Choose crushed aniseed sprinkles if you want an aniseed flavour on bread or crispbread. For coffee and cake, if you’re looking for a chocolate or cocoa product with a verifiable Fairtrade certification, consider chocolate sprinkles as a topping or cocoa powder for baking and chocolate drinks. Check the certification, ingredient and sourcing information, and allergens on the packaging of the product you buy.
If you’re after the fine texture and aniseed flavour of crushed aniseed sprinkles, a chocolate product isn’t a like-for-like substitute. The ingredient information for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes listed by WorldwideHolland includes sugar and aniseed, among other ingredients.
If you want a chocolate topping or cocoa for a recipe, chocolate sprinkles and cocoa powder are different options. Fairtrade Original lists cake as a use for its Hagelslag Puur, and brownies and chocolate drinks, among other uses, for its Cacaopoeder. Check the packaging to see what the Fairtrade certification applies to.
Read the label before serving anything to guests. The ingredients for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes listed by WorldwideHolland include wheat starch and a flavouring containing milk; always check the current packaging of the product you’re actually using.
First decide whether you want an aniseed-flavoured spread, chocolate as a topping or cocoa to mix into a recipe. Then check the packaging for the certification and ingredients that matter to you.
Choose these when: You want an aniseed flavour on bread or crispbread.
What to consider: The listed ingredients for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes do not include cocoa. Don’t treat this product as a Fairtrade cocoa option unless you can verify certification for the specific product.
Choose these when: You want chocolate as a topping or a visible ingredient on cake; Fairtrade Original lists cake as a use for Hagelslag Puur.
What to consider: Sprinkles don’t give you the aniseed flavour of crushed aniseed sprinkles, and they’re not a substitute for cocoa powder to mix into batter.
Choose this when: You want to use cocoa in something like brownies or a chocolate drink; Fairtrade Original lists these uses for its Cacaopoeder.
What to consider: Powder doesn’t have the sprinkling texture of chocolate sprinkles or crushed aniseed sprinkles. Fairtrade Original also states that its Cacaopoeder is sourced using a mass balance approach. Read the explanation on the packaging if the sourcing method matters to you.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade and cocoa | Look for the FAIRTRADE mark and packaging information about certified ingredients and sourcing methods. Fairtrade International says that an arrow alongside the mark points to additional information on the back of the pack. | If I want cocoa with a verifiable Fairtrade certification for a cake, I need to be able to find it on the specific product. Around 45% of consumers put this certification requirement first. |
| Aniseed flavour and use | Check whether you’re looking for crushed aniseed sprinkles for bread or crispbread, or a chocolate product for topping or baking. | For my crispbread, I want the aniseed flavour of crushed aniseed sprinkles, not chocolate. This flavour preference is the deciding factor for around 33% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients list, allergen information and nutrition information; compare sugars per 100 g and the amount you use. | When I’m sharing something with others, I want to know in advance which ingredients and allergens it contains. For around 22% of consumers, this check comes first. |
The ingredients list for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes provided by WorldwideHolland includes aniseed but not cocoa. The flavour and uses are therefore different from those of chocolate sprinkles.
First decide whether you want an aniseed-flavoured spread, a chocolate topping or cocoa for your recipe. Then check which product meets your certification requirements.
Lidl Netherlands lists several certification schemes for its own-brand cocoa, including Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and organic. That policy doesn’t tell you which certification an individual product carries.
Check the product’s own label. If there’s an arrow alongside the FAIRTRADE mark, also read the additional information on the back, as Fairtrade International advises.
The ingredients for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes listed by WorldwideHolland include wheat starch and a flavouring containing milk. Ingredient information can change.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging before you buy and before you serve the product. When checking the nutrition information, also compare how much you use per portion.
Crushed aniseed sprinkles for anyone looking for an aniseed-flavoured spread.
Chocolate sprinkles and cocoa powder for different uses in cakes and chocolate drinks.
A retailer with an own-brand policy for cocoa from certified farming.
No. The ingredient information for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes listed by WorldwideHolland includes sugar and aniseed, among other ingredients, but no cocoa. If you want a product with verifiable Fairtrade certification, check the mark and the accompanying information on the packaging of the chocolate or cocoa product you choose.
Choose chocolate sprinkles for a topping or a visible ingredient, and cocoa powder to mix into a recipe. Fairtrade Original lists cake as a use for its Hagelslag Puur, and brownies and chocolate drinks, among other uses, for its Cacaopoeder. Check the packaging for details of the product you choose.
According to Fairtrade International, the arrow alongside the mark points to additional information on the back of the packaging. Read the explanation there to find out which ingredients and sourcing method it covers, especially for a chocolate product made from several ingredients.
Check the allergen information on the packaging of the crushed aniseed sprinkles you buy. The ingredient information for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes listed by WorldwideHolland includes wheat starch and a flavouring containing milk. As ingredients can change, this information is no substitute for checking the current label.
