Summary feedback
Tiger Biscuits was first launched in 1997 by Britannia Industries in India. It was hugely successful and became the company’s largest brand among its entire portfolio of products in the first year itself.
These biscuits are not suitable as a meal replacement and can be a snack at best. The product is very rich in simple carbohydrates and sugars 17.52 of carbohydrates in just 24 gm serving of the biscuit of which 6 gm is sugar. For this reason, we do not consider this product to be a safe snack for people who suffer from lifestyle diseases like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol imbalances and non alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The foodnetindia rating for this product :-
foodnetindia safety rating: 5 – (On a scale of 1 to 10 from very unsafe to very safe)
This product is eaten in large quantities and regularly as a snack by adults and children alike. Very often, it is eaten as a meal replacement by people on the move. A high simple carb and high sugar product like this is not safe when consumed in this fashion and may cause lifestyle diseases in adults. Even children must sparingly eat such starchy and sugary products.
One of the product ingredients is edible vegetable oil, it is not specified by the manufacturer which oil is used.
foodnetindia wholesomeness rating: 3 – (On a scale of 1 to 10 from very unbalanced nutrition profile to excellent nutrition profile)
Britannia industries has been stating that the biscuits are nutritious by talking about the added supplements and milk. However, the product label shows only a negligible 0.14% milk. The product is a sugary starchy product with no macro nutrient balance or natural micronutrient diversity. This is not a wholesome product unless it is consumed in small quantities as a small part of an otherwise diverse and wholesome diet.
Ingredients of concern in Britannia Tiger Biscuits
- Edible vegetable oil
- Sugar
- Invert Syrup
- Liquid glucose
- Edible Common salt
- Milk & vanilla (flavouring substances)
Edible Vegetable Oils
This food product does not specify which edible vegetable oil has been used. We believe that it is not responsible behaviour for a brand to avoid clearly stating what ingredients have been used.
Certain vegetable oils contain very large amounts of biologically active fats called Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which could be harmful in excess. Excess polyunsaturated fats may react with oxygen and oxidised Omega-6 fats can damage body functions and perhaps even vital structures like DNA. In addition, consumers need clear information about the type of vegetable oil used, so that they can take action to maintain a healthy balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acid consumption.
Sugar
Britannia Tiger biscuits contains 6 gm per 24 gm of the product, and this food product does not specify which sugar has been used. This is important because different sugars have different metabolic effects. For example, Sucrose (Cane Sugar) is very different from Fructose (Fruit Sugar). Some foods use high fructose corn syrup which may be harmful in much lower quantities than sucrose. We believe that it is not responsible behaviour for a brand to not clearly state what ingredients have been used.
Invert Sugar
Inverted or invert sugar syrup is a mixture of glucose and fructose. It is used in several products such as honey, jam, golden syrup, etc. It is similar to high fructose corn syrup. High Fructose Corn Syrup is increasingly being seen as a reason for the high incidence of metabolic diseases. It has negative metabolic effects at much smaller doses than sucrose.
Liquid Glucose
Glucose syrup, also known as confectioner’s glucose, is a syrup made from the hydrolisis of starch. Glucose is a sugar. Excessive sugar consumption is linked to a wide variety of metabolic diseases.
Milk & vanilla (flavouring substances)
This food product does not specify which flavours or flavouring substances have been used. The flavours should be specified as some of them have serious side effects and may not be suitable for infants, pregnant women or people who are allergic. We believe that it is not responsible behaviour for a brand to avoid clearly stating what ingredients have been used.
By not specifying what these flavours and substances are, we are forced to consider what they are hiding and why would they be so reluctant to mention what they have used in the food product! By this behaviour, these manufacturers expose people to possible allergens or toxins that could be avoided if consumers knew what they were.
Gluten
A significant proportion of the population is gluten intolerant, either because they suffer from Celiac disease (1% of the population) or gluten sensitivity, which is quite common. Many people who suffer from gluten intolerance may be asymptomatic and may be unaware that they suffer from systemic and chronic inflammation due to their gluten intolerance.
Gluten intolerance has also been linked to autoimmune diseases, cancers, intestinal inflammation, degeneration of the intestinal lining and has even been linked to several mental illnesses (either as a cause or exacerbating factor) the most serious being cerebellar ataxia, a serious disease of the brain that involves an inability to coordinate balance, movements, problems talking, etc. Persons diagnosed with schizophrenia, autism, Alzheimer’s, etc., have been known to respond well to a gluten free diet.
Other ingredients that are in the product but not a major source of concern in our opinion are:
- Refined wheat flour
- Milk solids
- Ferrous salts, vitamins
- IN 500(ii) (sodium bicarbonate)
- IN 322 (lecithins)
- IN 471 (mono and di glycerides of fatty acids)
- IN 481(i) (sodium stearoyl lactylate)
- IN 503(ii) (ammonium bicarbonate)
Disclaimer – The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information. foodnetindia encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.
The ingredients list of the product may have changed since this page was published. Consumers are encouraged to read warnings, labels, ingredient lists, etc.
Replies, if any, from the brand, will be published here ‘As is’