Arnott’s Sao Cracker | Chewsday Review
Sao crackers are a real classic and can be found in many pantries across Australia. But how do they compare to other crackers? Are they worthy of a place in your pantry?
- Wheat Flour, Vegetable Oil (Antioxidant (E307b From Soy)), Salt, Yeast, Malt Extract (From Barley), Sugar, Baking Powder, Emulsifier (Soy Lecithin).
- Allergens: Wheat, gluten and soy.
- Sugar is on the ingredients list, but it’s only a teeny tiny amount (1.8g per 100g) and is well within recommendations.
- Hmm… what else…? Sao bickies are beautifully light brown for toddlers in their beige stage.
- These are saltier than I would like and are above recommendations with 717mg of sodium per 100g. One serve (3 biscuits) contains about 20% of a toddlers daily maximum sodium intake. This isn’t necessarily a problem but keep in mind that classic Sao toppings are also salty; like butter, Vegemite and cheese.
- The saturated fat content is high at 8.3g per 100g and is more than other savoury crackers, like Salada, Jatz and Cruskits.
- These are low in fibre with only 1g per serve or 3.8g per 100g. The wheat flour isn’t a wholemeal or wholegrain flour. This is similar to Salada and Cruskits, but if you’re looking for a higher fibre option, the round Vita-Weat crackers contain more than double the fibre with 8.5g per 100g.
- “1.5 health star rating.” This is a pretty low rating, but I’m not totally surprised given I struggled to find positive points myself.
- “A savoury biscuit staple in Aussie households since 1906.” They’re using nostalgia to sell here.
- For a savoury cracker these are higher in salt and saturated fat, and lower in fibre than most crackers I would usually recommend.
- If your family are partial to a Sao cracker, you could try offering them with a higher fibre topping, like hummus, or adding some tomato with your cheese slice or avocado with your Vegemite.
- For a lower salt and higher fibre option, try choosing the round Vita-Weat crackers or look for other wholegrain options, like rice cakes or crackers, corn thins.
- If you’re not sure where to start with crackers, each of my memberships include tips for choosing crackers and crispbreads, including tips on texture for babies and young toddlers.
The composition of food products changes regularly. The nutritional values of the products in this Chewsday Review were correct at the time of publishing.
