Soreen has been a popular snack since its invention in 1938. Although advertised as being “full of energy”, we know that this doesn’t necessarily mean it is healthy. As a result, we researched whether Soreen malt loaf is bad or good for you. See what we discovered below.
Soreen Malt Loaf Ingredients
Soreen is a malted loaf made from fortified wheat flour, sugar syrup, and malted barley. To get that malt taste, they use both Barley Malt Extract and Malted Barley Flour. The other ingredients include dried fruits, sugars, and colouring.
All types of Soreen are preserved using Calcium Propionate. This substance occurs naturally in butter and cheese and is used to prevent mould or bacterial growth.
Minerals and vitamins contained in Soreen Malt Loaf’s fortified wheat flour include:
- Iron – used for making new red blood cells, RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) is 14.8 mg a day for women and 8.7 mg a day for men
- Niacin – Vitamin B3 is used to protect the skin and the nervous system
- Thiamine – Vitamin B1 is used to protect central nervous system and to turn food into energy
- Calcium Carbonate – a form of calcium which is essential for healthy bones, muscles and heart
Soreen also contains rice starch, yeast, salt and vegetable fats from rapeseed and palm oil.
Soreen is 14% raisins, and raisins are an excellent source of fibre, but they do have a 60% sugar content.
There are different kinds of Soreen Malt Loaf, and each kind has slightly different ingredients.
The Banana Loaf Bar Ingredients
The Banana Loaf Bar has sweetened banana flavoured pieces added (12%) and Banana Purée (9%). Just like Soreen Original, it contains rapeseed and palm oil but it also has an addition of Dextrose (corn-derived sugar), Chicory Root Fibre and Flavourings (not disclosed).
The Apple Lunchbox Loaves Ingredients
The Apple Lunchbox Loaves contain Sweetened Apple Flavoured pieces (10%) and apple puree in place of banana puree. Just like the original Soreen, these loaves contain Malted Barley Flour (2%), maize starch and vegetable fats (palm and rapeseed oil).
Fruit & Veg-Mmms Ingredients
Soreen Fruit & Veg-Mmms (Orange & Rainbow Carrot Bakes) contain orange and carrot flavoured pieces, Orange & Carrots Juice Blend (7%), and natural flavours. They also contain Maize starch, Chicory root fibre, vegetable oils (Rapeseed and palm), Barley Malt Flour (1.5%), Pumpkin Powder (1%) and the usual salts, yeasts, and sugars.
Soreen flavour | INGREDIENTS |
Original | Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)), Water, Raisins (14%), Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup (Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup, Colouring: E150c), Maize Starch, Malted Barley Flour (5%), Barley Malt Extract (4.4%), Fat (Rapeseed, Palm), Rice Starch, Salt, Yeast, Preservative: Calcium Propionate. |
Banana Loaf Bar | Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)), Water, Sweetened Banana Flavoured Pieces (12%) (Fructose-glucose Syrup, Concentrated Pear Purée, Concentrated Banana Purée, Humectant: Glycerol, Sugar, Wheat Fibre, Palm Fat, Gelling Agent: Pectin, Malic Acid, Natural Flavouring, Concentrated Lemon Juice), Banana Purée (9%), Sugar, Vegetable Fat (Rapeseed, Palm), Dextrose, Chicory Root Fibre, Salt, Yeast, Flavourings, Preservative: Calcium Propionate, Colour: Lutein. |
Apple Lunchbox Loaves | Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)), Water, Sugar, Sweetened Apple Flavoured Pieces (10%) (Glucose Fructose Syrup, Concentrated Apple Puree, Humectant: Glycerol, Sugar, Wheat Fibre, Palm Fat, Gelling Agent: Pectin, Acidity Regulator: Citric Acid, Flavouring, Antioxidant: Ascorbic Acid), Maize Starch, Apple Puree (5%), Malted Barley Flour (2%), Vegetable Fat (Rapeseed, Palm), Salt, Natural Flavouring, Yeast, Preservative: Calcium Propionate. |
Soreen Fruit & Veg-Mmms – Orange & Rainbow Carrot Bakes | Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin (B3), Thiamin (B1)), Water, Orange & Carrot Flavoured Pieces (8%) (Concentrated: Apple Purée (63%), Apple Juice (48%) Pear Puree (21%), Carrot Juice (11%), Orange Juice (11%), Wheat Fibre, Gelling Agent: Pectin, Carrot Flavouring, Natural Orange Flavouring with other Natural Flavourings), Orange & Carrots Juice Blend (7%) (Concentrated: Carrot Juice Cloudy (46.2%), Yellow Carrot Juice (30.8%), Black Carrot Juice (11.5%), Blood Orange Juice Cloudy (11.5%)), Maize Starch, Chicory Root Fibre, Sugar, Vegetable Fat (Rapeseed, Palm), Barley Malt Flour (1.5%), Pumpkin Powder (1%), Natural Flavourings, Salt, Yeast, Preservative: Calcium Propionate. |
Soreen Nutritional Information
Soreen has between 291 calories (Malt Loaf Bar) and 336 calories (Chocolate Loaf Bar and Soreen Seeds & More) per 100 grams.
