Who is this comparison useful for?

Dark chocolate fans watching their fat intake

You’re looking for a dark chocolate biscuit and want to compare total fat and saturated fat per 100 g, rather than relying on the word ‘dark’ alone.

Planning a treat with a cup of tea or coffee

You want to know how the number of biscuits you actually eat affects your intake of fat, sugars and energy.

Shoppers checking allergens

You need to check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging. A dark chocolate biscuit isn’t automatically free from milk, wheat or soya.

What should you look for when choosing?

First compare similar biscuits per 100 g, then check the amount you plan to eat. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends using the per-100 g values as a basis for comparing labels; portion sizes can vary between products.

What to consider What to check Who it matters to
Total and saturated fat Compare ‘fat’ and ‘of which saturates’ per 100 g across similar biscuits. I want to choose a dark chocolate biscuit without losing sight of its fat content. This is the top priority for around 45% of consumers.
Portion and nutritional value After comparing per 100 g, check the amount per biscuit or portion, along with the energy, fat and sugars it contains. With a cup of tea or coffee, I want to decide in advance how many biscuits to have and what that portion adds to my intake. Portion planning comes first for around 33% of consumers.
Ingredients and allergens Read the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging; don’t assume what’s in the biscuit based on the words ‘dark chocolate’. If I need to avoid certain ingredients, I want to know what’s in the biscuit before I buy it. This check is the top priority for around 22% of consumers.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming ‘dark’ means low in fat

    The four labels compared from Lotus Bakeries Nederland and Jumbo Supermarkten list 22,0 to 25,6 g of total fat per 100 g. So the type of chocolate alone doesn’t tell you how much fat is in the whole biscuit.

    Before choosing a portion, compare total fat, saturated fat and sugars per 100 g across similar biscuits.

  • Comparing only the stated portion size

    A portion on the label can vary from one product to another. This means portion values aren’t a direct way to compare two packs, as the Netherlands Nutrition Centre also explains.

    Use the nutritional values per 100 g to compare products, then check how many grams you actually plan to eat.

  • Assuming ‘dark chocolate’ means allergen-free

    The products discussed include ingredients such as wheat, milk and soya. The word ‘dark’ doesn’t mean these ingredients are absent.

    Check the ingredients and allergens on the current packaging, even if you’ve bought the product before.

  • Applying a cocoa percentage to the whole biscuit

    A percentage given for the chocolate used doesn’t automatically tell you what proportion of the whole biscuit is made up of cocoa.

    Use explicit product information to guide your expectations of the flavour. Compare the fat content using the biscuit’s nutrition table.

Brands compared

Lotus Biscoff

Lotus Biscoff offers speculoos biscuits with dark chocolate in a pack of 7 × 3 biscuits.

  • According to Lotus Bakeries Nederland, this product contains 22,0 g of total fat per 100 g: the lowest figure among the four products compared here.
  • The same label lists 13,3 g of saturated fat and 39,6 g of sugars per 100 g. The product contains ingredients including wheat, milk and soya.

Jumbo Lekker kiezen

Jumbo offers, among other things, Chocolate Cookies with dark chocolate pieces and Digestive Biscuit Dark Chocolate: two different types of biscuit to assess separately.

  • Jumbo Supermarkten lists 24,0 g of total fat and 12,9 g of saturated fat per 100 g for the Digestive.
  • The Chocolate Cookies list 25,6 g of total fat and 14,2 g of saturated fat per 100 g. Check the ingredients and allergens for each variety separately.

McVitie's

McVitie's Digestives Dark Chocolate combines a wheat biscuit with a layer of dark chocolate.

  • The label listed by Jumbo Supermarkten gives 26,6 g of sugars per 100 g, less than the figures for the two Jumbo varieties compared here.
  • The same label lists 24,3 g of total fat and 12,9 g of saturated fat per 100 g. The product contains wheat, milk and soya.

Related products at Joybuy

Related products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

Is a dark chocolate biscuit automatically low in fat?

No. ‘Dark’ describes the chocolate, not the fat content of the whole biscuit. Compare the stated total fat and saturated fat per 100 g across similar products.

Should I compare biscuits per portion or per 100 g?

Compare different biscuits per 100 g first. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre explains that portion values can distort a comparison; use them afterwards to check the nutritional value of the amount you plan to eat.

Which allergens might dark chocolate biscuits contain?

It varies by product. The labels discussed here list ingredients including wheat, milk and soya. Read the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging; the words ‘dark chocolate’ are no substitute for this.

Which label information is useful when choosing?

Pay particular attention to the nutritional values per 100 g, the ingredients list and the allergen information. Check the current packaging if the ingredients matter to your choice; the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority emphasises that information about the contents of prepacked foods must be easy to read.