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Olina’s Seeded Snackers Roasted Beetroot | Chewsday Review

Another day, another savoury snack! This week’s Chewsday Review features Olina’s Seeded Snackers Roasted Beetroot. So, let’s see(d) how these compare to the rest…

Ingredients

Seeds (81%) [White Sesame Seeds, Linseeds, Sunflower Kernels, Pumpkin Seed Kernels], Beetroot Seasoning (7.5%) [Vegetable Powders (Beetroot, Garlic, Onion), Paprika Powder, Sugar, Salt, Natural Flavours, Yeast Extract, Food Acids (270, 327, 330)], High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Psyllium Husk.
It’s good to see that ‘Seeded Snackers’ are actually made from mostly seeds. But the box spells ‘kernels’ and the website spells ‘kernals’ – I’m not sure who spells kernels with an ‘a!’
Food acids (270, 327, 330) are added to foods to help increase shelf life, meaning these crackers will stay fresh and keep their crunch for longer.
Allergens: Sesame

Positives

These crackers are a great source of fibre, providing 5.1g per serve. This accounts for almost 30% of a school aged child’s daily fibre requirements. This is a lot higher than something like rice crackers, which contain less than 1g of fibre per serve.
This product is low in sugar (4.2g per 100g), which I’d expect for a savoury cracker.
It’s gluten free, making it a great option if anyone in your family has a wheat or gluten allergy or intolerance.

Negatives

These crackers are unsurprisingly high in sodium as they have added salt, with 540mg per 100g. This is less than other flavoured crackers, such as Arnotts Cheddar Cheese Shapes (764mg per 100g) but on par with many potato chips.
This product has 25.2g of fat per 100g – more than double healthy guidelines (10g per 100g). They’re also slightly over saturated fat recommendations (we’re aiming for less than 3g per 100g) with 3.4g per 100g. Seeds are naturally high in fat but they’re also part of our core food groups, so I’m not too worried about total fat being high.
At $36 per kg, they’re more than double the price compared to most savoury crackers, such as Arnott’s Jatz Crackers ($16 per kg), and Real Foods Corn Thins Multigrain ($12 per kg).

Marketing

“No artificial colours or flavours.” True.
“Gluten free.” This is important if you or your child has a wheat or gluten allergy or intolerance, but it doesn’t make it a better option for anyone else.
‘Oven baked in small batches.’ This tells me nothing useful, but is obviously meant to convince me that it’s a healthy option (which isn’t guaranteed just by baking it in an oven). Also, if they baked these in larger batches, could they make them cheaper?
‘5 star health rating.’ The health star rating system is a good, quick comparison of similar foods, but it’s not perfect. This higher star rating will be due to the main ingredients being seeds and the low sugar and high fibre – but what about the high salt? (Lots of rhetorical questions I don’t expect any answers to today).

Alternatives

I mean these are a delicious way to eat seeds. They’re higher in protein than most crackers so can make up a more filling snack.
If your family enjoys these crackers- great. They contain a decent amount of fibre, but just be aware they’re higher in salt and more expensive than regular savoury crackers.
If you want a cheaper everyday savoury snack for your kiddo, I recommend rice/corn cakes such as the Real Foods Corn Thins. For older kids (4yrs+) popcorn is also a great option.