Lunchbox shoppers and commuters
You want to take a sealed portion to school or work, without having to divide biscuits from a larger pack while you’re out.
Who should think carefully about pack format?
Families who like to share
You’re buying for several occasions and weighing up whether you need individually wrapped portions or can divide them up at home.
Breakfast shoppers who check the label
You check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information before adding a sweet option to your morning routine.
What should you look for when choosing?
First, decide whether you need a sealed portion for when you’re out or can divide the biscuits up at home. Then consider how they fit into your breakfast and read the label for the variant you’re choosing.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who should bear this in mind? |
|---|---|---|
| Portions for when you’re out | Check how many individual packs there are and how many biscuits each contains; a multipack doesn’t necessarily mean individually wrapped portions. | I want to put one sealed pack in my bag or lunchbox without repacking the biscuits first. For around 40% of consumers, a portion that’s easy to take along is the main priority. |
| How it fits into breakfast | Compare the nutritional information per portion and per 100 g, including sugars, saturated fat and fibre. Consider the rest of your breakfast too. | If I’m having a quick breakfast, I want to know whether a sweet biscuit is just an extra alongside my usual breakfast. For around 50% of consumers, breakfast choices matter most. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the pack you’re buying; check any gluten-free claim on that same variant. | The exact ingredients may determine whether I can choose these biscuits. That’s why around 10% of consumers put ingredients and allergens first. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming a multipack contains individual portions to take with you
Several packs in one outer box don’t tell you how many sealed portions you can take separately.
Check the pack-size details, such as the number of packs and biscuits per pack, rather than looking only at the total weight.
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Thinking of biscuits as a complete breakfast
A chocolate biscuit isn’t automatically a substitute for a breakfast based on foods from the Wheel of Five, as recommended by the Voedingscentrum.
Check the nutrition table and decide whether you’d also like to have, for example, wholemeal bread or yoghurt with fruit and oats.
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Relying only on allergen information online
Information on a product page may differ from the pack you have if it’s a different variant or the ingredients have changed.
Before eating, check the ingredients list and allergen information on the pack you’ve bought.
Brands and pack sizes to consider
Verkade
Verkade lists Choco Wolken, with chocolate filling and biscuit, in a 3 × 35 g pack.
- The small multipack contains three pre-portioned packs.
- Check that the inner packaging suits how you want to take the biscuits with you; also read the nutritional information and allergen details for your chosen variant.
Lotus Biscoff
For The Original Speculoos, Lotus Biscoff lists a Mega Pack containing 20 × 2 biscuits.
- The pack size makes it clear how many biscuits you get in each individual portion.
- The Original Speculoos is a speculoos biscuit, not a confirmed chocolate biscuit. Don’t choose this variant if chocolate is a must.
BelVita / Liga
A BelVita/Liga yoghurt and strawberry variant is described as five packs of two biscuits.
- The packs of two give you an idea of a practical size for a lunchbox.
- This yoghurt and strawberry variant isn’t a chocolate biscuit. For a different variant, check the pack, ingredients and allergens again.
Chocolate biscuits and biscuit sticks on Joybuy
These products let you choose between portions to take with you and biscuits to divide up at home. Check the individual portions on each pack: the total weight or a multipack label won’t always tell you how they’re arranged.
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Lu Scholiertje Milk Chocolate Biscuits, 150 g
If you want to take milk chocolate biscuits with you, check how many individual portions the 150 g pack contains. Before choosing, read the nutritional information and allergen details on the pack too.
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Lu Mikado Milk Chocolate Biscuit Sticks, 75 g
If you want to divide up milk chocolate biscuit sticks at home, check how many individual packs are in the 75 g pack. If you’re buying them for a lunchbox, don’t assume they come in ready-to-go portions without checking the packaging.
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Ulker IKRAM Chocolate Cream Biscuit, 12x(4x84g)
If you’re taking biscuits with you on several occasions, the arrangement of the individual packs is what matters most. For these chocolate cream biscuits, check that the 12x(4x84g) notation matches the contents shown on the pack, and read the nutritional information and allergen details there.
Frequently asked questions
Are chocolate biscuits a complete breakfast to take with you?
No, chocolate biscuits aren’t automatically a complete breakfast. The Voedingscentrum recommends using foods from the Wheel of Five as the basis for breakfast; if you’re eating on the go, think about what you’ll have alongside the biscuits too.
Which multipack will fit in a lunchbox?
A multipack with individually wrapped, sealed portions is a good choice if you want to take something with you without repacking it. Lotus Biscoff, for example, lists a speculoos pack containing 20 × 2 biscuits, but it isn’t a confirmed chocolate variant. For chocolate biscuits, check the flavour and how the pack is arranged.
Where can I find allergen information for pre-packed biscuits?
Check the label on the pack you’re buying. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, 14 specified allergens must be listed on the labels of pre-packed foods.
Is a fibre claim on the front enough to compare biscuits?
No, compare the ingredients list, portion size and full nutrition table too. The Voedingscentrum points out that the ingredients and nutritional information are shown on the back of the pack.