Are Sunfeast Marie Light Biscuits Unsafe for Human Health?

Social media users frequently discuss food types, their qualities, and how they affect human health. And many times, such discussions target wheat-based products. One such product is Sunfeast Marie Light, a popular Indian tea-time biscuit marketed as a “light” and fibre-enriched option, commonly consumed with tea.

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Social media posts say Sunfeast’s Marie Light Biscuits are causing diabetes, and people should avoid consuming these biscuits because they contain a higher sugar concentration.

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We decided to do a fact check on this. 

Fact Check 

Do Marie Light biscuits contain a significant amount of sugar that makes them unsafe for people with diabetes?

Sugar content: Each 5 g Marie Light biscuit contains about 0.96 g sugar (≈19–20 g per 100 g), which is roughly on par with other plain Marie biscuits. For example, Britannia Marie Gold has ~21.2 g of sugar per 100 g. 

FoodNet India’s analysis notes 20 g of sugar per 100 g in Marie Light. So, Marie Light is not sugar-free; however, its sugar level is similar to or slightly lower than that of other tea-time plain biscuits.

As per WHO guidelines, the maximum daily sugar intake for an adult should be below 50 grams per day.

Are Marie Light biscuits generally considered unhealthy due to their ingredients (e.g., refined flour, added sugar, preservatives)?

Ingredients: The main ingredients of Marie Light are refined wheat flour (maida) (~66%), sugar, refined palm oil and invert syrup. (Invert syrup is an even sweeter form of sugar.) By contrast, its added wheat fibre is only ~0.13% of the product – a negligible amount. 

In other words, Marie Light is mostly simple starches and sugars with some oil; additives include emulsifiers, salt and food colours. It has 0% trans-fat but contains added sugar and colour (E150d, a caramel colour used in many baked goods and soft drinks, and E102, a synthetic lemon-yellow dye that has raised concerns in some countries due to possible allergic reactions). 

Overall, it provides approximately 450 kcal/100 g, with over half the calories coming from sugars and simple carbohydrates.

Is there any scientific or medical guideline recommending that people with diabetes or obesity should strictly avoid Marie Light biscuits?

Health guidance: No diabetes association specifically bans Marie Light biscuits. Instead, diet guidelines urge people with diabetes to limit refined carbs and added sugars in general. For example, Diabetes UK recommends swapping sweet or fatty snacks for plain crackers or biscuits made with healthier oil (sunflower) and eating all treats in moderation. 

Similarly, ADA/IDF guidelines advise people with diabetes to minimise intake of refined grains and added sugars (e.g. sweet biscuits) and focus on whole grains, vegetables and fibre. There is no official rule that people with diabetes must avoid Marie biscuits altogether. (However, nutritionists note that any sugary biscuit can raise blood glucose, so diabetic individuals should watch portion sizes and overall diet.)

Are Marie Light biscuits marketed or labelled in a way that could mislead consumers into thinking they are healthy or diabetes-friendly?

The Marie Light packaging emphasises “rich taste”, “goodness of wheat fibre”, zero trans-fat, and fortification with iron and vitamins. For example, the product description boasts “goodness of wheat fibre… enriched with iron and six vitamins”. The word Light and added fibre/vitamin claims give a “healthy” impression. The fibre content is only 0.13% and the biscuit is primarily refined flour and sugar. In effect, the branding can be misleading: 

Marie Light is a typical sweetened tea biscuit (with palm oil) dressed up with health claims, but its core nutrition (high carbs, added sugar) is not fundamentally healthier than other Marie biscuits.

Packaging of Sunfeast Marie Light biscuits (85 g). The brand highlights “wheat fibre” and vitamins, but the ingredient list is refined chiefly flour and sugar (fibre is only 0.13%).

Has any accredited diabetologist association officially classified Marie Light biscuits as harmful or dangerous for diabetic patients?

No official warnings: We found no statement from any medical or diabetologist association declaring Sunfeast Marie Light (or any specific Marie biscuit) uniquely dangerous. Instead, health authorities recommend limiting foods high in refined flour and sugar. For example, Diabetes UK explicitly warns against snacks rich in sugar and palm oil, and suggests that people with diabetes avoid high-sugar biscuits. But they don’t single out a brand name. 

Similarly, Indian guidelines caution against excessive simple starches, but don’t list Marie biscuits as a forbidden item. 

In short, Marie Light is a discretionary snack – neither “healthy” nor a diabetic-only food. It can be consumed in moderation like other sweet biscuits, keeping total carbohydrate and calorie goals in mind.

Health Organisations’ Guidance on Biscuit Consumption

The American Diabetes Association allows occasional biscuit consumption for people with diabetes when eaten in small portions and balanced with other meals, emphasizing portion control and nutrition label awareness rather than complete avoidance. The ADA’s harm-reduction approach focuses on practical management strategies for those who want to include biscuits occasionally in their diet.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health warns against regular biscuit consumption due to refined carbs and added sugars that worsen insulin resistance and increase heart disease risk. Harvard recommends complete substitution with whole grain, high-fibre alternatives like oats and nuts rather than attempting to manage biscuit intake through portion control.

A 2022 study published in PMC examined biscuit consumption and diabetic retinopathy, providing scientific evidence that biscuit consumption patterns can impact diabetic complications.

Conclusion: 

Sunfeast Marie Light biscuits do contain added sugar (about 0.96 g per biscuit, ~20g per 100 g) along with refined wheat flour and palm oil. This is comparable to other plain Marie-type biscuits. There is no evidence that Marie Light is uniquely unsafe for people with diabetes beyond what all sugary biscuits are. No diabetes body has formally banned it. People with diabetes and obese individuals are advised to limit any high-carb, sugary snacks and focus on healthier alternatives (like wholegrain options, nuts, fruits, etc.). The social media warning exaggerates the risk – Marie Light is not a “miracle cure” or special dietary food, but neither is it poison. It’s best treated as an occasional sweet snack (as the package itself says: “crunchy, teatime partner”), eaten sparingly as part of a balanced diet.