"Atta biscuits", "multigrain" and "wholesome" can all appear on a pack whose first ingredient is refined wheat flour. The ingredient list on the back is the part that is regulated, so it is the part worth reading. Here is how we read it, and what ours says.
1. Ingredients are listed heaviest first
Packaged food in India lists its ingredients in descending order of weight. So the first three ingredients tell you what the biscuit is mostly made of. That is the quickest check there is.
2. "Wheat flour" is not "whole wheat atta"
Maida is refined wheat flour. On a label it often appears as "refined wheat flour", "wheat flour" or "maida". Look instead for "whole wheat flour" or "atta", the word whole, and ideally a percentage next to it.
3. Look at which fat is named
"Desi ghee" and "butter" name the fat. "Edible vegetable oil", "palm oil" or "hydrogenated vegetable fat" tell you much less about what you are eating. We use desi ghee only, and no palm oil.
4. Look at where the sugar sits, and the number
Sugar high in the list means a lot of it. Then check the nutrition table, comparing per 100g so two packs can be compared fairly. These are cookies, not health food: our Original has sugar as its second ingredient and 26g of added sugar per 100g.
5. Check what comes after the first few ingredients
Flavours, colours, emulsifiers and stabilisers usually sit lower down, often with INS numbers. A short list with few of them is easier to understand. Among additives, ours has only a raising agent (INS 503(ii)). The rest is food: atta, ghee, milk powder, sugar or maltitol, glucose, salt, and the cardamom, saffron or ajwain named in each recipe.
What is in each Munchingo flavour
| Flavour | First three ingredients | Added sugar per 100g |
|---|---|---|
| Original | Whole wheat atta (49.5%), sugar, desi cow ghee | 26g |
| Kesari | Whole wheat atta (49.6%), sugar, desi cow ghee | 26g |
| Ajwain | Whole wheat atta (49.9%), desi cow ghee, sugar | 19g |
| Sugar-Lite | Whole wheat atta (53.1%), desi cow ghee, sweetener (maltitol, INS 965(i)) | 0g |
Every flavour also contains milk solids (milk powder), so all four contain milk and wheat (gluten). They are made in a facility that also processes tree nuts and other spices. Full ingredient lists and nutrition panels are on each product page.
Don't take our word for it
Turn any biscuit pack over, including ours, and read the first three ingredients. If you like what you see, our range is here, and our gift sets start at ₹739.