If you’re making several school lunches and can freeze bread in portions, half a wholemeal loaf is an obvious choice. Individual bread rolls may fit your lunch routine better if you have time to bake and use them. Compare the quantity, fibre, preparation method and ingredients of each product. If allergies are a concern, check the latest allergen information and your school or after-school club’s policies too.
Before packing a lunch, they need to check which grains and other allergens a product contains, as well as the school or after-school club’s policies. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains where allergen information must be available for packaged and unpackaged food.
If you don’t use a whole loaf every day, you can match the quantity to the number of lunches you need to make: freeze half a loaf in portions or choose a suitably sized pack of bread rolls. Albert Heijn says its half wholemeal loaf can be frozen at home on the day of purchase.
For regular school lunches, the type of bread may matter more than its shape. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible.
A good fit if: you make sandwiches for several school days and can store the bread in portions.
Bear in mind: this option won’t give you individual, crusty bread rolls. Check the allergens in your chosen loaf too.
A good fit if: individual rolls work better in your lunchbox and you have time to bake them according to the pack instructions.
Bear in mind: a white bread roll isn’t the same as wholemeal bread. Make sure the pack size suits how much you’ll use.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is it important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Allergens and school policies | Read the latest ingredients and allergen information, including warnings about cross-contamination. Ask for information about unpackaged bread and check the school or after-school club’s policies. | If a child needs to avoid a particular allergen, I want to know whether the bread meets the agreed requirements before packing it. This safety question is the top priority for around 38% of consumers. |
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check whether the product is wholemeal and compare the fibre listed per 100 g. The shape of the bread alone says nothing about its nutritional value. | When making lunches for several school days, I look for a type of bread that suits my preference for wholemeal. Around 31% of consumers put this choice first. |
| Portions and storage | Compare the number of rolls or the loaf size with your lunch plans, and follow the storage or freezing advice on the packaging. | In a small household, I only want to buy bread we can use up or store in portions. Getting the quantity right is the top priority for around 31% of consumers. |
The shape doesn’t tell you which grains have been used or how much fibre the bread contains. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible.
Check the product name and ingredients, and compare the fibre per 100 g if this information is provided.
Ingredients and cross-contamination warnings can change. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, mandatory allergen information for prepacked products appears on the label.
Read the latest packaging. For unpackaged bread, ask for allergen information and take the school or after-school club’s policies into account.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that using bakers’ salt is not compulsory. Whether iodised salt is used therefore varies from product to product.
Check the ingredients list for iodised salt, or ask about it when buying unpackaged bread.
Albert Heijn offers examples of both white part-baked bread rolls and half a wholemeal loaf.
Jumbo offers a range of bread rolls and half wholemeal loaves to compare.
PLUS is worth considering if you want to factor the baking time for packaged white part-baked rolls into your plans.
Dirk offers a pack of four white rolls to bake at home.
ALDI sells individual white rolls if you’d rather not buy a pack of rolls to bake at home.
These Joybuy products show two types of bread for school lunches: a pack of white rolls and a round wholemeal loaf. Check whether the round loaf’s size and preparation method work for your plans; the product name doesn’t describe it as half a loaf.
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This pack could work for lunches with individual rolls if you can use all four.
Before packing, check the latest ingredients, allergens and preparation instructions on the packaging.
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This round loaf is an option for regular wholemeal lunches if 550 g is a suitable amount for you to use.
Check whether the loaf is sliced and follow the latest preparation and storage instructions. Check the ingredients and allergens too; the product name doesn’t confirm that this is half a loaf.
The white rolls mentioned from Albert Heijn and PLUS contain wheat, so they aren’t suitable if you’re avoiding wheat. For any other product, check the latest ingredients, allergen information and any cross-contamination warning.
Ask the seller before you buy. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergen information for unpackaged products must be available in a way other than a label on the packaging.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use bakers’ salt. Check the ingredients list or ask which salt is used for unpackaged bread, rather than trying to tell from the type of bread.
If the product instructions say it’s suitable, freeze the loaf in portions and take out what you need. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns that bread can become drier if it’s kept in the freezer for a long time. For part-baked rolls, follow the storage instructions for an opened pack too.
