If you want to take biscuits to lectures, choose a variety that clearly states it comes in small individual packs. For coffee with your housemates, sharing portions or more biscuits per pack may be more convenient. Then decide whether you’re after a crunchy biscuit, biscuit sticks or a wafer, and check the ingredients, allergens and nutrition information per 100 g on the packaging of the exact variety.
For lectures or the library, you’ll want to grab a portion without putting an opened pack in your bag. So check how many biscuits are in each individual pack. For example, Albert Heijn describes a Lotus Biscoff variety with packs of three, while ALDI Nederland lists Biscotto in twin packs.
For a first coffee evening together, it’s not just the number of biscuits that matters, but also how easily you can open the pack in portions. ALDI Nederland describes Biscotto biscuits in twin packs, with three types of chocolate in one pack.
If ingredients or allergens are important to your choice, read the label for the exact variety. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing nutrition information per 100 g, so different portion sizes don’t skew the comparison.
Start with when you’ll be eating them: a small sealed portion for when you’re out, a pack to share, or a particular flavour and texture. Then check the packaging for the information that matters most to your choice.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Portions for when you’re out | Check how many biscuits are in each individual pack and whether you can take one portion without opening the whole pack. | When I’m heading from my room to a lecture, I want to be able to put a sealed portion in my bag. Around 40% of consumers would put convenience for taking snacks with them first. |
| Sharing and stocking up | Compare the number of biscuits and how they’re divided into individual packs. | When having coffee with new housemates, I want to be able to put biscuits out without opening every portion at once. Around 30% of consumers would mainly look for products that are easy to share. |
| Flavour and texture | Distinguish between speculoos, butter biscuits, biscuit sticks, wafers and soft filled snacks; check the type of chocolate too. | I’m looking for a crunchy biscuit and don’t want to accidentally choose a soft filled snack. Around 20% of consumers would put their preferred flavour and texture first. |
| Label information | Read the ingredients and allergens for the exact variety; compare nutrition information per 100 g. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, I can’t rely on the front of the pack alone. Around 10% of consumers would consider label information the most important factor. |
A claim about animal-derived ingredients doesn’t tell you which other allergens a biscuit contains. What’s more, varieties with similar names may have different ingredients.
If you have an allergy, check the ingredients list and allergen information on the current packaging of the exact variety you’re buying.
A pack with more biscuits doesn’t necessarily contain larger portions. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends using nutrition information per 100 g as a helpful basis for comparing labels.
Use the number of biscuits to plan how you’ll take or share them, and compare the nutrition information separately per 100 g.
A soft snack with a filling and chocolate coating is a different eating experience from crunchy speculoos or a butter biscuit with chocolate. ALDI Nederland lists these as separate product types.
First choose the product type you want, then compare the packaging and ingredients of the remaining options.
Lidl’s biscuit range also includes products that are available for a limited time and only in store. So a category page won’t tell you whether your local shop has the variety you want.
Check the current range at your local shop before making a special trip for a particular chocolate biscuit.
The brands and shops mentioned here offer a range of product types and packaging. A retailer isn’t a manufacturer, and a particular variety listed by a retailer doesn’t represent its entire range.
Lotus Bakeries Nederland describes its Speculoos with chocolate as a pack of seven portions of three biscuits.
ALDI Nederland describes Biscotto Chocolate Biscuits as twenty butter biscuits weighing 250 g in total, with dark, white and milk chocolate.
Albert Heijn is a retailer and lists, among other products, a Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Belgian chocolate twin pack with six packs of three biscuits.
Jumbo is a retailer and lists Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Chocolade in a format described as 3p x6.
Lidl is a retailer with a page for chocolate biscuits and a separate overview of biscuits and cookies.
These products offer different types of chocolate snacks for student accommodation: milk chocolate biscuits, biscuit sticks and wafers. For each variety, check the product type, number of pieces and individual packaging if taking them with you or sharing them matters to you.
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An option for coffee with your housemates if you’re looking for milk chocolate biscuits. Check how many biscuits are in each individual pack if you want to be able to open small portions.
If you have allergies, read the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging and compare the nutrition information per 100 g.
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For anyone who prefers biscuit sticks to ordinary biscuits and is considering a 47 g pack. Check the packaging to see how the sticks are divided inside before planning portions to take with you.
Check the ingredients and allergens for this variety on the current label.
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A chocolate-flavoured wafer with salted caramel for anyone looking to put out nine pieces to share. If you also want to take individual pieces with you, check whether they’re individually wrapped.
If you have allergies, read the label for the exact variety.
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For anyone looking for a strawberry-flavoured wafer; the product name lists ten pieces and 113 g. Check the individual packaging if you need separate portions.
To compare nutrition, use the information per 100 g on the current label and check the allergen information there too.
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A chocolate wafer for anyone after a small snack; the product name lists 16.5 g per pack. Check the packaging if you specifically want a biscuit with a separate chocolate layer.
Also check how many packs are in the retail pack before stocking up for your housemates. If you have allergies, read the current label.
Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the current packaging for the exact variety. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority describes the mandatory labelling of fourteen allergens. If you have an allergy, don’t rely on the product name or a picture of the pack alone.
Compare the nutrition information per 100 g. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre uses this basis for comparing labels. The number of biscuits in a pack tells you something different: how you can divide them up.
No. A vegan label doesn’t mean a product is free from allergens such as gluten or soya. Albert Heijn describes a Belgian chocolate variety as vegan; always check the allergen information on the label for that exact variety, and don’t assume information for a differently packaged Lotus variety also applies.
First check the current range at your local shop. Lidl lists chocolate biscuits, but its biscuit range also includes temporary products available only in store. When you buy, read the label for the variety on offer.
