By Belinda Castles
Researcher | Kairangahau
“Oven baked, not fried”. “Source of fibre”. “Keto”. We checked out packaging claims on crackers and found some aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.
We also selected 5 of the best and 5 of the worst crackers available on supermarket shelves based on their health star rating.
If you’re like me, you’ll probably grab a box or 2 of crackers while supermarket shopping. Whether it’s for a snack with cheese or a handful in the school lunchbox, there’s a cracker to suit most tastes.
Cracker packets are splashed with statements that make them seem like a healthy snack. But, in our investigation last year, we found claims about protein levels that were more hype than health.
So, how do cracker claims stack up, and do they help you make a healthy choice? I checked out 6 claims, and here’s what you need to know.
What do the claims on cracker packets mean?
1. Baked not fried
Many options in the cracker’s aisle make this claim.
“Baked, not fried” might sound like a healthier option, but that’s not always the case.
There’s more than one way to pack a snack with fat. You can fry it, or you can add the fat first and then bake it. That means these products can still contain as much fat as fried products!
Arnott’s Shapes Fully Loaded Flame Grilled Chicken crackers claim to be “oven baked not fried”. But the 3rd biggest ingredient is vegetable oil, and these crackers have a whopping 902mg of sodium per 100g. Eating too much sodium (the baddie in salt) can increase your blood pressure – the number 1 cause of stroke for New Zealanders.
It’s a similar story with Arnott’s Shapes Original Chicken Crimpy. Despite their “oven baked, not fried” claims, vegetable oil is the second biggest ingredient, and these crackers are also high in sodium (868mg per 100g).
2. Source of fibre
Arnott’s Snack Right + Fibre Crispy Crackers Sweet Soy Chicken, Arnott’s Vita-Weat 9 Grains and Ryvita Original all claim to be a “source of fibre”. Arnott’s Vita-Weat also claims to be “for digestive well-being”, which is linked to its fibre claim.
To meet a “source of fibre” claim, the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code requires a product to contain at least 2g of dietary fibre per serve. All 3 products meet this fibre criterion, but the ingredients list of each product reads very differently.
Ryvita Original only contains 3 ingredients (wholegrain rye flour – 83%, rye flour – 16% and salt). Arnott’s Vita-Weat 9 Grains is made up of 91% wholegrains and seeds.
But Arnott’s Snack Right + Fibre Crispy Crackers has a longer ingredients list. Vegetable oil is the second biggest ingredient, and sugar and salt are in the top 5. The fibre content comes from vegetable fibre rather than the wholegrain ingredients found in the other products.
3. Source of wholegrain
Arnott’s Vita-Weat 9 Grains claims to be made with 100% wholegrains and Woolworths Multigrain Brown Rice Crackers claims to be a “source of wholegrains”.
But the nutrition expert we spoke to for our cereal’s investigation told us wholegrain claims don’t always mean the same thing.
‘Wholegrain’ refers to the amount of cereal grain retained during processing. To be wholegrain, a product must retain the bran, endosperm and germ of the grain. However, there’s no standardised definition of ‘wholegrains’. The Food Standards Code allows a grain to be considered wholegrain even if all the components are milled into smaller pieces during processing.
The amount of wholegrains and degree of processing can have an impact on a cracker’s fibre content. Arnott’s Vita-Weat 9 Grains contain 86% wholegrain wheat and has 13.6g fibre per 100g. In comparison, Woolworths Multigrain Brown Rice Crackers contain 43% wholegrain brown rice and 3.9g of fibre per 100g.
Read our investigation into fibre and wholegrain claims on cereals to find out:
how much fibre you need
why it’s important
the fibre content of other foods.
4. Keto
Vogel’s Seed & Almond Original Keto Crackers claim to be “keto-friendly”. Penati Nut & Seed Crackers with Parmesan are also stamped with a keto claim.
A keto claim implies a product is low in carbohydrates (both these products also make a low-carb claim). But there’s no official definition for ‘keto’, and nutrient levels may vary between products.
Dr Sally Mackay is the Food Policy Expert Group co-chair of Health Coalition Aotearoa. She told us keto claims are probably not very helpful for consumers because there is no regulation.
“Crackers with a keto claim could be higher in protein and fibre because they contain lots of nuts and seeds. But this means they are often high in energy and fat and may also be high in sodium so are not necessarily a healthier choice.”
That rings true for the Vogel’s and Penati “keto” crackers. Both have a high percentage of nuts and seeds and are more than 50% fat, which makes them energy dense. The Vogel’s crackers have a moderate sodium content (500mg per 100g), but the Penati option is high in sodium (910mg per 100g).
