McVitie's 'Thins' are more fattening than regular chocolate digestives

McVities ‘Thins’ contain more fat and sugar per 100g than regular chocolate digestives, despite their smaller size.

A report from consumer testers Which? found smaller biscuits are not necessarily healthier. It compared the nutritional values of McVitie’s Nibbles and Thins with standard McVitie’s milk chocolate digestives.

Regular chocolate digestives contain 8.2g of saturated fat per 100g compared to Thins, which have 13.4g of saturated fat per 100g.

Which? also found that eating Nibbles instead of a standard chocolate digestive would mean consuming 77 per cent more saturated fat.

Thins and Nibbles aren’t marketed as healthier than regular digestives, but researchers used the report to comment on the public perception of foods: eating smaller isn’t necessarily better for you.

The Which? testers also emphasised that Nibbles contain about 25 per cent more sugar than the standard biscuit per gram, and only about two thirds as much fibre. That said, they do contain about half as much salt as a digestive.

Meanwhile regular chocolate digestives contain 30.1g of sugar per 100g, while Thins contain 30.4g.

McVitie’s premium products are vastly more expensive than regular chocolate digestives, which retail at £5 per kg. Thins are £9.39 per kg and Nibbles are £12.50 per kg.

Commenting on the findings, Which? said: “McVitie’s makes clear that its biscuits are an indulgent treat, but it’s always worth keeping an eye on how much you eat.

“And, while the price of each pack might look similar, once you compare pack sizes, Thins and Nibbles end up being twice the price of the digestives.”

A spokesperson for McVitie's said: "McVitie’s Digestives Thins and McVitie’s Digestives Nibbles are an indulgent treat, and not designed or marketed as a healthier alternative.

"Our R&D team designed these products in response to consumer demand for options to fit sharing occasions such as evenings at home, providing the choice of a smaller treat size biscuit."

McVitie’s started producing chocolate digestives in 1925, and today more than 71 million packets of their treats are eaten in the UK every year.