Choose a digestive if you want a sweet biscuit you can enjoy mid-morning without any preparation. Choose a cracker or Melba toast if you’d rather put together your own snack with a topping. Whichever you choose, compare the nutritional information and your portion size, and remember to include the topping when you have a cracker. If you’re mainly watching your sugar intake, you could consider a 0% sugar digestive, but check the polyols and any usage warnings too.
Compare the fibre content per 100 g with the ingredients and product name. A digestive made with wholemeal flour isn’t necessarily made entirely from wholemeal flour. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre makes the same distinction for crackers and biscuits.
As well as the sugar content, check the portion size, other nutritional values and any polyols. A 0% sugar claim doesn’t tell you everything about the product’s ingredients. Albert Heijn’s Digestive 0% suiker also carries a warning against excessive consumption.
A cracker or Melba toast with a topping offers a different kind of snack from a plain digestive biscuit. Check the nutritional information and allergens for both the base and the topping; Melba Crackers Naturel, for example, lists wheat and soya.
First decide whether you want a plain biscuit or a base you can add a topping to. Then compare the values per 100 g and per portion, focusing on what matters most to you.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre and wholegrain | Compare the fibre content per 100 g and check the product name and ingredients if you’re specifically looking for a product made entirely from wholegrain. | If fibre is my top priority, I want to know whether a cracker or biscuit contains flour as well as wholemeal flour. Around 36% of consumers prioritise this choice of grain. |
| Sugars and sweeteners | Check the sugar content and other nutritional values per 100 g and per portion. For a 0% sugar option, also read the information about polyols. | I want to choose a sweet snack without relying solely on the wording on the front of the pack. For around 29% of consumers, sugar and the rest of the product’s ingredients are the main considerations. |
| Allergens | Read the current ingredients list and any warnings about possible cross-contamination, including those for the topping. | If I need to avoid an allergen, both the biscuit or cracker and its topping must be suitable. This is the main concern when shopping for around 21% of consumers. |
| Snack type and toppings | Choose between a ready-to-eat biscuit and a base you can add a topping to; consider the whole portion. | For a snack that needs no preparation, I’d rather grab a biscuit. On other days, I want to choose my own topping. Around 14% of consumers prioritise this practical choice. |
A claim about fibre or sugar is no substitute for the full nutritional information. For example, Albert Heijn’s Digestive 0% suiker also lists polyols and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Compare the values per 100 g and per portion, and read the ingredients and usage warnings.
A biscuit may contain both wholemeal flour and wheat flour. Jumbo’s Digestive Volkoren, for example, lists both ingredients. The product name alone doesn’t tell you what proportion of the flour is wholemeal.
Check the current product name and ingredients list if a product made entirely from wholemeal flour is essential to you.
Your chosen topping and the amount you use are part of the snack. Comparing only the cracker’s nutritional information won’t give you the full picture.
Check the cracker and topping together, including the allergens in both products.
A product’s ingredients and allergen information can change. This is particularly important if you need to avoid an allergen strictly.
Read the current packaging for the specific product before buying and eating it.
AH offers a classic Digestive and a Digestive 0% suiker; compare the two options separately.
Jumbo lists both a classic digestive and a product called Digestive Volkoren.
Bolletje Groentecrackers are an alternative for anyone looking for a cracker to top rather than a digestive biscuit.
Melba Crackers Naturel are thin crackers you can add a topping to, offering an alternative to a sweet biscuit.
Biscotto Digestive Biscuits are a classic biscuit option.
Lidl lists plain Digestives as a classic biscuit option in a 400 g pack.
This selection includes crackers and toast for a crunchy snack base, as well as a classic digestive biscuit for anyone who prefers a snack without a topping. Before you decide, compare the nutritional information and ingredients on the exact pack you’re considering.
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An option for when you’d rather have crispbread than a sweet biscuit mid-morning. The pack contains 265 g; check the ingredients and the portion you plan to eat on the label.
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A cracker option if you want to compare the fibre content of different products. The pack contains 300 g; check the nutritional information per 100 g and use the label to work out the values for your own portion.
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A crunchy base for adding your own topping. The pack contains 125 g; check the label for the ingredients and product name if a product made entirely from wholemeal flour matters to you, and remember to consider your topping too.
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A classic digestive biscuit for anyone looking for a snack without a topping. The pack contains 400 g; compare the nutritional information per biscuit and per 100 g with the portion you plan to eat.
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A toast option if you’d rather put together your own snack with a topping than have a digestive biscuit. The pack contains 100 g; compare both the toast and the topping when choosing, and read the allergen information on both packs.
No. The digestives discussed here are biscuits, while a cracker or Melba toast can be used as a crunchy snack base. First decide whether you want a plain biscuit or a base you can add a topping to, then compare products within that category.
No. A 0% sugar claim doesn’t tell you what a suitable portion size is. Albert Heijn lists 0,3 g of sugars and 14 g of polyols per 100 g for its Digestive 0% suiker, along with a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. Check the other nutritional information and consider your portion too.
Check the product name and ingredients rather than relying on the colour or a word in the product title. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, the term wholegrain on crackers, savoury biscuits and sweet biscuits means that the product is made entirely from wholemeal flour.
Read the ingredients list and any warnings on the current packaging for both the product and the topping. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that the allergens which must be declared in prepacked foods need to be clearly shown on the label. Which allergens are relevant varies from product to product.
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging and seal it securely after opening. Albert Heijn recommends keeping its digestives in a sealed tin; Jumbo advises sealing its classic digestive well and storing it in a dark place.
