If you want to give visitors biscuits in sealed portions, choose a pack with individually wrapped servings. If you’re serving them yourself with coffee or on a platter, a larger pack may be more suitable, provided you can store the biscuits according to the storage instructions once opened. Whichever way you plan to offer them, check the current label for allergens. If you’re selling at a market, you’ll also need to meet requirements for safe food handling and allergen information.
You want to give people sealed portions without having to divide up biscuits during a busy handout. So check how many portions are actually in each pack. For example, Jumbo describes Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Chocolade as six packs, each containing three biscuits.
You’re putting biscuits on a platter or offering them with coffee. A larger pack may work well, as long as you have somewhere cool and dry to keep the leftovers in an airtight container once opened. Albert Heijn lists its Gesuikerde biscuits pure chocolade in a 400 g pack and advises storing them in a sealed tin after opening.
A name such as dark chocolate or oat biscuit doesn’t tell you which allergens the whole product contains. Check the current label before making your choice. Verkade describes Oaties Melkchocolade as gluten-free, but the product information also lists milk and soya.
First decide whether you’ll hand out sealed portions or serve the biscuits yourself. Then check how many you’ll need, the allergen information and the type of biscuit and chocolate coating.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed portions | Check the number of individually wrapped portions and the number of biscuits in each portion. | I want to give visitors a sealed portion quickly without dividing up biscuits myself. This is the main priority for around 31% of consumers. |
| Quantity and storage | Compare the net weight and stated number of portions; check how to store the biscuits after opening. | If I’m serving from a platter, I want to know how many biscuits I can put out and what to do with the rest. Around 31% of consumers prioritise this need. |
| Allergens and dietary requirements | Read the current ingredients, allergen information and any warnings about possible traces. | I need to be able to tell which biscuits are suitable for my visitors’ dietary restrictions; the type of chocolate alone doesn’t tell me enough. This is the main concern for around 23% of consumers. |
| Biscuit and chocolate coating | Decide whether you want a spritz biscuit, speculoos or a plain biscuit, and check what type of chocolate is on which part of the biscuit. | Once I’ve decided how to offer them, I mainly want to choose a particular biscuit with a suitable chocolate coating. This preference matters most to around 15% of consumers. |
According to the product information, Albert Heijn’s Gesuikerde biscuits pure chocolade contain milk, soya and lactose, among other ingredients. So the word ‘dark’ doesn’t tell you which allergens are in the whole biscuit.
Check the current ingredients and allergen information on every pack before offering it to someone who needs to avoid these substances.
The Verkade Nobo Sprits and Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Chocolade products described here contain wheat. Verkade describes Oaties Melkchocolade as gluten-free, but that doesn’t mean it’s suitable for someone with a milk or soya allergy.
Check the gluten-free claim and other allergens on the current packaging. Keep any gluten-free product you’ve chosen separate from other biscuits during storage and serving.
For the AH biscuits described here, the advice is to store them in a cool, dark, dry place and transfer them to a sealed tin after opening.
Don’t open more than you need for serving, and make sure you can seal the remaining biscuits properly.
Once you’ve taken biscuits out of their original packaging, you can no longer simply point to the label on the portion you’re offering. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergen information for non-prepacked food must be available before purchase.
Keep the current packaging information at your stall and make sure visitors can get allergen information for the biscuits you’re offering. Follow good hygiene practices when presenting and handing out food.
Nobo Sprits Melk and Oaties Melkchocolade offer two different options: a spritz biscuit with milk chocolate, and an oat biscuit that Verkade describes as gluten-free.
The Speculoos Chocolade described by Jumbo is for anyone looking for speculoos with chocolate in sealed portions of three biscuits.
Gesuikerde biscuits pure chocolade is an option if you want to serve biscuits yourself from a larger pack, either on a platter or with coffee.
These products offer a range of chocolate biscuits for handing out or serving yourself. If you want to hand out sealed portions, check the number and format of the portions before choosing a pack. If you need to meet dietary requirements, the current label is what counts.
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A milk chocolate biscuit to serve with coffee or hand out to visitors. If you’re planning to offer sealed portions, check how many portions are in the pack. If anyone has allergies, check the current label, particularly for milk, wheat and soya, as well as any warnings about nuts.
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A smaller pack to consider if you want to offer biscuits straight from the pack or share them. Check how many pieces it contains before planning how to hand them out. Check the current label for wheat, milk and soya, as well as any warnings about eggs or nuts.
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Milk chocolate biscuit sticks for anyone who wants to serve the biscuits themselves. If you want to give each visitor a sealed portion, check how the sticks are arranged inside the pack. Check the current label for wheat, milk and soya.
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An oat biscuit with milk chocolate to consider if you need an option labelled gluten-free. Confirm the claim on the current packaging and take care to avoid contact with other biscuits when serving. The product information also lists milk and soya; check the label for other allergens and warnings too.
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A spritz biscuit with milk chocolate for anyone who wants to serve biscuits with coffee or tea. If you want to hand them out quickly, check how the portions are divided up. For visitors with allergies, check the current label, including for milk, soya and wheat, and any warnings about nuts or sesame.
Choose sealed portions if you want to hand out biscuits quickly; choose a larger pack if you’re serving them yourself and can store the rest properly after opening. Jumbo lists six portions of three biscuits for Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Chocolade, while Albert Heijn lists its Gesuikerde biscuits pure chocolade as 400 g and 30 portions.
No. The name of the biscuit doesn’t give you enough information. Verkade describes Oaties Melkchocolade as gluten-free, but the ingredients include milk and soya. Check the current packaging for the gluten-free claim, ingredients and any warnings about possible traces.
Follow the storage instructions on the pack you’ve chosen and seal any opened biscuits properly. Albert Heijn advises storing its Gesuikerde biscuits pure chocolade in a cool, dark, dry place and keeping them in a sealed tin after opening.
You must be able to give visitors suitable allergen information when selling food. For prepacked products, this is on the label; for non-prepacked products, the information must be available before purchase. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority also sets requirements for safe and hygienic food handling at markets and events. Check the market’s and local authority’s requirements for your stall.
