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FAQs

General

Have Uncle Tobys Vita Brits changed?

In January 2021, we made a few small changes to our Uncle Tobys Vita Brits recipe and packaging. Rest assured our biscuits are still made using 100% Australian whole grain wheat with a dash of salt and absolutely no added sugar. The technique we use to make our Vita Brits has changed resulting in a more compact biscuit. We’ve updated the type of salt we use and replaced the seal on the inner bag with a fold over close. Each serve of Uncle Tobys Vita Brits continues to provide a nutritious and delicious breakfast and you can view product details here.

How processed are your cereals?

When you bake or cook at home, a certain amount of processing is almost always needed to ensure foods are safe and ready to eat. This is true for cereal too.

The processes we use are essential for turning raw ingredients into foods ready to be enjoyed. We design our cooking methods to retain the nutritional goodness of wholegrains, and often they only differ slightly from those used to prepare other staple foods like bread.

The main ingredient in all our cereals is grains, including whole oats, whole wheat, whole corn, whole rice or whole oat flour. To turn them into a breakfast cereal, we use simple methods, including milling the grain, mixing and forming the dough, and baking or toasting it.

Our packaging provides clear information on all of the ingredients that have gone into the recipe.

How processed are your muesli bars?

The way we make our muesli bars isn't that different to how you might make them at home.

We use simple ingredients like rolled oats, wheat puffs, fruit pieces, syrup, nuts and seeds, and simple cooking processes like heating, mixing and cooling to make our muesli bars tasty and nutritious.

The complete ingredients list can be found on each individual product.

How do you develop new flavours and ingredients?

When we're coming up with new versions of our cereals and snacks, we first look at the current and future health needs of the population, and any supporting science. We then check with consumers and the marketplace to see what flavours and ingredients are popular. We also go to our ingredient suppliers to see what's new on the market.

Then we use all this information to come up with a recipe that both suits the consumer’s needs and provides the nutrition we're aiming to deliver.

Are your cereals fortified with vitamins and minerals?

We fortify some of our cereals with vitamins and minerals to help restore any nutrients that might be lost during the grain milling process, and also to help you meet your body’s daily nutrition needs. Look at the ingredients list to see if vitamins and minerals have been added.

I have a problem with my product. What should i do?

We go to great lengths to ensure our products are of the highest quality so our customers can enjoy them with confidence.

If something has gone wrong, we want to hear about it. Please get in touch with us and share as much information as possible or call our friendly Consumer Engagement Services team on 1800 025 768 (Australia) or 0800 830 840 (New Zealand). Feel free to let us know when we’ve done something you love too!

What’s the difference between Uncle Tobys traditional oats and Uncle Tobys quick oats?

Both products contain 100% Australian whole grain rolled oats – our Quick oats are simply cut finer so they cook quicker.

What is UNCLE TOBYS commitment to recycling?

UNCLE TOBYS is committed to making all packaging designed for recycling and we are on track to achieve this by the end of 2025.

Currently, products in the UNCLE TOBYS Delicious Blends range are packed in recyclable, paper-based sachets. By recycling these Delicious Blends sachets in your home recycling bins, consumers will divert more than 10 tonnes of packaging from landfills to the paper recycling stream each year. 

Labelling

What does the Health Star Rating mean on your packs?

The Health Star Rating is a front-of-pack labelling system that rates the overall nutritional profile of packaged food and assigns it a rating from ½ a star to 5 stars. It provides a quick and easy standardised way to compare similar packaged foods. The more stars is has, the healthier it is. Find out more.

Is UNCLE TOBYS oats packaging recyclable?

All the outer cartons of UNCLE TOBYS oats products are paper-based and suitable for kerbside recycling.

UNCLE TOBYS has rolled out a kerbside recyclable, paper-based sachet for the Delicious Blends range. The new paper-based packaging is made with a thin barrier coating material that enables adequate sealing to maintain the flavour and quality of your morning oats.

Do good and recycle these sachets in your home recycling bin.  By recycling these Delicious Blends sachets, consumers will help to divert more than 10 tonnes of packaging from landfill to the paper recycling stream in 2024.

