Choose crispbread if you eat bread irregularly and want to grab a few pieces at a time. A half loaf is a better fit if you prefer soft bread and can eat it in good time or freeze it in portions. Whichever you choose, think about what you’ll actually use. Check the label too if allergens or bread made with iodised baker’s salt are a concern for you.
If you make simple evening meals with a limited stock of ingredients, it’s worth considering how much crispbread or bread you’ll actually use. Think about what you’ll put on it, too: a pack on its own doesn’t make a complete meal.
If you don’t eat bread every day, you can take a piece of crispbread as needed or freeze a half loaf in portions. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends freezing bread and taking out only what you need each time.
Grains and allergens can vary between crispbread varieties. If you’re eating less standard bread, it’s also worth checking whether the bread you’re replacing was made with iodised baker’s salt.
Best for: changing mealtimes when you want to use a few pieces at a time as a base for toppings.
Bear in mind: it has a different texture from soft bread, and ingredients vary between varieties.
Best for: anyone who prefers soft bread and will eat it within a few days or freeze it in portions straight away.
Bear in mind: you’ll need a plan for using it if you eat bread irregularly.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Particularly useful for |
|---|---|---|
| Practical portions | Check the pack size and work out how many pieces or slices you’ll use for the meals you’ve planned. | When I’m making a simple student dinner, I want to know how many meals I can make from the pack. Around 42% of consumers would say practical portions are their main consideration. |
| How quickly you’ll use it | Consider how often you eat bread and whether you can freeze a half loaf in portions. For crispbread, follow the storage advice on the pack. | If I’m at home on different days, I want to avoid leaving half a loaf uneaten. For around 33% of consumers, how quickly they’ll use it would be the main consideration. |
| Ingredients and labelling | Compare grains and allergens between varieties. If you change how much bread you eat, also check whether the label mentions iodised baker’s salt. | If I start eating crispbread instead of bread more often, I want to know what’s in it and how that changes my usual diet. For around 25% of consumers, this would be their main concern. |
Even a compact pack can go uneaten if you only have crispbread now and then. On the other hand, a half loaf needn’t go to waste if you freeze the slices.
Plan when you’ll eat bread first, then choose an amount to suit.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bread made with iodised baker’s salt is an important source of iodine in the Netherlands. The use of baker’s salt isn’t compulsory, and a salt listing on crispbread doesn’t in itself tell you whether it’s iodised.
If you often replace bread, check the salt information on the pack and consider your diet as a whole.
Rye contains gluten. Wasa lists sesame and possible traces of milk for its Thin Wholegrain Rye variety; another variety may have a different ingredient list.
Check the ingredients and allergen information on every pack, especially if you need to avoid certain ingredients because of an allergy or coeliac disease.
If you don’t eat bread regularly, unused slices may go stale before you get round to them.
Freeze the bread in portions after buying it and take out only the slices you need.
Wasa offers, among other options, wholegrain rye crispbread and a thin variety with sesame. Compare the ingredients and nutritional values of specific varieties, rather than looking at the brand name alone.
Ryvita Original Crispbread is a rye variety whose ingredients you can compare with those of other crispbreads.
Albert Heijn’s own brand offers several crispbread varieties, including wholegrain and golden brown. Those names are no substitute for comparing the labels.
Fjord Wholegrain Rye is a rye crispbread variety you can compare with other products by pack size and label.
Lidl lists crispbread with sunflower seeds and crispbread with pumpkin seeds as products available in store.
These products are crispbread options for a meal with toppings or another occasion when you want to take pieces as needed. If you’d prefer soft bread, a half loaf that you use in good time or freeze in portions is another option.
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A rye option to consider if you want to enjoy crispbread with toppings at mealtimes. Check the allergens and information about the salt used on the pack you choose.
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An option if you’re looking for crispbread to use as a base for toppings. Compare the nutritional information per 100 g on the pack and check the allergen information for this variety.
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A crispbread option for a simple meal with toppings. Check the ingredients and allergens on each pack before comparing this variety with other products.
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A variety for anyone who wants crispbread with sweet or savoury toppings. Check the ingredients and allergens on this pack, especially if you’re switching between Wasa varieties.
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The 215 g pack is worth considering if you’re planning your stock around just a few mealtimes. Check the allergen information on the pack for this rye variety.
No. Rye-based varieties contain gluten. If you need to eat gluten-free, choose only a product explicitly labelled gluten-free and check the latest ingredients and allergen information.
You can use crispbread instead of bread for a meal, but don’t assume that the two have the same nutritional composition. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bread made with iodised baker’s salt is an important source of iodine in the Netherlands. Check the labels if you change how much bread you eat.
Freeze the bread in portions after buying it and take out what you need. For opened high-fibre white bread, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends storing it in a kitchen cupboard for two to four days or in the freezer for about a month. For other types of bread, follow the instructions on the pack.
Start by thinking about how often you want to eat it and the pack size, then check whether the ingredients and allergens suit you. Consider what you’ll use as a topping, too, so the pack fits the meals you actually want to make.
