Before buying, check whether the school allows biscuits containing gluten and what allergen arrangements apply to the group. Then choose individually portioned packs if you want to hand out ready-portioned servings, or a larger sharing pack if you can organise the portioning and packing yourself. For either option, check how many usable portions the pack provides and keep the ingredient and allergen information available.
If you’re organising a sale for a school group, check the school’s rules and ask which allergens are relevant to the pupils before buying. VOO says schools can set their own rules on what pupils are allowed to hand out; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre also highlights the importance of having allergen information available when serving food at school.
If you’d rather not count out or repackage every biscuit yourself, check the number of bags and how many biscuits each contains. For example, Albert Heijn lists Lotus Biscoff Speculoos XL as 10 bags, each containing 2 XL biscuits.
If you need biscuits for lots of pupils, compare the pack size with the number of portions you want to hand out. The weight alone won’t tell you how many portions of your chosen size you can make.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| School rules and allergens | Ask whether biscuits containing gluten are allowed. Check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of the variant you’ve chosen. | If I’m taking biscuits in for a class, I want to know in advance whether they meet the school’s rules and which allergens I need to mention; around 42% of consumers put these checks first. |
| Portions and packing | Count the bags or biscuits and work out whether you’ll need to portion them yourself. Check with the school in advance if you plan to pack them yourself. | When I need to prepare lots of portions, I want to keep the counting and packing manageable; for around 33% of consumers, this convenience is the deciding factor. |
| Amount per pack | Compare the weight and the stated number of biscuits or bags with the portion size you want to hand out. | For a larger group, I want to know whether one pack will provide enough usable portions; around 25% of consumers prioritise quantity. |
A school may have its own rules about treats. The group’s allergen arrangements may also determine which biscuits are suitable.
Before buying, ask what’s allowed at this fair and what information needs to remain available when the biscuits are handed out.
Individual bags don’t change the ingredients. Lotus Biscoff’s product information lists wheat and soya, among other things, for the relevant speculoos variant.
Check the allergens on the exact pack, even if each bag already contains a set portion.
A heavier pack won’t necessarily provide the number of portions you need: the size of the biscuits and the portion you choose also matter.
Check how many biscuits or bags are listed on the pack and decide in advance how many you want to hand out in each portion.
For the biscuits you actually hand out, the ingredients, allergens and pack contents of the product you’ve bought are what matter.
When you buy or receive the product, check the label, packaging type and best-before date again.
Speculoos biscuits in a range of pack formats. According to Albert Heijn, the Speculoos XL pack contains 10 bags, each with 2 XL biscuits.
Jumbo Cookie Mix, 300 g, shows why you need to check the product information for each item in a mixed pack.
Lidl offers various types of biscuits and cookies under the Sondey brand.
ALDI lists sandwich biscuits in a 500 g pack among the products in its Biscotto range.
First, check the rules at the school in question. VOO says schools can set their own rules about what pupils are allowed to hand out; also ask what allergen arrangements apply to the group.
An individual bag doesn’t tell you which allergens the biscuit contains. Check the ingredients and highlighted allergens on the exact pack, and ask the school what’s needed for the pupil concerned.
Only do this if the school allows it and you can handle the biscuits hygienically. Make sure the ingredient and allergen information remains available with the portions you hand out; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre stresses the importance of safe food handling and allergen information when serving food at school.
Yes. Check the ingredients, allergens, pack contents and number of biscuits in the pack you’re buying again. The Consumers’ Association explains that pack contents can change, so base the number of portions you hand out on the current packaging.
Follow the storage instructions and best-before information on the packaging of the biscuits you’ve chosen. Instructions can vary between products, so check them against when you plan to hand out the portions.