The sachets for all other Quick Sachet Oats products are not designed for recycling, but we are on track to achieve this by the end of 2025.

Is UNCLE TOBYS soft plastic packaging recyclable?

Our soft plastic packaging for muesli bars and bakes, carrying the REDcycle logo and an Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) showing the packaging as conditionally recyclable, is designed for recycling but not recyclable at present.

The soft plastic packaging for muesli bars and bakes needs to be disposed of in a garbage bin until a soft plastic recycling solution is available. We apologise for any confusion this may cause.

In the short term, work is being done to get collection back up and running soon. For the medium term, we’re continuing to work with industry, the waste sector and governments towards better collection and processing, at scale.

How will I know which UNCLE TOBYS packaging is recyclable?

The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) is on all UNCLE TOBYS product packaging - outer cartons, wrappers, and sachets - to help you recycle or dispose of packaging correctly.
  
For UNCLE TOBYS Oats Delicious Blends, additional recyclability messaging has also been added to the front of box packaging.

Our soft plastic packaging for muesli bars and bakes, carrying the REDcycle logo and an Australasian Recycling Label (ARL), is designed for recycling but not recyclable at present. Please dispose soft plastic packaging in your garbage bin until soft plastic collection restarts.

Ingredients

Do Uncle Tobys products contain palm oil?

Some ingredients in our cereals and snacks may contain sustainably sourced RSPO certified palm oil. For more information about our palm oil sourcing policy, click here.

What allergens do your products contain?

All allergens are listed in the ingredients label of each product, so check the labels.

Our products contain a number of allergens which must be labelled according to Australian food regulations. This allows consumers with allergies to get the information they need clearly and simply before they purchase a product.

Some of the allergens that may be found in our products include gluten, lupin, sulphites, milk, soy and tree nuts.

The allergens may vary from product to product. All of the relevant allergens in a particular product are clearly listed under ingredients list of each pack.

Are Uncle Tobys oats gluten free?

Oats may come in contact with wheat in the field or in the factory, so they can't be labelled as gluten free in Australia or New Zealand. This applies to all oats sold in Australia, not just Uncle Tobys oats.

Similarly, our nut bars and roll-ups can’t be labelled gluten-free because they’re made in factories that also process gluten-containing ingredients.

Are Uncle Tobys oats grown in australia?

99% of Uncle Tobys oats are grown in Australia. We work closely with local Australian farmers to make sure only the best quality oats reach your table. We also support a local breeding program so we can continue to develop new oats that are better for our farmers and consumers.

Learn more about how Uncle Tobys oats are sown, grown and harvested.

Are your muesli bars nut-free?

Uncle Tobys Chewy and Yoghurt Top muesli bars do not contain peanuts and/or treenuts. They’re also made on equipment that doesn't use or handle peanut or tree nuts, so they're all 'lunchbox friendly'.

Our Uncle Tobys Chewy and Yoghurt Top Muesli Bars do not carry a peanut-free or tree nut-free  claim and are not batch tested. We encourage anyone with an allergy to consult their healthcare professional when determining if our Muesli Bars are suitable for individual dietary needs.

Do you use genetically modified ingredients?

At Uncle Tobys we don't use genetically modified ingredients, as defined by food regulations. We also require our suppliers to ensure that they don't supply genetically modified ingredients to us.

Are your products halal certified?

None of our breakfast cereals or snack products are Halal certified. If you are interested in other Nestlé products, please see current Halal list.

Which of your products are suitable for vegetarians and vegans?

Some of our products are suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet. To find out which ones, take a look at our current Vegetarian products list. Vegans can refer to our Vegan list.

Where do you source your grains?

Uncle Tobys has been processing oats since 1893 and we only source our Oats from local farmers in Australia. Most of our Oats come from within 250km of the Uncle Tobys factory in Wahgunyah by the banks of the Murray River.

Sugar

Why is sugar added to your breakfast cereals?

