Rice cakes are among the most purchased snacks by those looking for something practical and light to carry with them or to consume instead of bread. For a long time they were considered a healthy choice, thanks to their simple appearance and often low calorie content. Today the market offers numerous alternatives, from classic versions to organic ones, protein ones or enriched with legumes and seeds.
Faced with such a wide offer, identifying the best rice cakes is not always immediate. A new survey by Altroconsumo helps to clarify, comparing over 130 products and showing significant differences in quality. An important aspect also emerges from the analysis: there is not necessarily an absolute winning product among all types of biscuits, because the characteristics change based on the composition.
In fact, it is not just the cereal used that determines quality, and it is necessary to consider all the ingredients, the nutritional profile and the level of industrial transformation. Even between products belonging to the same category, very distant evaluations can therefore emerge.
Then there is a clarification that should not be overlooked, namely that biscuits are among ultra-processed foods. Behind an essential appearance, refined cereals, additives and reduced quantities of fiber or other nutrients can hide, especially in some variants. It is therefore not correct to automatically consider them light or healthy foods. They can find space in a balanced diet, as long as consumption remains moderate and they do not become a habitual substitute for less processed foods, such as wholemeal bread and grain cereals.
The ranking of the best rice cakes according to Altroconsumo
To identify the most valid products, Altroconsumo examined more than 130 references including biscuits and cereal-based snacks. Each product was given a score between 0 and 100, calculated on the basis of various parameters: quality of the ingredients, nutritional values, presence of additives and degree of transformation. Below is the complete ranking of the best rice cakes, with all the products that have achieved the “very good” rating:
How the biscuit test was carried out
As mentioned, Altroconsumo’s survey took into consideration over 130 products, including biscuits and triangles prepared with rice, corn, legumes and other cereals. Sweet variants were also included in the sample. The overall judgment, expressed with a score from 0 to 100, derives from an algorithm that attributes a specific weight to five different criteria:
At the end of the analysis, each product receives a rating ranging from “very good” to “very poor”. The system thus allows the different references to be compared and offers consumers an additional tool to choose with greater awareness among the numerous biscuits available at the supermarket.
