If you want to keep the aniseed flavour and crunch of aniseed sprinkles while using Fairtrade chocolate, choose the sprinkles and a separate chocolate product with a Fairtrade label. The De Ruijter Blauwe en witte muisjes product examined contains no cocoa. Only replace the sprinkles with chocolate strands if you don’t want to keep the aniseed flavour, and check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging of both products.
You want to use aniseed sprinkles as a topping, but also choose chocolate with a Fairtrade label you can check. To do that, choose a separate chocolate product: the De Ruijter Blauwe en witte muisjes product described by Albert Heijn contains no cocoa.
You choose aniseed sprinkles for their aniseed flavour, colour and crunch. You can combine them with chocolate on a rusk or cake, rather than replacing them with chocolate strands.
You want to know before buying whether your chosen aniseed sprinkles and chocolate suit your dietary requirements. The De Ruijter product examined contains wheat starch; the dark chocolate strands examined may contain milk, and the PLUS milk chocolate version contains milk ingredients. Check the label on each product separately.
When making an afternoon snack with aniseed sprinkles and possibly chocolate, you may have one main priority: choosing Fairtrade cocoa, keeping the sprinkles or checking the ingredients. That priority will determine whether you buy both toppings or choose just one.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade cocoa | Check the Fairtrade mark and label on your chosen chocolate product. Also consider separately whether you want to use aniseed sprinkles. | I want aniseed sprinkles on my snack, but I also want to be able to see that the chocolate element is Fairtrade. For around 44% of consumers, choosing Fairtrade comes first. |
| Flavour and type of snack | Choose aniseed sprinkles for aniseed flavour and crunch, chocolate strands for a chocolate flavour, or use both. For a snack with melted chocolate, add the sprinkles before the chocolate sets. | If you want to keep the aniseed flavour and festive look, chocolate strands alone are not a replacement. Keeping the aniseed sprinkles matters most to around 33% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list and allergen information on both current packs. Check for wheat in the aniseed sprinkle product examined and milk warnings on the chocolate strands mentioned. | If you need to avoid wheat or milk, the ingredients matter more than my taste preference. Around 23% of consumers put these checks first. |
Albert Heijn describes De Ruijter Blauwe en witte muisjes as sugared aniseed seeds. The ingredients listed contain no cocoa, so this product does not provide the chocolate element you’re looking for.
If you want both flavours, choose the aniseed sprinkles and check the Fairtrade label on a separate chocolate product.
According to the product information, the Fairtrade Original dark chocolate strands examined may contain milk. PLUS states that its dark version examined may contain milk and lactose.
If you need to avoid milk, don’t rely on the flavour name or product photo. Check the allergen information on the pack you’re buying.
These examples show how aniseed sprinkles and chocolate strands can play different roles in the same snack. A brand name alone won’t tell you which ingredients or Fairtrade label a specific version has.
The Blauwe en witte muisjes product examined is a topping made from sugared aniseed seeds.
The dark chocolate strands examined are a chocolate topping that can be used alongside or instead of aniseed sprinkles.
The PLUS dark and milk chocolate strands examined are chocolate-focused toppings labelled with Fairtrade Cocoa.
No, not in the De Ruijter Blauwe en witte muisjes product examined. Albert Heijn lists sugar, aniseed, wheat starch and glucose syrup as ingredients, with no cocoa. Check the packaging of any other aniseed sprinkle version, and for Fairtrade chocolate, choose a product with an appropriate label.
Check the mark and accompanying label on the packaging of the chocolate product you’re actually buying. Fairtrade International also describes a mark with an arrow for products with multiple ingredients, so check the label on the specific product rather than relying on the product category alone.
Yes. Keep the aniseed sprinkles for their aniseed flavour, and choose the chocolate separately by checking its Fairtrade label. For example, a Jumbo recipe scatters aniseed sprinkles over a profiterole dipped in melted chocolate before the chocolate sets.
At the very least, check the wheat information for the aniseed sprinkle product examined and the milk information for your chosen chocolate strands. According to their product information, the Fairtrade Original and PLUS dark versions may contain milk; the PLUS milk chocolate version examined contains milk ingredients. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority advises checking allergens in the ingredients list on the label.