Breakfast cereals contain sugar because it provides sweetness to grains, and contributes to the taste, texture, colour and flavour of the cereal. Even a small change to a cereal recipe can be detected and may lead to cereal lovers adding sugar on their own.

Breakfast cereals can provide a number of nutrients, including between 10-30% of our daily intake of fibre and important vitamins and minerals, yet only account for 3-4% of our total daily sugar intake on average.

What's the sugar content of your breakfast cereals?

On average, a 30g serving of most of our breakfast cereals provides around 1-2 teaspoons (4-8g) of total sugar.

12 teaspoons is the agreed upper limit of added sugar per day set by the World Health Organisation1 (WHO), so a serve of our cereals fits within a balanced diet.

We understand the concerns around sugar and are actively committed to reducing the sugar in our cereals.

1. Guideline; World Health Organization, 2015 Sugars intake for adults and children

Do you have cereals with no added sugar?

Yes. We have a range of cereals with different levels of sugar in them to cater to different sweetness preferences, from cereals with no added sugar to those with added and natural sugar.

Some of our cereals with no added sugar include our Quick Oats sachets, Original, Traditional Oats, Original Quick Oats, Ancient Grains, Oat Brits, Vita Brits and Shredded Wheat.

At this stage we don’t have any snack products with no added sugar, but we do have a range of products with varying amounts of sugar. Check the nutrition information on the pack for more information.

What's the sugar content of your muesli bars?

At Uncle Tobys we recognise that consumers are concerned about sugar in snacks, so over the last few years we've been working on improving our muesli bar recipes by taking out some of the added sugar and reducing the saturated fat and sodium content. Our chewy and yoghurt top muesli bars now contain between 4.3-6g of sugar per bar, or around 1-1.5 teaspoons. They're also a source of beneficial whole grain and fibre.

Sugar plays many roles in muesli bars. It adds to the taste of the product as well as helping the ingredients stick together and not crumble in your hands. Because of this, it can be challenging to remove.

We'll continue to explore different ways to reduce the sugar in our products whilst maintaining the great taste consumers know and love.

Whole grains

How can I find foods made with whole grain?

There are two things to remember:

1. Look for food labels where the word 'whole' appears in front of the name of the grain such as 'whole wheat’ or ‘wholemeal bread'.

2. For foods with more than one ingredient, make sure whole grain is listed towards the beginning of the ingredients list. The further up the list it is, the more whole grain has been used in the recipe. And look out for the percentage of whole grain. You should also find this in the ingredients list, e.g. 'whole grain cereals (70%)'.

Why should I switch to whole grains?

Whole grains provide many nutrients, including dietary fibre, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, lignans and phytonutrients. It is thought that the combination of these nutrients accounts for the health benefits seen in people who consume more whole grains in their daily diet.

How can I increase my whole grain intake?

1. Look out for 'whole' on the label – wholemeal, whole wheat and whole oats are all whole grains.
2. Swap refined white breads, pasta and white rice for whole grain varieties (brown).
3. Start your day with a breakfast cereal that clearly states it is made with whole grains.
4. Mix wild rice with white rice, or switch to brown rice.
5. Use wholemeal breadcrumbs to create a crunchy topping in savoury dishes.
6. Choose rice cakes, rye crispbread, muesli bars with oats or other whole grains or plain popcorn as a whole grain snack.

Cooking & preparation

How do I cook oats to get the best result?

Check out our fail safe guides for cooking the perfect bowl of porridge.

How can I prevent my oats over-flowing when cooking in the microwave?

Try cooking your oats in the 30 second intervals, stirring in between, to ensure a nice, evenly cooked bowl without the over-flow.  

Your Uncle Tobys Plus cereal serving sizes say 40g. What is that in metric cups?

Approximately ¾ to 1 cup. The recommended cup measurement varies for each products due to the varying densities of individual ingredients.

Can traditional and quick oats be eaten raw?

Our Uncle Tobys Traditional and Quick Oats perfect for cooking or eating raw. You can eat them as they are, as a porridge or add them to smoothies, acai bowls, muffins and more.