Looking for a gift for a family dinner? Choose a chocolate box rather than chocolate sprinkles: sprinkles are intended as a sweet spread or topping, not as a substitute for a box of chocolates. If you’re serving rusks or dessert, choose your sprinkles based on flavour and occasion. If any guests have allergies, always check the latest packaging.
If you’re serving rusks, bread or dessert, chocolate sprinkles can be used as a sweet spread or topping. Product information from Joybuy and Jumbo mentions uses including bread, yoghurt and cupcakes, making them quite different from a boxed gift.
If you serve sprinkles regularly, you can take the amount per portion and the nutritional information into account. The Dutch Nutrition Centre does not include chocolate sprinkles in its Wheel of Five.
If a guest has a known food allergy, the ingredients and allergens listed on the current packaging are what matter. The De Ruijter and Venz dark chocolate varieties we looked at list milk and soya; the word ‘dark’ in a product name doesn’t tell you anything about this.
First decide whether you want to serve something or give it as a gift. If you’re choosing sprinkles for the table, consider how you’ll use them, the portion you want to serve and the label for any allergens.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who should pay particular attention? |
|---|---|---|
| Occasion | Decide whether you’re looking for a topping for rusks or dessert, or a chocolate box to give as a gift. If it’s a gift, choose from that product category instead. | I want to serve something with the meal, not hand over a gift; around 40% of consumers prioritise using it as a spread or topping. |
| Portion and nutritional value | Compare the nutritional values per 100 g and per portion, and decide how much you want to serve. Don’t read ‘dark’ as a nutritional claim. | If I use sprinkles for several portions, I want to be able to consider the amount of sugar and saturated fat. For around 40% of consumers, portion size is their main concern. |
| Allergens | Check the ingredients, allergens and any warnings about possible cross-contamination on the current packaging. | If a guest has a food allergy, I need to know whether the variety I’ve chosen is suitable; around 20% of consumers give checking the label top priority. |
Product information from Joybuy and Jumbo describes the sprinkles we looked at as a spread or topping. If you want to give someone a box of chocolates, you’ll need a different kind of product.
Before comparing options, decide whether the chocolate is for the table or intended as a gift. For a gift, look for a chocolate box or individual chocolates.
The word ‘dark’ describes the variety, but it doesn’t automatically mean the sprinkles are low in sugar or fat. The Dutch Nutrition Centre does not include chocolate sprinkles in its Wheel of Five.
Choose your flavour separately from your portion size, and compare the nutritional information on the packaging per 100 g and per portion.
The De Ruijter and Venz dark chocolate varieties we looked at also list milk and soya. The flavour name is no substitute for checking the label.
If a guest needs to avoid an ingredient, check the current packaging when you buy the product and before serving it.
These examples refer to specific varieties of chocolate sprinkles, not a brand’s entire range or chocolate boxes.
Joybuy describes the 390 g dark chocolate variety we looked at as a spread for bread and a topping for cupcakes. There is also a 390 g milk chocolate variety.
Venz Puur 400 g is worth considering if you’re looking for dark chocolate sprinkles to use as a spread or topping.
The own-brand varieties we looked at are Jumbo Chocolade Hagelslag Puur 380 g and Jumbo Chocolade Hagelslag Melk 600 g.
Lidl Netherlands lists Mister Choc Hagelslag Puur in a 600 g pack.
If you’re looking for a chocolate box as a gift, sprinkles aren’t an equivalent choice. The product information we looked at describes sprinkles as a spread or topping. For a gift, choose a chocolate box and check its contents, packaging and any allergens.
Read the current label of the product you plan to serve, including the ingredients, allergens and any warnings about possible cross-contamination. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that 14 allergens must be listed on labels; the De Ruijter and Venz dark chocolate sprinkle varieties we looked at list milk and soya.
No. You can’t tell how much sugar or fat a product contains from the word ‘dark’ alone. For a 15 g portion of dark chocolate sprinkles, the Dutch Nutrition Centre gives 9.1 g of sugar and 1.3 g of saturated fat. For 15 g of milk chocolate sprinkles, it gives 9.7 g of sugar and 1.4 g of saturated fat. Compare the nutritional information for the varieties you’re actually considering.
No. Iodine from baker’s salt isn’t a property of the sprinkles. The Dutch Nutrition Centre identifies bread as an important source of iodine in the Netherlands because baker’s salt contains added iodine. Choose sprinkles based on how you plan to use them and the product information, not on the salt used to make bread.
