Coles Banana Bread Slice | Chewsday Review

There’s nothing quite like a slice of warm banana bread on a cold winter morning, but does this supermarket option rise to the occasion? Let's unpeel the facts to see what’s under that golden crust.

Ingredients

Wheat flour (wheat, thiamin, folic acid), banana (31%), sugar, canola oil, whole eggpowder, baking powder (raising agents (500, 450), wheat starch), egg white powder, raising agent (500), salt, preservative (potassium sorbate), natural flavouring.
At first glance, the ingredients list looks quite similar to a homemade banana bread recipe.
Allergens: wheat, egg, gluten.
May contain: milk, soy, walnut.

Positives

The saturated fat content falls within our guidelines at 1.5g per 100g. This is less than half the saturated fat content of Green’s Banana Bread Loaf Mix (3.3g per 100g). The total fat content of Coles Banana Bread Slice (14.3g per 100g) is above our target, but most of this comes from the canola oil which consists mainly of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
At 260mg per 100g, the sodium content is within our guidelines, although it comes in slightly higher than the Woolworths Banana Bread Slice (250mg per 100g) and the Green’s Banana Bread Loaf Mix (220mg per 100g).

Negatives

At 23g per 100g, the total sugar content is above our guidelines. When considering natural sugars and added sugars, each slice contains approximately 6g of natural sugars and 17g of added sugars. This is less than Woolworths Banana Bread Slice with about 5.5g of natural sugars and 23.5g of added sugars per slice.
The dietary fibre in this slice of banana bread just falls short of our guidelines (2.3g per serving), but is higher than Woolworths Banana Bread Slice (1g per serving).
Cost-wise, this banana bread comes in at over $1 per slice, which is pretty pricey. Home-made banana bread or a pre-made mix like Aldi White Mill Banana Bread Mix are cheaper options.

Marketing

Alternatives

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend Coles Banana Bread Slice as a regular lunchbox or breakfast addition due to the high added sugar content, low dietary fibre and high price tag.
Having said that, I haven’t been able to find another premade banana bread or muffin option that meets our guidelines, so let me know if you spot one! Banana bread freezes really well, so topping up your freezer stash with a double batch is another great option.
If you’re looking for an option with lower added sugars, you could try my Choc-nana Bread or Banana Bread Balls for a fun spin on classic banana bread.

The composition of food products changes regularly. The nutritional values of the products in this Chewsday Review were correct at the time of publishing.