Tesco Milk Choco Pillows: calories, sugar and nutrition

Tesco Milk Choco Pillows, golden cereal pillows with a milk chocolate filling in a white bowl with milk, nutrition and calories

A 30g bowl of Tesco Milk Choco Pillows contains 131 kcal, 6.5g of sugar (6.4g of free sugar), 0.5g of fibre and 2.0g of protein. With 125ml of semi-skimmed milk the bowl comes to 190 kcal and 12.4g of total sugar. It is classed as NOVA 4 (ultra-processed).

Nutrition by portion size

Full nutrition by portion: Milk Choco Pillows

Per	Child bowl 25g	Standard bowl 30g	Generous bowl 45g	100g
Energy	109 kcal	131 kcal	197 kcal	437 kcal
Fat	3.3g	4.0g	6.0g	13.3g
Saturates	0.7g	0.9g	1.3g	2.9g
Carbs	17.9g	21.5g	32.3g	71.7g
Total sugar	5.4g	6.5g	9.7g	21.6g
Free sugar	5.3g	6.4g	9.5g	21.2g
Fibre	0.5g	0.5g	0.8g	1.8g
Protein	1.7g	2.0g	3.0g	6.7g
Salt	0.15g	0.18g	0.27g	0.60g

Cereal only, before milk. This is a Tesco own-brand cereal. Tesco gives a pack serving of 30g. Free sugar is Boone's calculation: total sugar less 0.4g lactose from milk chocolate (lactose estimated from typical chocolate recipes). All other figures are from the Tesco nutrition panel.

Calories, free sugar and salt by age

A 30g bowl as a share of daily guidelines

30g bowl	4 to 6	7 to 10	11 to 17	Adult
Calories	10%	8%	7%	7%
Free sugar	33%	26%	21%	21%
Salt	6%	4%	3%	3%
Saturated fat	7%	6%	4%	4%

Cereal only, before milk. Figures are for an average female in each age band; use the calculator for males, other portions or any milk.

Free sugar vs total sugar

Of the 21.6g of sugar per 100g in Milk Choco Pillows, Boone counts 21.2g as free sugar. The rest (0.4g) is lactose from milk chocolate, which the NHS limit does not count. Method: total sugar less 0.4g lactose from milk chocolate (lactose estimated from typical chocolate recipes).

Is it ultra-processed?

Milk Choco Pillows is classed as NOVA 4, ultra-processed, because its ingredients include emulsifier, lecithin, flavouring, glucose syrup, lactose, whey and colour. These are industrial ingredients you would not use in a home kitchen. 6 of its 17 ingredients are of this kind.

Boone classifies processing from the published ingredient list using the NOVA system. Added vitamins and minerals are not counted as a marker of ultra-processing.

What is in it

Ingredients

Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Sugar, Vegetable Oils [Sunflower Oil, Rapeseed Oil], Oat Flour, Maize, Milk Chocolate (4%) [Cocoa Mass, Dried Whole Milk, Emulsifier (Lecithins), Flavouring], Dried Glucose Syrup, Rice Flour, Milk Sugar, Whey Powder (Milk), Salt, Raising Agent (Calcium Carbonate), Flavouring, Colour (Beta-Carotene), Vitamin E, Pantothenic Acid, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12

17 ingredients in total, counting each component once and the added vitamins and minerals as one. Always check the pack before eating if you have an allergy, since recipes change.

Allergens

Allergen information

Allergen	Status
Cereals containing gluten	Contains
Crustaceans	Not listed
Eggs	Not listed
Fish	Not listed
Peanuts	Not listed
Soybeans	Not listed
Milk	Contains
Nuts	Not listed
Celery	Not listed
Mustard	Not listed
Sesame	Not listed
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites	Not listed
Lupin	Not listed
Molluscs	Not listed

Contains is taken from the ingredient list. May-contain warnings for cross-contamination are not shown here, so always check the pack before eating if you have an allergy.

Tesco Milk Choco Pillows nutrition FAQs

How many calories are in a bowl?+

A 30g bowl contains 131 kcal, or 190 kcal with 125ml of semi-skimmed milk. Per 100g it is 437 kcal.

How much sugar is in a bowl?+

A 30g bowl contains 6.5g of sugar, of which 6.4g is free sugar, about 1.6 teaspoons.

How much free sugar is that for a child?+

A 30g bowl is 33% of the 19g daily free sugar limit for a child aged 4 to 6, 26% of the 24g limit for a child aged 7 to 10, and 21% of the 30g limit for an adult.

How much fibre and protein does it have?+

A 30g bowl provides 0.5g of fibre and 2.0g of protein. Adults are advised to eat 30g of fibre a day.

How much salt is in a bowl?+

A 30g bowl contains 0.18g of salt, 3% of the 6g adult daily maximum and 6% of the 3g limit for a child aged 4 to 6.

Is it ultra-processed?+

It is classed as NOVA 4 (ultra-processed) based on its ingredient list. It contains emulsifier, lecithin, flavouring, glucose syrup, lactose, whey, colour.

Is it healthy?+

Under the UK government's 2018 nutrient profiling model it scores 18. A food scoring 4 or more is classed as less healthy, so it would be classed as less healthy. The 2018 model has been published but is not yet the basis of the advertising and promotion rules.