If the coating is essential to what you want to offer at the festival, choose a biscuit whose product description mentions a chocolate coating; a cookie with chocolate chips is a different type of product. Also check the portion packaging and storage instructions. If you’re serving biscuits unpackaged, make sure visitors can get information about the allergens present before they buy, as required by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.
If you’re selling or handing out biscuits from a tray or stall, you need to keep the product information with them. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority requires sellers of unpackaged food to inform customers about the allergens present. Safe, hygienic storage and sales also need attention at markets and events.
If your stall is in the sun, it’s important to store your stock in a sheltered place and keep it in a resealable pack. The product information for the Jumbo and LU biscuits covered here recommends storing them in a cool, dry place and closing the pack securely once opened.
If you want chocolate on the outside of the biscuit, look beyond the general label ‘chocolate biscuit’. Jumbo describes its Chocolade Biscuits Puur as a biscuit with chocolate and a thick coating; Albert Heijn, by contrast, describes its Choc chip biscuit as containing chocolate chips.
First decide whether a chocolate coating is essential. Then choose packaging and storage that suit the way you’ll serve the biscuits at your festival, and have allergen information ready before serving them unpackaged.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who should pay particular attention? |
|---|---|---|
| Allergens when serving individual biscuits | Check the current ingredients list and keep information about the allergens present in each product available at your stall. | If I’m serving individual biscuits, I want to be able to tell visitors which allergens they contain before they buy. This is the top priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Heat and storage | Read the storage instructions on the packaging and keep your stock somewhere dry and sheltered. | When serving outdoors, I want to avoid leaving an open pack in the sun or heat for too long. Around 29% of consumers consider these storage conditions their top priority. |
| Portions and serving | Compare the number of biscuits with how they’re packaged, for example individually or in pairs. | When serving a busy crowd, I want to be able to grab portions quickly without leaving a large pack open all the time. This matters most to around 24% of consumers. |
| Type of chocolate | Look for a coating, chocolate bar, filling or chocolate chips in the description; these terms don’t mean the same thing. | If I’m expecting a biscuit with chocolate on the outside, I don’t want to hand out cookies that only contain chocolate chips. Around 18% of consumers consider this product distinction their top priority. |
Chocolate chips in a cookie and chocolate filling in a biscuit are different from chocolate on the outside.
Look for wording such as ‘thick chocolate coating’, ‘coated’ or ‘chocolate bar’ in the description. If it only mentions ‘chocolate chips’ or ‘filling’, don’t choose it if a chocolate coating is a strict requirement.
The storage advice for the Jumbo and LU products described here is to keep them in a cool, dry place and close the pack securely after opening.
Keep your stock sheltered and sealed. Put out only what you plan to hand out at that time, and check the instructions on the pack you choose.
When serving food unpackaged, information about the allergens present must remain available to visitors. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority sets requirements for sellers of unpackaged food.
Keep the current packaging or product specification for each opened product at your stall, so visitors can get the information before they buy.
A product page alone doesn’t guarantee that you can receive the quantity you need on time.
Check stock and delivery options again before confirming your festival order.
Jumbo describes dark and milk chocolate biscuits in 125 g packs containing nine biscuits.
LU offers various biscuits with chocolate, including Scholiertje Witte Chocolade with a chocolate bar and Prince Ministars coated in milk chocolate.
ALDI Netherlands describes a Biscotto pack containing twenty butter biscuits with dark, white and milk chocolate, individually wrapped in pairs.
Lidl Netherlands lists Sondey Choco biscuits melk in a 125 g pack as a product available in store.
AH Choc chip chocolade melk & puur is worth comparing if chocolate chips are enough and an outer coating isn’t essential.
Lotus Bakeries describes the standard Biscoff Cookie as a crunchy, caramelised biscuit.
These products offer different forms of chocolate with a biscuit, cookie or wafer. Focus on whether the product type suits your preference for a chocolate coating, and check the current packaging, storage conditions and allergen information before serving at your festival.
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An option to consider if you want to hand out chocolate-coated biscuit sticks; compare the format with the portion size you need for your festival.
47 g pack, IN variety. Check the current label for ingredients and allergens before serving.
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A good fit if you’re looking for Scholiertje with milk chocolate; note that this isn’t the white chocolate variety mentioned elsewhere in this article.
150 g pack. Before serving, check the current label, including for milk, wheat, soya and any warning about possible traces of nuts.
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An option to compare if you’d like to offer a vanilla filling as well as chocolate, rather than an unfilled biscuit.
171 g pack. If you’re selling the biscuits individually, check the current ingredients and allergen information on the pack.
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A wafer alternative for anyone looking for a strawberry option with chocolate, rather than biscuits specifically.
Pack of 9, 104.4 g in total. Check that the storage conditions on the current pack can be met at your festival venue.
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An option to compare if you’re looking for individually countable portions with pistachio and milk chocolate.
10 portions of 12.5 g. Before serving at your festival, check the full allergen information and storage instructions on the current pack.
Follow the storage instructions for the product you choose rather than assuming all chocolate biscuits need the same treatment. The Jumbo and LU products described recommend storing them in a cool, dry place, away from heat and direct sunlight. Keep opened packs sealed.
If you’re serving food unpackaged, you must be able to give visitors information about the allergens present. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority outlines this requirement for sellers of unpackaged food. So, keep the current product information with the biscuits when you remove the outer packaging.
You must be able to say which of the 14 allergens monitored by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority are present in the product you’re offering. Check the current packaging for each variety. For cereals containing gluten or nuts, you also need to specify which cereal or nut is involved.
No. Chips are inside the cookie, whereas a coating means chocolate on the outside. Albert Heijn lists 29% dark chocolate chips and 11% milk chocolate chips for AH Choc chip chocolade melk & puur. If you want an outer coating, check how the coating on the specific biscuit is described.
