Kids' lunch snacks review

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  • Updated:1 Jan 2005
 

04.Snack table

✓ = Products meet all four of our nutrition criteria and are the best picks for a lunchbox.

• Means a product is OK for that particular nutrient; a blank means it contains too much of it to be recommended.

Nutrition 3
Brand / product1 and serving size 2(g) Energy Sat. fat Sugar Sodium
MUESLI / CEREAL BARS AND BITES
MOTHER EARTH Fruit Topped Muesli Bars Apricot (30) ✓ • • • •
UNCLE TOBY'S Bites Muesli Shotz Red Fruits (30) ✓ • • • •
UNCLE TOBY'S Chewy Muesli Bars Apricot (31.25) ✓ • • • •
BLUEBIRD In-cred-i-bites Choc Hazelnut (25) • • •
HOME BRAND Rice Bar Treats (22) • • •
KELLOGG'S LCMs Corn Flakes Honey (22) • • •
KELLOGG'S Muesli Bars Choc Chip (31.25) • • •
DAYDAWN Apricot & Yoghurt Muesli Bars (31.25) • •
GO NATURAL Fruit Delight Snack Pack (28) • •
KELLOGG'S LCMs Cereal & Milk Bars Coco Pops (22), Rice Bubbles (20) • •
KELLOGG'S Muesli Bars Choc Malt (31.25) • •
SANITARIUM Fruity Bix Bars Strawberry (25) • •
UNCLE TOBY'S Yoghurt Topps Muesli Bars Apricot (31.25) • •
WHITE WINGS Space Food Sticks Chocolate (16.7) • •
CAKE / MUFFIN BARS
TOP TASTE Disney Yummy Tummy Muffin Treats (27) • • •
BALFOURS Kids Treats Double Choc Mini Cake Bars (55) • •
KELLOGG'S K-time Muffin Bar Apple (45) • •
MILLS & WARE'S Muffin Bars Apple & Cinnamon (42) • •
TWINKLES Choc Lamington Fingers (21) • •
BISCUITS
ARNOTT'S Shapes Cheese & Bacon, Pizza (25) • • •
ARNOTT'S Shapes Barbecue, Cheddar (25) • •
ARNOTT'S Tiny Teddy Choc Chip, Chocolate (25) • •
BISC & BISCUITS (various toppings) (24.3 26.8) • •
PARADISE Kidz Aussie Animals, Choc Pinkies, Uglies (25) • •
AUNT BETTY'S Wheelies (30) •
CHIPS / POPCORN
COOLPAK Popped Corn (20) ✓ • • • •
HEALTHERIES Kids Care Rice Wheels Cheese (18) ✓ • • • •
NU-VIT Rice Crackers (15) ✓ • • • •
REAL MCCOY Air Popped Corn (13) ✓ • • • •
NU-VIT Honey Corn (15) • • •
REAL MCCOY Burger Man, Sweet Corn Corny's (15) • • •
SMITH'S Crisps Original, Doritos (20) • • •
SMITH'S Twisties (20) • •
Nutrition 3
Brand / product1 and serving size2(g) Energy Sat. fat Sugar Sodium
DIPS / SPREADS WITH CRACKERS
BLUEBIRD Dunkaroos Choc Hazelnut (22.5) • • •
HOME BRAND Cheddar Cheese Dip & Crispbread (25) • • •
KRAFT Snackabouts Cream Cheese with Chicken Biscuits (28) • • •
KRAFT Vegemite Snackabouts (26) • • •
ARNOTT's Salada Dippers, Jatz Dippers Tasty Cheddar (26) • •
ARNOTT's Tiny Teddy Dippers Strawberry (27) • •
BI-LO Snack Packs Cheese (25) • •
FARMLAND Snack Pack Cheddar Cheese (25) • •
FERRERO Nutella Hazelnut Spread (20) • •
KRAFT Peanut Butter Snackabouts (26) • •
KRAFT Snackabouts Cheddar (26) • •
NEW DAY Dippits Cheddar (25) (Aldi) • •
UNCLE TOBY's Le Snak Original (25) • •
ARNOTT's Shapes Big Dippers Tasty Cheddar (55) •
DAIRY DESSERTS / CUSTARDS
COLES FARMLAND Chocolate Dairy Snack (100) ✓ • • • •
DAIRY FARMERS Choc Custard (100) ✓ • • • •
HUNT's Snack Pack Scooby-Doo! Cookies & Scream (99) ✓ • • • •
HUNT's Snack Pack Squeez ën Go Chocolate (64) ✓ • • • •
NESTLE Chocolate Dairy Dessert (100) ✓ • • • •
