Vita-Weat Multigrain Crackers | Chewsday Review
This week we go beyond the crunch of these crackers to see what’s inside. Are they a grainy go-to or have we fallen for seed-y marketing?
- Wholegrains (45%) [whole wheat flour, oats], wheat flour, vegetable oil, cornflour, seeds (6%) [linseed, poppy, canola, sunflower kernels], sugar, yeast, salt, emulsifier (soy lecithin).
- Allergens: gluten, soy, wheat.
- May contain: peanuts, sesame, milk, tree nuts, egg.
- These crackers are 45% wholegrains (whole wheat flour and oats), and 6% seeds (a mix of linseed, poppy, canola, sunflower kernels). This means they’ll have more nutrients than other crackers using primarily plain (all-purpose) wheat flour.
- These do contain a little added sugar, but I’m not concerned as it’s a very small amount (3g per 100g).
- Saturated fat content is only 1.6g per 100g, which is well within my recommendations. This tells me that the vegetable oil used is likely something lower in saturated fat, like sunflower or canola, as opposed to a higher saturated fat oil, like palm oil. The range of wholegrains and seeds also add to total fat content and unsaturated fat.
- The fibre content of these crackers comes in just under our target (1.9g per serving), but a serving size is only 20g (less than other brands of crackers). When we compare per 100g, the fibre content of these Vita-Weat Multigrain Crackers (9.6g per 100g) is much higher than Jatz (3.2g per 100g) and compares well against Sakata Wholegrain Rice Crackers (10.1g per 100g). The rectangle-shaped Vita-Weat crispbreads do pack more of a fibre punch, sitting at 13-14g of fibre per 100g.
- At 442mg per 100g, the sodium content of Vita-Weat Multigrain Crackers is just over our target. This is comparable to other multigrain crackers like Sakata Wholegrain Rice Crackers (396mg per 100g) and Arnott’s Vita Weat 9 Grain Crispbreads (426mg per 100g).
- Despite the company confirming no recent reformulations, the texture of these crackers is a little firmer and less crumbly than I remember, making them more suitable for kids with mature biting and chewing skills.
- “Wholegrain goodness.” Yes, these do contain a variety of grains and seeds.
- “Plant-based.” Yep, this is correct but really it would be hard to find a meat-based cracker.
- “4 star health rating.” This tells us that they compare fairly well to other crackers.
- Vita-Weat Multigrain Crackers are a reasonable addition to your cracker rotation. They contain a decent amount of fibre, are a softer texture than rice crackers, and the grains and seeds are great to mix things up from plain crackers. The sodium content, although slightly above guidelines, is comparable to other grainy crackers.
- For a lower salt option, plain rice cakes or corn thins tend to be the lowest.
- Offering a variety of crackers is more important than choosing the same single ‘best’ option every time. If you’re feeling stuck, Baby, Toddler and Family Mealtimes members have access to my complete guide to choosing crackers, as well as over 15 other product categories.
The composition of food products changes regularly. The nutritional values of the products in this Chewsday Review were correct at the time of publishing.
