Choose wholemeal rusks if you want to serve aniseed sprinkles on the familiar round, crunchy base and are looking for a product explicitly labelled wholemeal. A multiseed croissant may suit you if you’d rather serve a croissant, but the presence of seeds doesn’t automatically make it wholemeal. Check the ingredients and nutritional information on the pack for the variant you choose.
For a birth celebration or a visit to meet the new baby, you want to stick with the familiar rusk shape, so you choose a rusk explicitly labelled wholemeal. Albert Heijn, Jumbo and ALDI list wholemeal rusks in their ranges.
You’re choosing a croissant deliberately and prefer the seeds or softer texture to the round rusk shape. Albert Heijn and Lidl list multiseed croissants; check separately whether the product you choose is also labelled wholemeal.
You want to know which ingredients and allergens are listed for the exact variant before serving it. Check the nutritional information too if fibre, sugars, fat or salt matter to your choice.
First decide whether you want to stick with the familiar rusk shape or serve a croissant instead. Then check the pack to see whether your chosen base is explicitly labelled wholemeal.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and fibre | Look for the explicit wholemeal label and compare the fibre content per 100 g on the pack. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, the grain ingredient in a product labelled wholemeal must consist entirely of wholemeal flour. | If I mainly want a base that is clearly wholemeal, I won’t let visible seeds make the decision for me. For around 42% of consumers, choosing wholemeal comes first. |
| Shape of the treat | Choose a rusk for the familiar round, crunchy base; opt for a wholemeal variety if the wholemeal label matters too. | When visiting a new baby, I want to serve aniseed sprinkles on a recognisable rusk rather than a soft croissant. That presentation matters most to around 33% of consumers. |
| Croissants and seeds | Check whether the croissant is fresh, ready to bake or frozen, and read the ingredients and allergen information for the exact variant. “Multiseed” is not, by itself, a wholemeal label. | For breakfast with aniseed sprinkles, I’d rather have the texture of a croissant, even if that means giving up the rusk shape. Around 25% of consumers give this preference priority. |
The seeds in a multiseed croissant don’t tell you whether the grain ingredient consists entirely of wholemeal flour. Albert Heijn describes its Multiseed Croissant as containing ingredients including sunflower seeds and linseed, but doesn’t call it a wholemeal croissant.
If wholemeal is essential for you, look for the explicit label on the pack you choose, then compare the nutritional information.
A soft croissant gives aniseed sprinkles a different base from the round, crunchy rusk traditionally served for this birth celebration.
Decide first which shape you want to serve. If the rusk shape matters, look for wholemeal rusks rather than focusing only on croissants.
The ingredients in a multiseed croissant, butter croissant and ready-to-bake croissant may differ. This is especially important if you’re buying for guests with specific allergen requirements.
Before serving, read the ingredients and allergen information on the pack of the product you’ve actually chosen.
PLUS lists iodised salt in one ready-to-bake variant. That product information doesn’t tell you which salt is used in other croissants.
If you want to know whether your chosen croissant contains iodised salt, check the ingredients list for that variant.
Worth considering if you want to compare a multiseed croissant with wholemeal rusks within one range.
Worth considering if you want to weigh up croissant varieties against wholemeal rusks for your treat.
Worth considering if you’re specifically looking for a croissant with several types of seed.
Worth considering if you want to use rusks as the base for aniseed sprinkles.
Worth considering if you want to compare the ingredients in butter croissants and ready-to-bake croissants.
Worth considering if you’re also thinking about a wholemeal roll alongside croissants and rusks.
No. “Multiseed” refers to the seeds used, not the composition of the grain ingredient. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, that grain ingredient must consist entirely of wholemeal flour for a product to be labelled wholemeal, so look for the explicit label.
Choose wholemeal rusks if you want both the familiar rusk shape and an explicit wholemeal label. Albert Heijn suggests aniseed sprinkles as a topping for AH Wholemeal Rusks; Jumbo and ALDI also list wholemeal rusks.
Store opened rusks in a dry, airtight container so they’re less likely to go soft. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping opened rusks in a kitchen cupboard for up to one month; follow the instructions on the pack too.
Check the ingredients list for the specific croissant. One PLUS ready-to-bake variety lists iodised salt, but you can’t assume other varieties contain it.
Read the allergen information on the packaging for the variant you choose; ingredients differ from one croissant to another. For example, the ingredients listed for a PLUS butter croissant include wheat flour and milk, but you can’t assume the same applies to other croissants.
