In charge of a shared office biscuit tin
You want to put out a small amount at a time without opening the whole pack. Jumbo lists Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Chocolate as containing six individual packs, each with three biscuits.
Which pack works best for you?
Buying for a busy office
You need a pack with enough biscuits for a tin that gets emptied quickly. ALDI Netherlands lists Biscotto Sprenkeltjes as weighing 400 g and containing around 30 biscuits.
Buying with allergens in mind
You need product-specific ingredients and allergen information before sharing the biscuits. A claim such as ‘gluten-free’ does not automatically answer questions about milk or soya, so check the current packaging for each variety.
What should you look for when choosing?
First decide whether you want to hand out biscuits a few at a time or keep a larger supply in the tin. Then consider the type of biscuit and check the ingredients and allergens for each product.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Portions and individual packs | Count the individual packs and check how many biscuits each contains. One pack does not always mean one biscuit. | If I want to put biscuits in lunchboxes too, I need to be able to take a set portion without opening the rest. This portioning is the top priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Pack size | Compare the total contents and number of biscuits with how quickly the tin gets emptied; also check the storage advice once opened. | In a busy office, I don’t want to have to keep refilling the tin. Around 30% of consumers prioritise having a generous supply. |
| Type of biscuit and chocolate | Choose between speculoos, a butter biscuit, a filled biscuit or another type, and check which variety of chocolate it contains. | For a shared tin, I want to know which types of biscuits and chocolate flavours I’m putting out. The variety on offer is the top priority for around 20% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging for the variety you’ve chosen. | If a colleague needs to avoid certain ingredients, I need to be able to check what’s in the biscuits before sharing them. This is the main priority for around 20% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming a multipack contains individually wrapped biscuits
An individual pack may contain several biscuits. Jumbo lists Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Chocolate as containing packs of three, while ALDI Netherlands describes Biscotto Chocolate Biscuits as individually packed in pairs.
If you want to hand out or take along set portions, check both the number of individual packs and the number of biscuits in each one.
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Assuming a dietary claim answers every allergen question
Verkade describes Oaties Milk Chocolate as gluten-free, but that alone doesn’t tell you whether it’s suitable for someone who needs to avoid other ingredients, such as milk or soya.
For each variety you choose, check the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging against the ingredients the colleague needs to avoid.
Brands to consider
Lotus Biscoff
A good option if you’re looking for small individual packs: Jumbo lists Biscoff Speculoos Chocolate as containing six packs, each with three biscuits.
- The individual packs mean you don’t have to open the whole pack at once.
- The product information lists milk, cereals containing gluten, soya and wheat, among other ingredients; check the current label if you need to avoid allergens.
Biscotto
ALDI’s own brand offers different pack formats for a shared biscuit tin.
- ALDI Netherlands lists Chocolate Biscuits as 20 biscuits, packed in pairs, and Sprenkeltjes as 400 g containing around 30 biscuits.
- Check which variety you’re buying: the contents listed for one pack don’t tell you how the other is portioned.
Verkade
Worth considering if you’re looking at a particular type of biscuit or dietary claim as well as pack size.
- Verkade describes Duo’tjes Chocolate as two oat biscuits with a cream filling and dark chocolate, and says Oaties Milk Chocolate is gluten-free.
- Check the ingredients and allergens for each variety. Oaties’ gluten-free claim does not automatically apply to other Verkade biscuits or meet other dietary requirements.
Sondey
Lidl Netherlands presents Sondey as a range of different biscuits and cookies.
- The range gives you different types of biscuits and cookies to compare by packaging and ingredients.
- Check the label for the specific chocolate biscuit you’re buying; a feature of the range won’t necessarily apply to every variety.
Products for the office biscuit tin
These Joybuy products include chocolate biscuits as well as chocolate wafers and biscuit sticks. Before choosing them for sharing at the office or packing in lunchboxes, compare the number of pieces and how they’re packed.
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Nestle Kitkat Strawberry Short Cake, 9 pieces (104.4 g)
A pack of nine chocolate wafers for anyone looking for a set number of pieces to share.
Check how the wafers are packed if you want to hand them out individually, and read the current label before sharing them with colleagues.
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Lu Scholiertje milk chocolate biscuits, 150 g
Milk chocolate biscuits for a tin that colleagues can dip into when they fancy a biscuit with their coffee.
Check the packaging to see how the biscuits are grouped and how many portions you can put out if you want to serve them in pairs. Also check the current allergen information.
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Kitkat Strawberry Flavor, 10 pieces (113 g)
A pack of ten strawberry-flavoured chocolate wafers for anyone who wants to know the number of pieces in advance.
Check whether the pieces are individually wrapped before using them as separate lunchbox portions. Read the current label before sharing them.
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Glico Pocky Cookie Bar Chocolate Flavor, 47 g IN
Chocolate biscuit sticks for anyone looking to add a different shape of biscuit to the tin.
Check the number of sticks and how they’re portioned if you want to hand out or take along set amounts. Refer to the current label for ingredients and allergens.
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Ulker IKRAM Chocolate Cream Biscuit, 12x(4x84g) variety
Chocolate cream biscuits for anyone considering buying several packs for the office biscuit tin.
Before buying, check the total contents and the number of biscuits in each individual pack: the pack size in the title and description don’t clearly match. Also read the current allergen label.
Frequently asked questions
Are small individual packs always better for an office biscuit tin?
No. Small individual packs are most useful if you want to open a limited amount at a time or put biscuits in lunchboxes. If the tin gets emptied quickly, a larger sharing pack may also work; just follow the storage advice on the packaging.
Is a chocolate biscuit with no visible flour gluten-free?
No, you can’t tell by looking at it: check the current packaging for ingredients and allergens. Wheat and cereals containing gluten are listed for Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Chocolate, while Verkade describes its Oaties Milk Chocolate variety as gluten-free.
Which allergens should you check before sharing biscuits at work?
Check the allergen information for the specific product and compare it with what your colleagues need to avoid. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that allergen information for pre-packed products must appear on the label; the Lotus multipack mentioned here lists milk, cereals containing gluten, soya and wheat, among other ingredients.