warns that excessive consumption may produce laxative effects.
Keep the pack or its warning information available where the biscuits are served, particularly if delegates can take them at several breaks.
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Assuming sugar-free covers allergen requests
Sainsbury’s lists wheat and possible milk and soya for Siro. Separately, Tesco’s gluten-, wheat- and milk-free digestive lists 24.8 g sugars per 100 g.
Label sugar-related and allergen-related choices separately, using the delivered packs’ ingredient and allergen statements.
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Relying on an earlier product listing
The biscuit placed on the refreshment table is the one delegates need information about; an earlier listing is not a substitute for its packaging.
Before service, check the delivered pack’s claim, nutrition panel, ingredients, allergens, date marking and any sweetener warning.
Relevant brand and product references
These examples illustrate different label claims and dietary requirements; a brand name alone does not establish which biscuit meets an event brief.
Siro
Sainsbury’s lists Siro Sugar Free Digestive Biscuits at 0.5 g sugars per 100 g.
- A sugar-free-labelled digestive-style option for a brief requiring that claim.
- The listing names maltitols and an excessive-consumption warning; it also lists wheat and possible milk and soya.
Diablo
Tesco Marketplace describes Diablo Digestive Cookies as no added sugar and made with 27.6% whole-wheat flour.
- An example to consider when the brief specifically allows no-added-sugar biscuits.
- Do not describe this listing as sugar-free without checking the final pack’s claim and total sugars. The listing names wheat, milk and soya, plus possible tree nuts, sesame and mustard.
McVitie’s
Tesco describes McVitie’s Digestives The Light One as reduced sugar and lists 8.9 g sugars per 100 g.
- A mainstream digestive option when the brief permits reduced sugar rather than requiring sugar-free.
- The Light One is not a sugar-free substitute; check its wheat and possible milk information on the pack.
Tesco
Tesco’s digestive range shows why free-from and sugar-related claims need separate checks.
- Tesco labels its Free From Digestive Biscuits gluten, wheat and milk free.
- Tesco lists 24.8 g sugars per 100 g for that free-from biscuit, compared with 15.3 g per 100 g for its conventional Digestive Biscuits; neither figure makes the free-from option sugar-free.
Sugar-free digestives on Joybuy
This Joybuy option is a sugar-free-labelled digestive for a conference brief requiring that claim. Check the delivered pack before adding it to the refreshment table.
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Gullon Zero Sugar Free Original Digestives 400g
A sugar-free-labelled digestive option for a conference brief requiring that claim. Check the delivered pack’s sugars per 100 g, ingredients, allergen statements and any sweetener warning before service.
Questions about serving digestives
Does reduced sugar mean a digestive is sugar-free?
No. Tesco describes McVitie’s Digestives The Light One as reduced sugar and lists 8.9 g sugars per 100 g. For a sugar-free conference brief, choose a biscuit labelled sugar-free and check its current nutrition panel.
Is no added sugar the same as sugar-free?
No. Tesco Marketplace describes Diablo Digestive Cookies as no added sugar, but that wording does not establish their total sugars per 100 g. Use the wording on the final pack rather than calling them sugar-free on an event label.
What information should be available beside sugar-free biscuits?
Keep the current pack or its ingredient, allergen and warning information available to delegates. For example, Sainsbury’s lists wheat and maltitols for Siro Sugar Free Digestive Biscuits, possible milk and soya, and an excessive-consumption warning.
Can a gluten-free digestive replace a sugar-free one?
Not on the basis of its gluten-free label. Tesco labels its Free From Digestive Biscuits gluten, wheat and milk free but lists 24.8 g sugars per 100 g. Choose separately for the dietary requirement named in the conference brief.