Choose Melba toast if you want a crunchy base that everyone can top themselves over the autumn half-term. If you’re mainly after a snack with a ready-made chocolate coating, a wafer or biscuit is a better fit, but it isn’t toast. For either option, check the latest ingredients and allergen information.
With plain toast, you can serve chocolate or another topping separately and decide how much to put on each slice. It does take a little preparation, though; a ready-made coating doesn’t offer the same flexibility.
If you want the same crunchy base for sweet and savoury toppings, uncoated Melba toast is a better choice than a chocolate-coated wafer.
Toast and chocolate-coated wafers can contain different allergens. Check the latest packaging for every product you choose, even if you’re serving them on the same snack platter.
First decide whether you’re looking for toast to top yourself or a ready-to-eat chocolate snack. Then compare the pack and label with the people you’ll be sharing it with in mind.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Toast or chocolate snack | Read the product name: is it Melba toast, a wafer or a biscuit? Check whether the chocolate is already on the product. | If I want to serve something with a chocolate coating straight away, I don’t want to discover after buying it that I need to top plain toast myself. For around 45% of consumers, a ready-to-eat chocolate snack comes first. |
| Toppings and sharing | Check the pack size and choose a type of toast that suits the toppings you plan to serve. | For a platter where people can choose their own sweet or savoury topping, I want an uncoated, crunchy base. Around 33% of consumers put this flexibility at the top of their list. |
| Allergens and snack occasion | Read the latest ingredients, allergen information and any cross-contamination warnings. Also decide whether you’re looking for a sweet snack. | If allergens or the type of snack are the deciding factors, the packaging needs to suit the people I’m serving. This is the main consideration for around 22% of consumers. |
A chocolate-coated wafer isn’t toasted bread to use as a base for toppings. The type of product changes how you can use it on a snack platter.
Check the product name and choose Melba toast specifically if you’re looking for a base to top yourself.
Whether a particular product is available to order can change between planning your snack and placing your order.
Check the current product page before putting your snack platter together.
A claim such as lactose-free or wholegrain doesn’t tell you which other allergens may be present. These can also vary between types of toast and wafers.
Read the full allergen information and any cross-contamination warning on the latest packaging.
The word toast doesn’t tell you which salt was used in its preparation.
If the presence of iodised salt matters to you, check the ingredients list for the specific product.
Albert Heijn describes its plain Melba toast as a base for toppings.
This brand offers plain and wholegrain varieties of Melba toast, among other options.
Haust offers toast products suited to savoury snack occasions, among others.
The own-brand range includes plain toast and mini crackers.
These products include ready-to-eat chocolate-coated wafers and biscuits, as well as uncoated Melba toast for toppings of your choice. The wafers and biscuits are not chocolate-coated toast.
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For anyone looking for a ready-to-eat chocolate snack who doesn’t need toast. This is a 33 g hazelnut wafer, not a base for toppings. Check the latest label if you have allergies.
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A chocolate biscuit alternative to topped toast. The pack contains 150 g; check the latest allergen information if you’re sharing the biscuits.
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For anyone who’d rather share a chocolate wafer than top toast. The product name states that it contains 9 pieces. Check the packaging if individually wrapped portions or allergens matter to you.
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For a snack platter where you choose the toppings yourself. This pack contains 240 g of Melba toast with no chocolate coating, so you’ll need to add any chocolate topping separately. The ingredients list and allergen information in the product description contradict each other. Check the latest packaging before choosing, especially if you have allergies.
No. A wafer is a different type of product from Melba toast. Albert Heijn describes Melba toast as toasted slices of bread for toppings, so choose based on the product name and ingredients, not just the word chocolate.
Read the allergen information on the latest packaging for each product. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergens must be listed on the labels of prepacked foods. Also look for any cross-contamination warnings.
No. You can’t tell whether it contains iodised baker’s salt from the product name toast. Check the ingredients list for the specific product if this matters to you.
Store opened Melba toast in an airtight container and only add the toppings just before serving. Albert Heijn recommends keeping its plain Melba toast in a sealed tin after opening.
Make it a treat you choose deliberately, rather than using the product name toast as a reason to serve it every day. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends that children aged 4 to 8 have a small treat no more than once a day, and suggests choosing products from the Wheel of Five for everyday snacks.