Depending on the type of Soreen eaten, you will be consuming between 2.3 grams of fat per 100 g in Malt Loaf Bar, to 4.7 g of fat in the Chocolate Loaf Bar.
Soreen contains around half a gram of salt per 100 g.
The malt loaf is high in carbohydrates, giving you between 55 g (Fruity 5 Loaf) and 62.9 g (Chocolate Loaf Bar) per 100g.
Typical nutritional values per 100 g in some of the Soreen products:
| The Original | Banana Loaf Bar | Apple Lunchbox Loaves | Fruit & Veg-Mmms – Orange & Rainbow Carrot Bakes | |
| Energy | 318 Kcal | 313kcal | 307 Kcal | 321kcal |
| Fat | 2.9 g | 4.4g | 4.5g | 3.9g |
| of which saturates | 0.5 g | 1.1g | 0.8g | 0.8g |
| Carbohydrate | 62.4 g | 57.2g | 57.0g | 61.2g |
| of which sugar | 21.5 g | 17.8g | 17.8g | 14.8g |
| Fibre | 4.3 g | 4.3g | 4.4g | 3.8g |
| Protein | 8.6 g | 8.7g | 7.7g | 8.2g |
| Salt | 0.5 g | 0.5g | 0.58g | 0.6g |
Is Soreen high in protein?
Original flavour Soreen has 8.6 g of protein per 100 grams. When compared to 100g of high protein foods, Soreen performs well. 100g of eggs, for example, contain 12.6g of protein, with 100g of lentils producing 9g protein.
Is Soreen high in sugar?
Yes, Soreen is high in sugar containing 21.5 g of sugar per 100 g or 10.2 g per 1/4 loaf. Some of this sugar comes from dried fruits which have some vitamins and minerals. This is not as bad as pure sugar which has no beneficial nutrients.
Sugar in Soreen explained in detail:
100 grams of original Soreen contains 21.5 g of sugars. This is a total of different types of sugars including glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose sugars.
The sugars from raisins are fructose and glucose and there is a total of around 13 g of this type of sugars in Soreen. This represents around 60% of all sugars found in Soreen. The rest of the sugars are added sugars in the form of maltose and sucrose.
The Soreen with the lowest sugar is Fruit & Veg-Mmms (Orange & Rainbow Carrot Bakes), which contain only 14.8 grams of sugar per 100g. Per bake, that is 4.4 grams which is around one teaspoon of sugar.
The Soreen with the highest sugar content is Fruity 5 Loaf containing 21.7 g of sugar per 100 g which is only slightly more than the Original Soreen.
Adults should have no more than 30g of added sugar per day on a healthy diet, which is roughly 7 sugar cubes. This makes Soreen pretty high in sugar although some of it comes from dried fruits and not from added processed sugar. In the case of Soreen Original, this sugar is Partially Inverted Sugar Syrup while other Soreen flavours contain other types of sugars (Fructose-glucose Syrup and simply ‘sugar’).
Is Soreen high in fibre?
Soreen original contains 4.3 grams of fibre, but the Apple Lunchbox loaves have 4.4g. This works out as about 1.2 grams per 1/5 loaf portion. This isn’t enough fibre to be considered high in fibre, but it is the same as one full cup of grapes. The NHS recommend 30 grams of fibre a day.
Calories in Soreen malt loaf
There are 318 calories per 100 grams of original flavour Soreen. There are 321 calories in the Fruit & Veg Mmms, and only 307 calories in the Apple Lunchbox Loaves. Per portion of Original Soreen, this equates to 78 calories per slice.
FAQs about whether Soreen is Healthy or not
In this section, we have tried to answer some FAQs we hear about whether Soreen is healthy.
Can babies have Soreen?
You should not give Soreen to babies as it is high in sugars, and babies should avoid sugars where possible. This is because when sugar is often given to babies, they will develop preferences for sugary foods and this can cause issues later in life – the child will prefer sweet foods over healthier foods and this could lead to obesity and in the long run preventable diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. We would not recommend giving Soreen to your baby.
Can you eat Soreen when pregnant?
Soreen is generally safe for pregnant women if eaten in moderation. It contains some beneficial ingredients such as malt which is known to be highly nutritious for pregnant women. Dried fruits in Soreen are also full of minerals and vitamins but due to their high sugar content, they should only be eaten in moderation.
Is Soreen good for weight loss?
By comparison to other cake bars, Soreen contains less fat and sugars. This doesn’t mean it is good for weight loss since there are so many sugars in it. However, malt loaf is reasonably low in fat, contains some fibre and protein which are important to keep hunger at bay. Malt loaf can be used as part of a low-fat diet to lose weight, but you should be aware of the high sugar content.
Conclusion: Is Soreen malt loaf good or bad for you?
Soreen malt loaf contains vitamins and minerals which promotes a nutrient-rich snack. It is reasonably low in fat compared to other cake products, but it contains many sugars, roughly 1 third of your recommended daily allowance of 30g, per ¼ of a loaf.
We conclude that Soreen makes a healthier alternative to a typical cake and unhealthy sugary snacks such as cookies and chocolate bars. It is good for you in terms of nutrients and fat content, and bad for those looking to keep sugars low.