CHOCOLATE STAMPEDE Dairy Snack (100) (Aldi) • • •
FOSTER CLARKS Snak Pack Chocolate (140) • • •
NESTLE Milo Energy Dairy Snack (150) • • •
PAULS Choc Shock Chocolate Dairy Snack (100) • • •
YOGO Twins Chocolate (150) • • •
YOGHURT
DAIRY FARMERS Yogurt Strawberry (100) ✓ • • • •
NESTLE Real Fruit Yogurt Strawberry (100) ✓ • • • •
NESTLE Xplogo Yogurt Sundae Strawberry (115) ✓ • • • •
PAULS The Wiggles Yoghurt with Real Fruit Strawberry (100) ✓ • • • •
YOPLAIT Go-Gurt Yogurt Tubes Strawberry (70) ✓ • • • •
SKI The Incredible Gulp Slippery Strawberry (200) • • •
YOPLAIT Petit Miam Strawberry (100) • •
FRUIT
COLES FARMLAND Diced Two Fruits in Natural Juice (140) ✓ • • • •
GOLDEN CIRCLE Fruit Bites Fruit Salad in Light Syrup (140) ✓ • • • •
GOULBURN VALLEY Fruit Paradise Two Fruits, Peach, Apple (140) ✓ • • • •
SPC Fruit Salad in Juice (120) ✓ • • • •
SWEET VALLEY Two Fruits in Syrup (120) (Aldi) ✓ • • • •
FRUIT BARS, STRAPS, JELLIES, ETC
GOLDEN CIRCLE Splurtz Apple & Strawberry Fruit Puree (65) ✓ • • • •
JELLY JOY Jelly with Real Peach Slices (200) ✓ • • • •
SPC Fruit Snacks Two Fruits in Strawberry Jelly (120) ✓ • • • •
BELLIS Strawberry School Bars (20) • • •
BI-LO Fruit Bars Strawberry (20) • • •
COLES FARMLAND Strawberry Fruit Bars (20) • • •
GOLDEN DAYS Apricot Bites (40) • • •
GREENS Looney Tunes Fruit Snacks (25) • • •
HEALTHERIES Kids Care Real Fruit Waves Raspberry (14) • • •
HOME BRAND Fruit Bars (20) • • •
IXL Fruit Bars Strawberry (20) (A) • • •
IXL Fruit Snacks Noughts & Crosses Raspberry (15) (A) • • •
NEW DAY Fruit Bars (20) (Aldi) • • •
UNCLE TOBY'S Fruit Roll Ups Rainbow Berry Fruits (15.6) • • •
UNCLE TOBY'S Real Fruit Bars Strawberry (20) • • •
ZING Fruit Drops (24.2) • • •
NU-VIT Fruit & Yoghurt Snacks (40) • •

Table notes

1 Brand / product The products are listed within groups in order of the number of nutrition criteria they meet, then alphabetically (see note 3, below, for the criteria). The products were bought in Sydney supermarkets in July/August 2004. Where they come in a variety of flavours, we state the flavour/variety reviewed.

2 Serving size All the products we bought come in individually packaged, lunchbox-sized servings. We treated each individually packaged product as one serving, even in the occasional case where the label said a serving was only a portion of the pack (such as half a small bottle of drinking yoghurt) or slightly over one pack (a box and a bit of sultanas). We think most parents would behave this way too. The majority of the products are available in multi-packs.

3 Nutrition We compared products per serving and per 100 g to assess whether they met our four criteria:

  • Energy: 600 kJ or less per serving.
  • Saturated fat: 5 g or less per 100 g.
  • Sugar: less than 15 g per 100 g. If some of the sugar comes from real fruit or lactose, less than 25 g per 100 g.
  • Sodium: 200 mg or less per serving.

A dot means a product is OK for that particular nutrient; a blank means it contains too much of it to be recommended.

 

 

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