‘Very tasty’ crackers
With a bright pink label that shouts ‘‘NEW Try Me!’’, Sunbites Snack Crackers with Quinoa were too hard to resist. The upcoming festive season increases our likelihood of pre-dinner/social snacking, so it’s timely to check out the nutrition of snack choices. How do these crackers stack up?
There was unanimous agreement by my crew of product testers that Sunbites Snack Crackers with Quinoa (Cheddar & Chives) are very tasty. I really liked the flavour and the delicious crispiness of this product which, to me, was similar to Grainwaves chips.
The package claims these snack crackers are ‘‘high in wholegrain’’ and have ‘‘no artificial flavours’’. A check of the ingredient list shows they are indeed high in wholegrain cereals – 70 per cent, which is made up of corn, wheat and oats. An unspecified vegetable oil is next on the ingredient list, followed by 3 per cent quinoa. Other ingredients include sugar, whey powder, rice, followed by a multitude of flavouring ingredients (cheese powder, salt, natural flavours, maltodextrin, onion powder, yeast extract, parsley) and natural colour from paprika extract.
A great feature of the layout of the ingredient list was that allergens were highlighted in bold text, clearly communicating their presence for those who need to avoid them.
The nutrition information panel reveals these crispy snacks are fairly high in fat at 22.5g per 100g. Most of the fat is from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources, which is positive. There is a low sugar content of
5.3 per cent, however, a savoury snack would ideally have an even lower sugar content than this.
The truth of the ‘‘high in wholegrain’’ claim can be seen in the fibre content of
7 per cent. This might not sound high but is more than most wholegrain breads, and meets the dietitians’ recommendation of more than six grams of fibre per 100g.
Sodium is lower than I expected, particularly for a tasty, cheese-flavoured cracker, at 305 milligrams per 100g.
In summary, I really enjoyed the flavour and crispiness of Sunbites Snack Crackers with Quinoa. The fat content is fairly high; however, if you are looking for something to dip, these high fibre, lowish salt crackers are a much better choice than potato chips. At around $3.50 for a
120g pack they are also reasonably priced and definitely worth a try.
*Dips can significantly add to our fat intake. Choose vegetable or legumebased dips, such as hummus, instead of high fat creamy ones. Nut-based dips, including pesto, are surprisingly high in energy and should be enjoyed in small portions.