• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Nutritional info for gingerbread

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.

mike watson

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Actually quite specific gingerbread. There is a well known shop in the Lake District that specialises in gingerbread but will not provide any nutritional info (i.e. carbs per 100g) to a diabetic as that would jeopardise their victorian secret recipe. When pushed they advised any diabetic against consuming their product.
Is this legal? Not making the info available for a food product on sale to the public?

(forgive me if this has been covered before - and please re-direct me!)
Thanks
 
Is it a pre packed item? By law nutrition info only HAS to be provided on pre packed items as far as I'm aware x
 
Well if you look at any decent gingerbread recipes not only do you have the flour and sugar as in any normal commercially made cake, most also have Golden Syrup which contains an EEK!! 😱 amount of carb per teaspoonful - so what they told you is absolutely PC.

No, I wouldn't advise a diabetic - or indeed anyone else - to eat gingerbread either, but especially from that shop - because if commercial 'Jamaica Ginger Cake' is more-ish then you can multiply that by approx. 1,000% for THAT one you're talking about! LOL (cos yes I have had both)

There are 16.3g carb in a 25.8g slice of the McVities one, so I'd assess the dimensions of the slice of the other one in comparison to that and adjust the carb value accordingly - then round that up to the next 5g above. Could be a whole meal's worth of carbs ! - and will be if one small slice ain't enough.
 
Wow, thanks all, that's helpful. To answer..
Kaylz - it's made in shop and wrapped in specific sizes there. So yes it is 'pre-wrapped' but not for onward sale to retail chain (but you can get it on-line). Not sure where that leaves me.
Jenny - I appreciate it will be high but wanted to know how high, per 'biscuit'. The plan was to use it for hypos on the hills. Back to good old mint cake.....
 
Yes they do have to provide the nutritional value of the food on offer.
Have you tried looking on the net for the brand name and nutritional value?

As you are not asking for the ingredients just the carb value then it stands to reason that you wont be able to work out their secrete recipe.
 
No they do not have to by law show carb content if made in their shop and packaged
Products sold loose or in catering businesses
If you run a catering business, you sell food loose or package it for sale in your shop, you only need to show:

  • the name of the food
  • if any of the ingredients have been irradiated, or have come from genetically modified sources
  • certain warnings
  • any food additive you have added
  • allergen information

  • Hope that helps! x
 
No they do not have to by law show carb content if made in their shop and packaged
Products sold loose or in catering businesses
If you run a catering business, you sell food loose or package it for sale in your shop, you only need to show:

  • the name of the food
  • if any of the ingredients have been irradiated, or have come from genetically modified sources
  • certain warnings
  • any food additive you have added
  • allergen information

  • Hope that helps! x
The law was changed a couple of years ago so that if a customer asks for the nutritional value of foods it has to be given.
Even hospitals have to provide the info for meals. If you go into a supermarket and ask the carb content of a jam doughnut or a cream cake that's baked on the premises they have to provide the info. All you do is ask and they look up the details in a huge folder behind the counter.
 
Sounds like Grasmere gingerbread to me. I'm pretty sure that any secret in their recipe is due to exact spice ratios. If none of those are recognised allergens, then they are excused, as explained by Kalyz. If you want to try a piece, I'd suggest having a small one and eat it as part of a meal that is overall low in carbohydrate, after or before a decent length walk.
 
The law was changed a couple of years ago so that if a customer asks for the nutritional value of foods it has to be given.
Even hospitals have to provide the info for meals. If you go into a supermarket and ask the carb content of a jam doughnut or a cream cake that's baked on the premises they have to provide the info. All you do is ask and they look up the details in a huge folder behind the counter.
I've read numerous pages that state the law is only pre packed foods, that family run shops, bakery's etc do not have to include nutrition information, I was also told this by a family run butcher and bakers x
 
I've read numerous pages that state the law is only pre packed foods, that family run shops, bakery's etc do not have to include nutrition information, I was also told this by a family run butcher and bakers x
I think we are talking cross purposes here. They might not have to display on the goods being sold but if a consumer asks for the info it has to be provided.
 
I asked the local baker and butcher if they could tell me by pm on Facebook and they stated they couldn't and as they are small run businesses they don't by law have to be able to x
 
I asked the local baker and butcher if they could tell me by pm on Facebook and they stated they couldn't and as they are small run businesses they don't by law have to be able to x
We will have to agree to differ then because my local baker worked out the carb content for goods I asked for without a problem. If I go into a local eating place I ask for the nutrition on the meals that they provide and without a qualm the content comes back.
 
We will have to agree to differ then because my local baker worked out the carb content for goods I asked for without a problem. If I go into a local eating place I ask for the nutrition on the meals that they provide and without a qualm the content comes back.
You must be very lucky as nowhere local to me offers that kind of information so I'm stuck and never get to eat now haha x
 
You must be very lucky as nowhere local to me offers that kind of information so I'm stuck and never get to eat now haha x
I think you find difficulties when there are none 😉
 
I'm not confident on guessing the amount of carbs so I tend to stick to a safety net x
 
Grasmere gingerbread, yummy. Especially covered with the rum butter that they also sell. Not had that since diagnosis.
 
Just had a slice of grasmere gingerbread. I only buy it when I come here to The Lakes.
It is an absolute favourite for me and I too tried to find out the carbs. No info available as others have said.
I shall have to do it by trial and error, but then I do have 24 slices ( I did say it was a fabourite!!) to check it out on one by one. Just gone for 24 g as a starter based on experience of ginger nuts.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top