Choose De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes if you’re mainly looking for aniseed sprinkles for your garden party. If you’d prefer a chocolate topping with a Fairtrade mark, Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur is another option, but it won’t give you the aniseed flavour. Check the current label on both products, especially if any guests need to avoid particular allergens.
You’re looking for a chocolate topping for a cake, cupcakes or dessert table, and a Fairtrade mark matters more to you than the traditional little-sprinkle shape. Albert Heijn displays that mark on Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur.
You want to serve crushed aniseed sprinkles on crisp rusks, yoghurt or cakes. Albert Heijn describes De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes as crushed, sugar-coated aniseed: they aren’t chocolate sprinkles.
You’re offering guests a choice of toppings and want to know what information you need to provide when serving them. According to Jumbo’s product information, De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes contains wheat; Albert Heijn states that Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur may contain milk.
First decide whether you want to serve aniseed sprinkles or Fairtrade-marked chocolate. Then check the label on your chosen product and consider the guests you’re preparing the topping for.
Choose these: if aniseed flavour and a traditional sprinkle are the reasons for your purchase.
The trade-off: the ingredients listed by Jumbo for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes contain no cocoa, so this isn’t the chocolate topping you’re looking for.
Choose these: if a chocolate topping with a Fairtrade mark matters more to you than aniseed sprinkles.
The trade-off: according to Albert Heijn, Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur is chocolate sprinkles, not crushed aniseed sprinkles, and may contain milk.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade chocolate | Check the Fairtrade mark and ingredients on the packaging of the specific chocolate topping. | I want to sprinkle chocolate over the cupcakes and see the Fairtrade mark on that exact product. For around 42% of consumers, the desire for Fairtrade chocolate is the deciding factor. |
| Aniseed flavour and sprinkles | Check that the packaging says crushed aniseed sprinkles, rather than whole aniseed sprinkles or chocolate sprinkles. | I specifically want the familiar aniseed flavour of crushed sprinkles for my cakes. That’s the priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Allergens and serving | Check the current label for wheat, gluten and milk warnings. If guests are helping themselves, keep the information with the correct topping. | If guests are choosing their own toppings, I want to be able to check what each product contains. For around 25% of consumers, checking for allergens is the first consideration. |
Albert Heijn describes De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes as crushed, sugar-coated aniseed. The ingredients listed by Jumbo contain no cocoa, so this product isn’t the same as chocolate sprinkles.
Decide which flavour you want before buying, then check the ingredients on the packaging you choose.
The fact that a shop also sells Fairtrade chocolate tells you nothing about the mark on an individual pack of aniseed or chocolate sprinkles.
Look for the Fairtrade mark on the specific product you want to serve, rather than relying on the retailer’s general information.
Jumbo’s product information lists wheat in De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes; according to Albert Heijn, Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur may contain milk. That difference matters if any guests need to avoid either ingredient.
Read the current packaging in advance and, if guests are helping themselves, make sure it’s clear which information applies to each topping.
According to Albert Heijn and Jumbo, the 270 g pack of Gestampte Muisjes reviewed is an aniseed topping for anyone specifically looking for this type of product.
Albert Heijn lists the 380 g pack of Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur as chocolate sprinkles bearing the Fairtrade mark.
Albert Heijn’s product listings cover both De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes and Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur.
Jumbo lists De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes separately and includes Fairtrade Original Chocoladehagelslag Puur in its Fairtrade category.
Lidl Netherlands describes its Way To Go chocolate bars as Fairtrade-certified. This is an option for chocolate to serve separately, not a topping made of aniseed sprinkles.
ALDI includes chocolate in its Fairtrade range. This may be relevant if individually wrapped chocolate snacks will do.
No. The ingredients list Jumbo gives for the version reviewed includes sugar, aniseed and wheat starch, among other ingredients, but no cocoa. If you’re looking for chocolate for your garden party, choose a separate chocolate topping.
Look for the Fairtrade mark on the packaging of the exact product you want to buy. Fairtrade Netherlands sets out the conditions for using its marks; a retailer’s general sustainability statement isn’t a substitute for checking the product itself.
Jumbo lists wheat in De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes, while Albert Heijn says Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur may contain milk. Read the current labels on both products before serving them to guests.
Store the aniseed sprinkles and chocolate sprinkles reviewed in a dry place, and follow the storage instructions on their current packaging. If you’re buying them in advance, check the best-before date too.