5. Made with vegetables
With vegetables in their products name, Pams Garden Vegetable Crackers, Peckish Rice Crackers with Garden Veg and Griffin’s Meal Mates Mixed Vegie Crackers sound like healthy options.
But check the ingredients list. You might be surprised how little vegetables are in these products.
Griffin’s Meal Mates Mixed Vegie Crackers have more sugar than vegies (4% vegetables).
Pams Garden Vegetable Crackers, 4% vegetables.
Peckish Rice Crackers with Garden Veg, 2.9% vegetables.
The Meal Mates and Pams crackers are also high in sodium.
6. Health star ratings
Many crackers display a health star rating (HSR) on the front of their packaging.
Dr Mackay said the ratings give consumers a quick and easy way to compare similar packaged foods. The ratings range from a ½ star to 5 stars, with the more stars the better per 100g or 100mL of the product.
The rating is calculated using the positive and negative aspects of the product. It doesn’t consider how natural or processed a food is.
Positive attributes:
Dietary fibre
Protein
Fruit, vegetable, nut, legume content.
Negative attributes:
Energy content
Saturated fat
Total sugars
Sodium.
The problem with the HSR system is that it is only voluntary. Only 36% of eligible products in New Zealand currently display an HSR. That’s well below the 70% target set in November 2025 by Australian and New Zealand food ministers.
We are pleased the food ministers have agreed to consider the process to make the HSR system mandatory.
My browse of the cracker aisle shows a relatively high number of crackers display a health star rating compared with other product categories. I found cracker products ranging from 1½ stars to 5 stars – that makes choosing a healthier cracker easier.
5 of the healthiest crackers we found
Ryvita Multigrain Rye Crispbread – 5 health stars
Energy: 1,490kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 0.7g/100g
Dietary fibre: 17.2g/100g
Sodium: 240mg/100g
Arnott’s Vita-Weat 9 Grains – 4.5 health stars
Energy: 1,720kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 1.3g/100g
Dietary fibre: 13.6g/100g
Sodium: 426mg/100g
Real Foods Corn Thins Multigrain – 4.5 health stars
Energy: 1,624kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 0.5g/100g
Dietary fibre: 6.8g/100g
Sodium: 259mg/100g
Huntley & Palmers Wholegrain Crackers 8 Grain – 4.5 health stars
Energy: 1,790kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 1.1g/100g
Dietary fibre: 9.2g/100g
Sodium: 340mg/100g
Woolworths Multigrain Brown Rice Crackers – 4 health stars
Energy: 1,710kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 0.9g/100g
Dietary fibre: 3.9g/100g
Sodium: 118mg/100g
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5 of the least healthy crackers we found
Arnott’s Cheds – 1.5 health stars
Energy: 2,110kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 6.9g/100g
Dietary fibre: 3g/100g
Sodium: 901mg/100g
Arnott’s Shapes Originals Cheddar – 1.5 health stars
Energy: 2,000kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 7g/100g
Dietary fibre: 3.4g/100g
Sodium: 844mg/100g
Griffin’s Snax Original – 1.5 health stars
Energy: 2,120kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 7.3g/100g
Dietary fibre: not stated
Sodium: 485mg/100g
Huntley & Palmers Somerset Crackers Original – 1.5 health stars
Energy: 2,020kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 6.5g/100g
Dietary fibre: not stated
Sodium: 586mg/100g
Pams Original Crackers – 1.5 health stars
Energy: 2,020kJ/100g
Saturated fat: 8.1g/100g
Dietary fibre: not stated
Sodium: 610mg/100g
Don’t forget about the healthiness of your topping
When it comes to nutrition, the cracker may be the least of your worries if you’re loading it with unhealthy toppings. Also consider the size of your cracker.
Butter and cheese can add fat, saturated fat and sodium to your snack.
Most pickles, relishes and chutneys contain sodium and added sugar.
Healthier choices include tomato, cucumber, avocado, hummus and low-fat dairy products, like cottage cheese.
You’ll use a lot more topping to cover a Cruskit than a rice cracker.
Tips on how to choose a healthier cracker
Use the health star rating to make a healthier choice: Stars range from a ½ star to 5 stars. The more stars the better.
Check the sodium content per 100g: Many crackers are high in sodium (600mg per 100g or higher).
Check the fibre content per 100g: Instead of relying on fibre claims, check the dietary fibre content to compare different crackers.
Consider the serving size: Manufacturers can decide their own serving sizes, so sizes will differ between types of crackers and brands. For example, Arnott’s Cruskits say one serving is 11.4g or 2 crackers, while Ritz Original crackers have a serving size of 20g or 6 crackers.
