Kids' snacks without E numbers: 47 healthy ideas

The safer grocery list

Despite this daunting list, it is possible to find foods you can feel better about. A few rules to follow:

1. Pick plain varieties over flavoured, whether you're buying crisps, yogurts, crackers and so on
2. Pick foods that aren't 'long life': look for short sell-by dates
3. Go 'upscale': cheaper foods tend to pack in more additives than gourmet versions
4. Look at organic varieties: these products tend to be geared towards a pickier buyer looking for purer foods
5. Don't depend on 'kid' varieties: these foods tend to have more added colourings, flavourings and texturisers to make them more appealing to children
6. Don't take 'Free from' labelling as an absolute sign it's a pure product. If it's free from artificial colours and preservatives, it may still have emulsifiers, stabilisers or acidity regulators
7. Always read all the ingredients. Look for E-numbers, or complex-sounding ingredients that aren't things you could find on your kitchen cabinets

49 additive-free snacks and foods

The items below are commonly found to contain no additives. However, some brands or varieties may have one additive or more, while others have none. Even dried fruits can contain humectants to keep them moist. Always read the label. [Most products listed can be found from good supermarkets or healthfood shops [?] ]

Fruit snacks

• Fresh fruit
• Raisins and sultanas
• Dried figs, mangos, dates

Vegetable snacks

• Fresh baby carrot sticks
• Fresh pea pods
• Fresh baby corn
• Canned baby corn in water
• Canned corn kernels, carrots, peas, or beans in water (no added sugar or salt)
• Green olives

Sweet snacks

• Some yogurt drinks
• Some yogurts, such as Total Greek yogurt
• Sainsbury's All Butter Shortbread Fingers
• Some biscuit varieties from Duchy Originals

Savoury snacks

• Plain corn tortilla chips
• Plain potato crisps (including kettle crisps)
• Plain frozen roast oven potatoes
• Plain nuts (not dry-roasted or honey-roasted)
• Cauldron Foods Organic Tofu Pieces
• Plain hoummous
• Mozzarella cheese
• Doritos salsas
• Carr's Table Water biscuits
• Kallo Primo D'Oro Thin Breadsticks
• Sainsbury's Italian Sesame Seed Grissini Breadsticks
• Nairns wholemeal crackers
• Plain matzo crackers
• Plain pretzels (unsalted or lightly salted)
• Whole Earth original peanut butter
• Duerr's peanut butter, smooth and crunchy varieties, available in some stores and online at www.duerrs.co.uk

Breakfast foods

• Jordans Country Crisp Luxury Raisins cereal
• Jordans Special Muesli cereal
• Ready Brek (plain)
• Jordans Porridge Oats
• Other brands of plain Scottish porridge oats
• Weetabix (plain)
• Kellogg's Rice Krispies
• Plain puffed wheat cereal
• Grape-nuts
• Quaker Oat Krunchies
• McVities McV a:m fruit & nut muesli fingers
• Jordan's Crunchy Honey & Almond bars
• Some Quaker bars
• Oxfam Fair Trade cocoa
• Duchy Originals and Wilkin & Sons Ltd. Jams

Other foods

• John West, Brunswick, and Princes brands canned sardines and other canned fish packed in vegetable oil or spring water (beware 'ready-to-go' preseasoned varieties)
• Plain ramen noodle packages with separate flavour packet (prepare without packet)
• Plain pitta bread