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Britannia Good Day Chunkie contains butter, cocoa solids, cocoa butter, milk solids. It also contains Edible hydrogenated Vegetable Fat, which is a source of trans fatty acids or “transfats”, which are harmful to health. Transfats increase the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, cancer and many other ailments.
The sugar content is 32.5 gm per 100 gm pack of the product. This is high and high sugar consumption is not recommended for kids and adults as it may cause the onset of childhood diabetes and obesity leading to lifestyle diseases later in life.
Salt is mentioned in the food label but the exact quantity is missing which makes us wonder if the manufacturers are trying to hide it from the consumers. High salt consumption is harmful for the health of individuals, the WHO recommended amount for salt consumption is 1-3 gm per day.
The foodnetindia rating for this product :-
foodnetindia safety rating: 3 (On a scale of 1 to 10 from very unsafe to very safe)
In India, biscuits are consumed almost daily as snacks and in large quantities and so this makes it a cause of worry as it has high sugar and contains edible hydrogenated vegetable fat.
In addition, the product uses Hydrogenated Vegetable Fat from an unspecified oil and uses artificial flavouring substances.
Partially Hydrogenated and Hydrogenated fats are a source of trans fatty acids or “transfats”, which are harmful to health. Transfats increase the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, cancer and many other ailments. Transfats have been shown to consistently be associated, in an intake-dependent way, with risk of coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death. They may also be responsible for alzheimer’s disease, cancer, liver disease and many more ailments.
foodnetindia wholesomeness rating: 3 (On a scale of 1 to 10 from very unbalanced nutrition profile to excellent nutrition profile)
The product appears wholesome as it has cocoa butter and milk solids, but the bulk of it is starch, sugar and edible Hydrogenated vegetable fat.
We do not recommend the consumption of products containing hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.
Ingredients in Britannia Good Day Chunkies which are a concern:
Sugar
Edible Hydrogenated Vegetable Fat
Common salt
Dextrose Anhydrous
Invert Syrup
Glucose Syrup
Artificial flavoring substances – Chocolate and Vanilla
Sugar
In 100 gm serving size of the Britannia Good Day Chunkies there is 32.5 gm of sugar. 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.
Sugar is a carbohydrate found naturally in a host of different foods from lactose in milk to the fructose in fruit and honey. In fact, we need some sugar in our diets to supply ready energy to fuel our muscles and keep our brains active. The problem is that many processed foods have added sugar which supplies energy in the form of calories – and very little else. This means our body has to draw on the nutrients from the rest of our diet to process it and this can affect our health, including our immunity – leaving us more prone to bugs and colds. A high intake of sugar causes our blood sugar levels to shoot up, giving us that feel-good ‘high’ followed by a crashing slump which leaves us tired, irritable and craving more sugary foods. It’s a vicious cycle that may be contributing to our weight problems as well as health concerns like diabetes and heart disease.
Edible Hydrogenated Vegetable Fat
Partially Hydrogenated and Hydrogenated fats are a source of trans fatty acids or “transfats”, which are harmful to health. Transfats increase the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, cancer and many other ailments.
Transfats are toxic and some cities like New York have banned them from use in restaurants.
Transfats have been shown to consistently be associated, in an intake-dependent way, with risk of coronary heart disease, the leading cause of death. They may also be responsible for alzheimer’s disease, cancer, liver disease and many more ailments.
Hydrogenated fat is widely used. We see it listed in the ingredients of margarine, biscuits, cakes, frozen meals, fried foods, sweets, crisps, fish fingers and many dairy products. It’s popular with food manufacturers because it gives food structure and does not feel or taste oily.
Common Salt
High sodium diets have been known to be the cause of high blood pressure, heart disease, etc. The recommended daily intake of salt is between 1-3 grams.
Dextrose Anhydrous
Dextrose anhydrous is a natural sugar. This glucose is used as a sweetener for chocolate powder drink, a texturizer, a bulking agent and an energy source.
Diabetics need to watch their carbohydrate intake, paying particular attention to simple sugars like dextrose, because if they don’t keep their carbohydrate consumption relatively consistent it can cause their blood sugar levels to spike and increase their risk for diabetes side effects. A 2005 article published in Diabetes Care noted that hospitals should take care not to use dextrose-based solutions in the IVs of people with diabetes if there’s an alternative, as these solutions can cause difficulty in controlling the diabetics’ blood sugar levels.
Glucose Syrup
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.
Invert Syrup
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.
Artificial flavoring substances – Chocolate and and vanilla
This product does not specify the chemical names of the flavours used and does not mention the quantity used either. While we understand that the legal labelling requirements allow this practice, we find it irresponsible that brands do not self disclose.
Some people are allergic to some of these chemicals and others may want to avoid them. Consumers have a right to know and decide.
Other ingredients that are in the product but not a major source of concern in our opinion are:
- Refined Wheat Flour
- Cocoa solids
- Cocoa Butter
- Butter
- Milk solids
- Emulsifier 322, IN 471 (Mono- and di glycerides of fatty acids), 450(i)
- Added Natural Flavour- Vanillin
- Raising agents- IN 503(ii) (Ammonium hydrogen carbonate), IN 500(ii) (Sodium hydrogen carbonate)
- Oats Powder
- Calcium salt
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 products 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’