If you’re mainly after the texture of chocolate flakes on bread or yoghurt, choose flakes and treat them as a sweet treat. If being able to check that you’re choosing less sugar matters more, also consider chocolate sprinkles or a biscuit as a different type of product. Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and check which standard product is used as the reference. For children’s snacks, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre also recommends foods from the Wheel of Five.
A sweet treat can be part of the autumn half-term holiday, but it’s different from an everyday snack. For children aged 4 to 12, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre mainly recommends snacks from the Wheel of Five and advises no more than four eating or drinking occasions between meals.
For them, a claim on the front of the pack isn’t enough: they want to know which product is used as the reference and how much sugar the chosen version contains per 100 g. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing products on this basis.
If you specifically want flakes on bread, yoghurt or breakfast cereal, chocolate sprinkles or a biscuit won’t be the same product. Albert Heijn and Jumbo list several standard varieties in their chocolate-flake ranges; if you’re comparing sugar levels, check the current product labels.
First decide whether you’re looking for a topping, a bread spread or a snack to eat on its own. Then compare the nutritional information for products that suit the occasion.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Less sugar | Check ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g and see which standard variety a lower-sugar claim is comparing it with. | If I want to choose less sugar, I need more to go on than the wording on the pack alone. For an estimated 45% of consumers, that verifiable comparison is the deciding factor. |
| The occasion | Choose deliberately between flakes as a topping, chocolate sprinkles as a bread spread and a biscuit as a snack to eat on its own. | When choosing something for a child, I look for an option that suits the planned occasion, rather than automatically choosing the same sweet product for every break. Around 33% of consumers put suitability first. |
| Availability and product type | Check the product’s current status and whether it’s flakes, chocolate sprinkles or a biscuit. | When doing the holiday shopping, I want to know I can choose the product I have in mind without accidentally switching to a different category. This matters most to around 22% of consumers. |
Chocolate sprinkles can be a different kind of chocolate spread for bread, but they don’t have the texture of flakes. A biscuit is a snack to eat on its own, rather than a bread spread.
First decide what you want to use the product for. Then compare products that suit the occasion.
A relative reduction doesn’t tell you on its own how much sugar the product contains. Jumbo listed 42.6 g of sugars per 100 g for its Hagelslag Melk Minder Suiker (milk chocolate sprinkles with less sugar); PLUS lists 24 g per 100 g for the Snelle Jelle breakfast cake reviewed.
Always check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g alongside the claim, and note which reference product is named.
According to PLUS, De Ruijter Witte Vlokken contains milk, lactose and soya. The Snelle Jelle breakfast cake reviewed contains rye and gluten, and may contain milk and nuts.
Check the current ingredients and allergen information on the product you’re actually buying.
The product page for Jumbo Hagelslag Melk Minder Suiker also says that the item is no longer part of the online range. Product information alone doesn’t tell you whether you can order it now.
Check the current product status at the retailer you plan to buy from.
Chocolate flakes featured in the ranges reviewed at Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS.
Own-brand range with standard chocolate flakes and a separate example of chocolate sprinkles carrying a lower-sugar claim.
Breakfast cake as an alternative when you’re looking for a snack to eat on its own, rather than a topping.
A brand of small cakes that ALDI describes as individually wrapped snacks.
Chocolate sprinkles in the range PLUS presents under ‘Sugar-conscious’.
These Joybuy products are biscuits for anyone who’d prefer a snack to eat on its own rather than flakes as a topping. A lower-sugar claim doesn’t mean they’re sugar-free; compare the current nutritional information on the pack you choose.
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A cookie bar is a snack to eat on its own, not a topping for bread or yoghurt.
The product name states that the pack contains six pieces. To compare sugar levels, check the nutritional information per 100 g and which standard product the lower-sugar claim refers to.
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Breakfast cake is a different kind of snack for when you’re not looking for a chocolate-flake topping.
The product name states that the pack contains 250 g. Check the pack to see exactly what the lower-sugar claim is comparing and whether the nutritional values are given per 100 g or per portion. Don’t assume from the product name that the cake is sugar-free.
The chocolate-flake ranges reviewed at Albert Heijn and Jumbo show standard varieties, while the Jumbo product reviewed with a lower-sugar claim is chocolate sprinkles. If you specifically want flakes, check the current product page and the label of the variety you’re considering; a claim for chocolate sprinkles doesn’t apply to flakes.
No, this kind of comparison doesn’t mean the product contains no sugar. Jumbo listed 42.6 g of sugars per 100 g for its lower-sugar chocolate sprinkles reviewed, while PLUS lists 24 g per 100 g for the Snelle Jelle breakfast cake reviewed. Check the figure on the pack of the variety you’re buying.
First decide whether you need a topping, a bread spread or a snack to eat on its own. Then compare the nutritional information per 100 g and check the ingredients and allergens. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises looking beyond the wording on the front of the pack when comparing products.
For children aged 4 to 12, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre mainly recommends snacks from the Wheel of Five, such as vegetables and fruit. If you’d also like to offer a sweet treat, distinguish between flakes on bread and a biscuit to eat on its own, and check the nutritional information for the product you choose.
