Summary feedback
Creme biscuits like Cadbury’s Oreo should be eaten only in very small quantities and infrequently. High sugar products are addictive.
Oreo has a high amount of sugar at 38.2 gm per 100 gm pack. High sugar consumption by kids can cause obesity and make them susceptible to lifestyle diseases.
The product has a sodium content of 498 mg or 1.25 gm salt per 100 grams. This is high as the WHO recommended salt intake per day is 1-3 gm. High salt consumption may cause hypertension and can be harmful for those with kidney disease.
The product contains palmolein as one of the ingredients. Palmolein is generally a safe oil as unlike most other vegetable oils, palmolein is primarily saturated fat. It does not have too much PUFA, which can get oxidized under heat and is often rendered toxic.
However, the safety authority delivered a scientific report that current levels of glycerol-based process contaminants found in palm oil are a “potential health concern.” Animal studies have identified these contaminants, which are formed when vegetable oils are heated to high temperatures and then refined, as both genotoxic (damaging to DNA) and carcinogenic (causing cancer). Of all vegetable oils, palm oil was found to have the highest levels of these contaminants. At high levels of exposure, these contaminants are a health hazard for all age groups, the authority concluded, expressing particular concern for infants, toddlers and children under the age of 10.
The foodnetindia rating for this product :-
foodnetindia safety rating: 3 (On a scale of 1 to 10 from very unsafe to very safe)
This is a high sugar product and people tend to eat it in large amounts.
High sugar consumption is unsafe for diabetics and people struggling with obesity. Even healthy people must limit sugar consumption from all sources to under 25 grams per day. This is easily exceeded by 100 grams of Oreo.
Often brands tend to obscure the fact that they have used hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils by using the term “edible vegetable fat”. 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.
foodnetindia wholesomeness rating: 4 (On a scale of 1 to 10 from very unbalanced nutrition profile to excellent nutrition profile)
Like many biscuits available in India, Cadbury’s Oreo biscuits too does not specify the exact source of the edible vegetable fat used in its preparation. This is not expected from an international brand like Cadbury’s, as consumers have the right to know what they are eating.
Ingredients of concern in Cadbury’s Oreo Strawberry Creme Biscuits
- Edible Vegetable Fat
- Sugar
- Invert Syrup
- Salt
Edible vegetable Fat
Often brands tend to obscure the fact that they have used hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils by using the term “edible vegetable fat”. 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.
This food product does not specify which edible vegetable fat has been used. We believe that it is not responsible behaviour for a brand to avoid clearly stating what ingredients have been used.
A vegetable oil is a triglyceride extracted from a plant. Such oils have been part of human culture for millennia. The term “vegetable oil” can be narrowly defined as referring only to plant oils that are liquid at room temperature, or broadly defined without regard to a substance’s state of matter at a given temperature. For this reason, vegetable oils that are solid at room temperature are sometimes called vegetable fats.
Sugar
Cadbury’s Oreo Biscuits contain 38.2 gm sugar per 100 gm serving of it, 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.
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.
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.
Other ingredients that are in the product but not a major source of concern in our opinion are:
- Cocoa solids-2.3%
- Refined wheat flour
- Palmolein
- Leavening agent IN 500(ii) (sodium bicarbonate), IN 503(ii) (ammonium bicarbonate)
- Emulsifier IN 322 (lecithins)
- Added flavour-Nature identical flavour
- Permitted Synthetic Food colour-IN 122
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.
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