Why is all butter cookies with stem ginger and oats classified as ultra‑processed (NOVA 4) and what specific additives does it contain?

The product undergoes multiple processing steps such as baking, addition of refined sugars, butter and raising agents, and includes several food additives: E450 (diphosphates), E500ii (sodium bicarbonate), E503 (ammonium carbonates) and an additional raising agent blend, which together meet the criteria for the ultra‑processed NOVA 4 category.

How does the sugar and salt content of these cookies affect a diabetic or hypertensive diet?

With 31.8 g of sugar per 100 g, the cookies can cause rapid blood‑glucose spikes, making them unsuitable for most diabetic meal plans, while the salt content of 0.58 g is modest and below the average for sweet snacks, so it is less likely to aggravate hypertension but still contributes to daily sodium intake.

Based on the ingredient list, is this product suitable for vegan, keto, halal, or gluten‑free diets?

The cookies are not vegan because they contain butter and dried skimmed milk, they are not gluten‑free due to wheat flour, they are not keto‑friendly because of high carbohydrate and sugar levels, and although they contain no pork, they lack halal certification, so their suitability for halal consumers cannot be confirmed.

Marks & Spencers • 200g

all butter cookies with stem ginger and oats

Sugary Snacks

Product Insights

All butter cookies with stem ginger and oats are a sweet snack made by M&S, consisting of butter, oat flakes, crystallised ginger, sugar and skimmed milk. At 100 g the cookies deliver 480 kcal, 20.8 g fat (13.7 g saturated), 31.8 g sugars and 6.1 g protein, giving them a Nutri‑Score of E and placing them in the ultra‑processed NOVA 4 group, with high sugar and saturated fat but modest salt and a modest fiber contribution. They belong to the sugary snacks and biscuits‑and‑cakes families, and while they provide some fiber and protein, they are not suitable for low‑sugar, low‑fat or gluten‑free diets.

Nutrient Levels

Traffic light indicators

Fat

high

Saturated Fat

high

Sugars

high

Salt

moderate

Nutritional Values

Values per 100 g

Energy Kcal480 kcal

Fat20.8 g

Saturated Fat13.7 g

Carbohydrates63.6 g

Sugars31.8 g

Comparative Analysis

Compared with the average sweet snack, this cookie contains more sugar (31.8 g vs 28.98 g) and fat (20.8 g vs 17.65 g) per 100 g, while its salt level is well below the category average.

Ingredients

Wheatflour contains Gluten (with Wheatflour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, nut Niacin, Thiamin) · Salted Butter (24%) (Butter (Milk) · Salt) · Crystallised Stem Ginger (18%) (Stem Ginger · Sugar) · Sugar · Oat Flakes (12%) · Golden Syrup (Invert Sugar Syrup) · Ground Ginger · Raising Agent: E503, Sodium Bicarbonate, E450 · Dried Skimmed Milk.

84%

35%

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