Choose chocolate flakes if you’re looking for a sweet topping for bread or an afternoon snack at home. If you want to give chocolate as a gift, look for chocolates, pralines or a gift box: supermarkets sell these separately from chocolate flakes. Whichever you choose, check the current label for ingredients and allergens.
If you’re looking for something to take when visiting someone or to share as an afternoon treat, chocolates, pralines or a gift box are a better fit than a bread topping. PLUS and ALDI sell these chocolate products separately from flakes.
If you want to finish off a slice of bread, yoghurt or dessert with chocolate flakes, choose a flavour and pack size to suit how you plan to use them. PLUS describes De Ruijter’s milk chocolate flakes as suitable for bread and as a topping, among other uses.
Milk, lactose and soya are worth checking when choosing a product; even dark chocolate flakes may list milk or lactose on the label. Check the ingredients and allergen information for the specific product before buying.
First decide whether you’re looking for a gift or a topping. Then compare the flavour, packaging and label of products in the category you’ve chosen.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | For a gift, look for chocolates, pralines or a gift box; choose flakes for bread or as a topping. | If I’m giving chocolate as a gift, I don’t want to take a pack of bread topping. For around 45% of consumers, the way the gift is presented comes first. |
| Flavour and use | For flakes, compare the flavour and pack size with how you plan to use them. | For an afternoon snack on bread or yoghurt, I’m looking for a flavour that works well with it; around 33% of consumers prioritise this kind of use at home. |
| Label | Read the ingredients, allergen information and nutritional values per 100 g and, if provided, per portion. | I want to know which ingredients and allergens are listed before I buy. For around 22% of consumers, checking the label is the top priority. |
Flakes are sold as a topping for bread or other foods. PLUS and ALDI list chocolates and premium chocolate in a different product category, so a pack of flakes isn’t the same kind of gift.
For a gift, search specifically for chocolates, pralines or a gift box, then compare the flavour and packaging.
PLUS states that its dark chocolate flakes may contain milk and lactose. The allergen information for AH Pure chocolate flakes also lists milk and lactose.
Read the current label on the pack you’ve chosen, including any warning about cross-contamination.
Ingredients and nutritional values vary between products, as well as the flavour. Voedingscentrum advises against eating chocolate bread toppings too much or too often.
Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and consider how much you’ll actually use.
Chocolate flakes for sweet bread toppings and other uses, including milk, dark and white varieties in the range shown by Albert Heijn.
Albert Heijn sells 300 g packs of dark chocolate flakes as a topping for bread.
Jumbo’s own-brand range includes 300 g packs of milk chocolate flakes in its sweet bread toppings category.
PLUS sells 300 g packs of dark chocolate flakes as an own-brand product, and offers chocolates in a separate category.
ALDI offers Kiekeboe chocolate flakes in 300 g packs, in milk and dark varieties, as a topping for bread.
These Joybuy products are suited to an afternoon snack at home: the list includes chocolate flakes, chocolate sprinkles and a chocolate vermicelli variety. For a gift, search specifically for chocolates or a gift box instead.
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A variety of flakes for anyone looking for a sweet bread topping or something to sprinkle on food at home, rather than a box of chocolates to give as a gift.
Pack size: 200 g. Check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging.
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Milk chocolate flakes for anyone who wants to add a sweet topping to bread or an afternoon snack.
Pack size: 300 g. Read the allergen information on the packaging before buying.
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A dark chocolate sprinkles option for anyone looking for a topping to use at home; the word ‘dark’ doesn’t tell you for certain whether allergens are present.
Pack size: 200 g. Check the ingredients and allergens on the current label.
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Flakes for anyone looking for a topping or sweet bread spread to enjoy at home, rather than a gift box of chocolates.
Pack size: 200 g. Check the packaging for ingredients and allergens.
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Milk chocolate vermicelli for anyone looking for a topping for bread; this isn’t a chocolate flakes variety or a box of chocolates.
Pack size: 600 g. Check the ingredients and allergens for this variety on the packaging.
If you’re looking for a chocolate gift that’s ready to present, choose a product sold as chocolates, pralines or a gift box. PLUS and ALDI list these products separately from chocolate flakes, which are intended as a topping for bread or other foods.
Choose the flavour you want, then compare the ingredients, pack size and allergen information. Dark chocolate flakes aren’t automatically free from milk or lactose: the information for both AH Pure chocolate flakes and PLUS’s dark flakes highlights this.
Check the label on the specific pack, including the ingredients list and any warnings about cross-contamination. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the mandatory labelling requirements for 14 allergens; don’t base your choice solely on the flavour name or the front of the pack.
Follow the storage advice and best-before date on the packaging of your product. AH and PLUS product information recommends storing their flakes in a cool, dry, dark place.
Think about how much you use and compare the nutritional values per 100 g and, if provided, per portion. Voedingscentrum does not include chocolate bread toppings in the Wheel of Five and advises against eating them too much or too often.
