A classic digestive biscuit is a simple choice to serve with tea and coffee at a birthday get-together. Choose wholemeal if you want to compare fibre content, or add a gluten-free option if a guest needs one; be sure to check for other allergens too. A chocolate digestive or speculoos offers a different flavour, but compare the nutritional information per 100 g and remember that speculoos is not a digestive biscuit.
You want a biscuit you can put straight on the table, with no preparation. A standard 400 g pack, such as those from Albert Heijn or Jumbo, gives you a starting point for working out how much you’ll need for your guests.
You want to be able to serve an option that suits a guest. Check the ingredients and allergens on the exact pack: for example, gluten-free tells you nothing about whether it contains milk or soya.
Look beyond terms such as wholemeal or digestive. For similar biscuits, compare fibre, sugars, saturated fat and salt per 100 g.
First decide whether you want a classic biscuit as your starting point and whether a guest needs a separate option. Then check the number of biscuits and the nutritional information.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Classic option | Check the pack size and the number of biscuits or servings; choose enough packs for your guests and any other snacks you’re serving. | If I want to serve one familiar biscuit with tea and coffee, I’m mainly looking for an easy-to-serve option. Around 33% of consumers would put this need first. |
| Allergens and dietary requirements | Read the ingredients, allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the current pack. | If a guest needs a gluten-free option, I want to know what other allergens it contains. For around 25% of consumers, this check would be their top priority. |
| Quantity | Compare the net weight and the number of biscuits; a separate option for dietary needs may come in a smaller pack. | I want to be able to offer enough biscuits without ending up with lots of unnecessary leftovers. Quantity would matter most to around 25% of consumers. |
| Nutritional information | For similar biscuits, compare fibre, sugars, saturated fat and salt per 100 g, not just per serving. | When choosing between classic, wholemeal and chocolate biscuits, I want to know what the label says beyond the name. Around 17% of consumers would compare nutritional information first. |
A product name doesn’t tell you how much fibre, sugar or saturated fat a biscuit contains.
For similar biscuits, compare the nutritional information per 100 g and read the ingredients list too.
Jumbo Lekker Vrij van Gluten Digestives Melkchocolade lists milk, oats and soya, and may contain nuts.
Choose a separate option to suit your guest’s needs and check all the allergens on the current pack.
If a guest has an allergy, the information on the pack you’re serving is what matters when making your choice.
Keep the pack handy so your guest can check the ingredients and allergens for themselves.
The Original digestive is a classic wheat biscuit in a 400 g pack.
The supermarket’s own brand offers a classic digestive and a 400 g wholemeal version.
The supermarket’s own brand has classic and wholemeal 400 g digestives, as well as a 165 g gluten-free chocolate version.
Sondey is Lidl’s range of biscuits and cookies. Lidl also lists a 400 g pack of Digestives naturel as an in-store product.
ALDI describes Biscotto Digestive Biscuits as classic wheat biscuits in a 400 g pack.
These two options serve different purposes on the table: a classic digestive as your go-to biscuit, and Lotus Biscoff as a speculoos treat to enjoy with coffee. Speculoos is not a wholemeal or gluten-free digestive.
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A classic digestive to serve with tea or coffee. The pack contains 400 g; Jumbo lists an average of 27 biscuits per pack and 3.7 g of fibre per 100 g for the Original. The biscuit contains wheat and may contain milk: check the current pack if you’re serving guests with allergies.
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A tasty addition to serve with coffee, but not a substitute for a digestive if that’s the biscuit you’re looking for. The pack contains 250 g and, according to Joybuy’s product information, around 32 biscuits. If you have allergies, check the ingredients and allergens on the current pack.
No. The name alone doesn’t prove that it has any effect on digestion. If you want to compare varieties, read the ingredients and nutritional information for the specific biscuit.
Choose a pack labelled gluten-free, then check the full allergen information. For example, Jumbo Lekker Vrij van Gluten Digestives Melkchocolade contains milk, oats and soya, and may contain nuts.
Seal the pack well after opening and store the biscuits somewhere cool and dry. If you take them out of their original packaging, use an airtight tin.
