If you specifically want a wholemeal croissant for the autumn half-term, choose one that is explicitly labelled wholemeal and check the label: seeds or a darker colour are not proof. If you can’t find one, you could choose a multiseed croissant without assuming it’s wholemeal, or pair a plain croissant with a separate product explicitly labelled wholemeal.
For your autumn half-term snack, the croissant itself needs to be demonstrably wholemeal. Check the product description and ingredients: according to the Voedingscentrum, seeds or a brown colour alone are not proof that a product is wholemeal.
A multiseed croissant appeals to you as a handy snack, but you also want to check the nutritional information and allergens for the option you choose. Don’t treat ‘multiseed’ as another name for ‘wholemeal’.
You choose a croissant mainly for its flavour or for the convenience of baking it at home. If you also want to serve a wholemeal product, choose one separately rather than wrongly counting the croissant as wholemeal.
First decide whether the croissant itself needs to be wholemeal, or whether a multiseed option or a separate wholemeal product would also suit the snack occasion. Then check the information for the exact option you want to buy.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal labelling | Read the exact product description and ingredients. Don’t rely on seeds or colour alone. | If the croissant itself needs to be wholemeal, I want to be able to identify that on the label. For around 50% of consumers, being able to verify that it’s wholemeal is the top priority. |
| Convenience and ingredients | For a multiseed option, compare the fibre and salt per 100 g, and read the allergen information. | For a convenient snack with seeds, I want to know what’s in the croissant I’ve chosen, without assuming it’s wholemeal. This combination is the top priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Flavour and baking convenience | Check that the croissant suits the occasion, whether you want to eat it as it is or bake it at home. Check that any separate wholemeal product is labelled accordingly. | I mainly want to serve a plain croissant and can choose a wholemeal product separately. Around 20% of consumers say this combination is their top priority. |
A croissant can contain seeds or bran without being labelled wholemeal. For example, Albert Heijn lists wheat flour as the first ingredient in its AH Meerzaden croissant.
If wholemeal is your main criterion, look for an explicit wholemeal label on the packaging and read the ingredients list.
For its AH Meerzaden croissant, Albert Heijn lists milk and cereals containing gluten as allergens. It also notes the possible presence of ingredients including egg, soya, oats and nuts; this does not automatically apply to other croissants.
Before buying, check the allergen information on the current packaging for the exact option, especially if anyone at the table needs to avoid certain ingredients.
According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers are not required to use baker’s salt. So you can’t tell which type of salt has been used simply from the word ‘croissant’.
If you want to know which salt has been used, check the ingredients on a packaged product or ask the baker.
The products mentioned here show different snack options. A croissant with seeds, a plain croissant and a separate wholemeal loaf are not the same type of product.
Albert Heijn lists the AH Meerzaden croissant as a separate product in its croissant range.
Lidl lists a butter croissant as an in-store product.
ALDI lists croissants to bake at home and also includes wholemeal rolls in its wider bakery range.
PLUS has a separate category for wholemeal bread.
Dirk lists butter croissants in its range of rolls and croissants.
No. ‘Multiseed’ does not in itself confirm that a product is wholemeal. Albert Heijn describes its AH Meerzaden croissant as a multiseed product and lists wheat flour as the first ingredient. If you want a wholemeal option, check the explicit product description and the label.
Always check the allergen information for the exact option. For its AH Meerzaden croissant, Albert Heijn lists milk and cereals containing gluten, and also notes the possible presence of ingredients including egg, soya, oats and nuts. Compare this information with the current packaging.
No, you can’t assume that. According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers are not required to use baker’s salt. For a packaged croissant, read the ingredients or ask the baker which type of salt has been used.
A butter croissant does not automatically replace a wholemeal croissant. Lidl and Dirk list plain butter croissants, but this does not confirm that they’re wholemeal. If the croissant itself needs to be wholemeal, check for an option explicitly labelled wholemeal; otherwise, you can choose a separate wholemeal product to have alongside it.
