"Too many pollutants and sugar" in rice and corn wafers

The purchases were made in organic shops, discount stores, drugstores and supermarkets. The majority of rice and corn wafers on the market are advertised as organic. The main focus of the test was on acrylamide, heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and cadmium, and mold toxins.

VKI: Keep your hands off children's waffles

According to the experts, all of the products in the test that were advertised as children's products contained additives such as juices, fruits, spices or flavors, and all had nicknames such as yogurt, whole milk, chocolate, cinnamon and honey or fruity notes such as mango, raspberry or strawberry. "It is anything but sensible to get small children used to sweet tastes," criticized the VKI. "Due to the high sugar content, not a single product was awarded the Nutri-Score top rating of A."

Parents who want to give their children a neutral, unsweetened wafer must therefore resort to products that are not explicitly advertised for children. Conventional rice wafers, on the other hand, contain significantly less sugar, but significantly more harmful substances.

Corn waffles often contain relatively high levels of salt

According to consumer advocates, the situation is similar with corn wafers: less sugar, more pollutants and almost all salted. According to the VKI test, the Nutri-Score for corn wafers is between B and C. The reason for this is the salt content and the lower protein and fiber content compared to rice wafers.

"Normal" rice cakes are best in terms of nutrients

When it comes to the assessment of nutritional values, the rice cakes that are not advertised for children come out on top. Four of these were rated Nutri-Score A and Nutri-Score B. "Because they contain a lot of protein and fiber, they are also suitable as a sports snack," said the testers. The Nutri-Score is a system for labeling the nutritional profile of a food on the packaging using the letters A to E and traffic light colors. This allows the nutritional value of products within a product group to be compared with each other.

The children's waffles are also smaller, but significantly more expensive than normal rice cakes. The average price per kilo is 30 euros. Conventional waffles cost around ten euros.

(SERVICE - Test results from February 27th in the March issue of the magazine "Konsument" and on )