If you want to pick up toast with a chocolate topping while doing a quick top-up shop, plain toast with a separate chocolate topping is a straightforward option. For example, Albert Heijn lists chocolate squares designed for bread or toast. If you’re looking for a ready-made chocolate-coated product, check the packaging to make sure it really is toast with a chocolate coating; a chocolate biscuit or plain Melba toast is something different.
Want to avoid accidentally picking up plain savoury toast? Check whether you’re after a ready-made coated product or want to add your own topping. Albert Heijn describes Jacques Matinettes as chocolate squares for bread or toast.
If you want to use toast with different toppings, you can choose plain toast and pick up chocolate separately. The toast ranges at Jumbo and Albert Heijn include Melba toast and other plain toast varieties.
When you combine toast and chocolate, check the labels on both products. Check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging, and compare the nutritional information of similar products per 100 g, as advised by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
First decide whether you need the chocolate coating to be on the toast itself. If a separate topping will do, choose a toast base and then check the chocolate topping’s packaging.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| The right product type | Read the product name and ingredients: is it toast with a chocolate coating, plain toast or a separate chocolate topping? | I want the chocolate already on the toast and don’t want to get home with just a plain base. Around 40% of consumers give this product type top priority. |
| Allergens | Check the ingredients, highlighted allergens and any may-contain warnings on both packs. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, both the toast and the topping have to suit me. Around 30% of consumers put checking the label first. |
| Quick to combine | Decide whether you want a sweet snack straight away or toast with a separate topping; also check the use-by date and storage advice. | I want to be able to pick up a toast base during a quick shop and add my own topping. This flexibility matters most to around 20% of consumers. |
| Nutritional information | For similar products, compare sugars, saturated fat, salt and fibre per 100 g. | When choosing between sweet toppings, I want to compare nutritional values without different serving sizes skewing the picture. Around 10% of consumers prioritise this. |
A name such as toast or Melba toast doesn’t tell you whether it has chocolate on it. A chocolate biscuit is also not the same as toast that you can add a topping to.
Check the product name and ingredients for a chocolate coating. If you want to combine the products yourself, choose both the toast and a separate chocolate product.
You can’t tell from the toast category alone whether a particular product contains iodised salt.
If this matters to your choice, read the ingredients list on the pack and look for a mention of baker’s salt or iodised salt.
Toast and chocolate toppings can contain different ingredients and allergens. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergens must be listed on the labels of pre-packed foods.
Check the current packaging for both products, including any may-contain warning, before using them.
Serving sizes can vary from one product to another, so two per-serving figures don’t necessarily give you a useful comparison.
For similar products, use the nutritional information per 100 g and look separately at sugars, saturated fat, salt and fibre.
Melba toast as a base for toppings. Jumbo and Albert Heijn stock a range of Melba toast varieties.
Jumbo’s toast range includes its own-brand toast and Melba toast.
Albert Heijn stocks plain toast varieties and separately lists Jacques Matinettes as chocolate squares for bread or toast.
Bolletje Ontbijtcrackers Meerzaden are seeded breakfast crackers, not chocolate-coated toast.
These products are separate chocolate toppings for anyone who wants to add their own topping to plain toast. They aren’t ready-made chocolate-coated toast products; choose your toast base separately and check the packaging for both products.
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A separate topping if you want to add chocolate to toast yourself; the toast is sold separately.
390 g pack. Check the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging.
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A separate chocolate topping for anyone who wants to add their own to toast, rather than toast that’s already coated.
600 g pack with smileys. Check the allergens on the packaging, including the information about milk and wheat.
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Chocolate flakes as a separate topping for toast; you’ll also need a toast base to make a combination.
300 g pack. If you have a wheat allergy, check the allergen and may-contain information on the current packaging.
Read the ingredients list for the specific product; don’t rely on the word toast alone. If iodine matters to your choice, look for mentions of baker’s salt or iodised salt.
Check the ingredients, highlighted allergens and any may-contain warnings on the packaging for both the toast and the chocolate topping. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the allergen labelling requirements for pre-packed foods; check the labels on the products you’re actually going to use.
First compare products within the same category per 100 g, rather than comparing per-serving figures alone. Look at sugars, saturated fat, salt and fibre, for example. If you’re having toast with a separate topping, take the nutritional values of both products into account.
Follow the storage advice on the packaging you buy. Albert Heijn advises keeping Jacques Matinettes cool at 14–18 °C and storing them in a dry place. Don’t automatically apply this product-specific advice to other chocolate toppings or to toast.
