Choose individually wrapped breakfast cake if you want to take a single portion with you. A larger pre-sliced cake is a better choice if you regularly have a slice at home and can use up the pack. A box of chocolates doesn’t replace breakfast cake, but it can make a separate gift. For both purchases, check the label of the product you choose, especially the ingredients, nutritional information and allergens.
If you want to pop breakfast cake in your bag, compare a pack of individual portions with a larger cake. Check the weight of each piece: the Peijnenburg portion pack listed by PLUS and Jumbo contains ten portions of 28 g.
When comparing plain, wholemeal and no-added-sugar varieties, check the nutritional information and ingredients for each product. Look at the allergen information too; the wording on the front doesn’t tell you everything about what’s inside.
Breakfast cake for yourself and chocolate for someone else are two purchases with different purposes. Choose a box of chocolates based on its contents, and check the allergens for the recipient.
First decide whether you’re looking for breakfast cake for yourself, a chocolate gift or both. Then compare the packaging and the label of each specific product.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who is this important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Individual portions | Check whether the pieces are individually wrapped and how much each one weighs. | For eating on the go, I want to be able to take a set amount without carrying a large cake; around 36% of consumers prioritise portion convenience. |
| Nutritional information and allergens | Compare sugars, salt and fibre per 100 g and per intended portion; check the ingredients and allergen information too. | When choosing between varieties, I want to know what’s in a slice and which ingredients to avoid; around 29% of consumers prioritise comparing labels. |
| Pack size | Check the total weight and consider how often you’ll have a slice once the pack is open. | At home, I eat breakfast cake more often and want to be able to use up a larger pack; around 21% of consumers give pack size the highest priority. |
| A separate gift | Choose a box of chocolates for the occasion and check the contents and allergens of that specific box. | Alongside breakfast cake for myself, I’m looking for something to give to someone else; around 14% of consumers prioritise a separate gift. |
On its own, the claim doesn’t tell you how much total sugar the breakfast cake contains. For example, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists 10.3 g of sugar per 30 g slice of breakfast cake enriched with fibre; that figure doesn’t automatically apply to another variety.
Compare the nutritional information for the product you want to buy, both per 100 g and per portion.
An assortment may contain different types of chocolate and other ingredients. The Celebrations assortment listed by Jumbo includes milk, peanuts, soya, wheat and egg, among other allergens.
If necessary, ask which allergens the recipient needs to avoid, and check the information for the exact box you’ve chosen.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains how iodine compounds may be used in bakery products. This doesn’t tell you whether a specific breakfast cake contains iodine-enriched baker’s salt.
Don’t use that general rule as nutritional information for a product; check the ingredients on the pack you’ve chosen.
These examples show different types of packaging. Features of one variety don’t necessarily apply to every product from the same brand.
Alongside larger breakfast cakes, it also offers a plain portion pack for individual occasions.
Its own-brand range includes larger pre-sliced breakfast cakes and multipacks of bars.
ALDI lists pre-sliced breakfast cake from this brand in Zero and wholemeal varieties, both weighing 485 g.
It offers breakfast cake in a six-piece pack as well as a 485 g pre-sliced wholemeal variety.
These products suit three different purchases: breakfast cake for eating on the go, a larger pre-sliced cake for home and a pack of chocolates as a separate gift. Choose between the two breakfast cakes based on when you’ll eat them; assess the gift separately.
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If you’re looking for breakfast cake to take with you, check how many individual portions are in the pack and how much each one weighs. The variety name doesn’t prove that the product is sugar-free; check the latest nutritional information and ingredients before comparing it with other products.
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This chocolate pack is suited to a separate gift or sharing occasion, rather than as a replacement for breakfast cake. Check the contents and allergens with the recipient in mind.
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If you regularly have a slice at home, you could consider this larger pre-sliced pack. Think about how much you’ll use once it’s open, and compare the sugars, fibre and allergens on the label for this variety.
Not for the same purpose: you choose breakfast cake for yourself to eat, and a box of chocolates to give as a gift or share. Buy both if you have both in mind, and check the gift’s allergens separately.
No. The no-added-sugar claim doesn’t tell you how much total sugar the product contains. Check the nutritional information per 100 g and, if necessary, work out how much is in your intended portion.
Yes, check both products separately. The Peijnenburg portion pack reviewed lists rye and gluten, and may contain, among other things, nuts and milk. The Celebrations assortment listed by Jumbo names different allergens, including peanuts and soya. This information doesn’t automatically apply to other varieties.
That isn’t what the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority’s rule says. It explains that iodine compounds may only be present in bread, bread substitutes and other bakery products through baker’s salt; it doesn’t mean that every breakfast cake contains iodine-enriched baker’s salt. Check the ingredients of the specific product.
