For lunch on the go, a pre-portioned pack is handy if you want to grab a few biscuits straight away; a larger pack is a better fit if you prefer to portion them out at home. Don’t choose based on the word ‘dark’ alone: the percentage of chocolate in a biscuit is not the same as its cocoa percentage. Compare the nutritional information too, and always check the current label if you have allergies.
You’re looking for a biscuit with a rich, dark chocolate flavour to enjoy with lunch. If a high cocoa content matters to you, check whether the pack states a cocoa percentage: ‘dark’ and the proportion of chocolate in the biscuit don’t tell you the same thing.
You want to decide in advance how many biscuits to take with you. A pre-portioned pack can go straight into your bag; with a larger pack, you can put a portion in a resealable container at home.
You want to take sugars, saturated fat, fibre, ingredients or allergens into account. A dark chocolate coating doesn’t automatically make a biscuit dairy- or gluten-free; check the information for the specific variety.
First decide whether chocolate flavour, taking a portion with you or the information on the label matters most. Then compare like with like: for example, the proportion of chocolate in a biscuit is different from the cocoa content of that chocolate.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour and cocoa | Look for an explicit cocoa percentage if that’s one of your selection criteria; don’t confuse it with the percentage of chocolate or chocolate coating. | If I’m looking for a pronounced dark flavour, I want to know exactly what ‘dark’ means for this biscuit. For around 33% of consumers, this question of flavour and cocoa comes first. |
| Portions and packaging | Check whether the biscuits are actually individually portioned and how to store an opened pack. | For my lunchbox, I want to take a manageable amount without opening a whole pack. For around 25% of consumers, portion convenience is the top priority. |
| Nutritional value | Compare sugars, saturated fat and fibre per 100 g; for your own lunch, also consider how much you’re taking with you. | I want to compare different biscuits using the same nutritional values, rather than judging them by their name. Around 25% of consumers prioritise this comparison. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check both the ingredients and any allergen or possible trace warnings on the current pack. | If certain ingredients are a problem for me, I need to know what this variety contains or may contain before eating it. Checking ingredients and allergens comes first for around 17% of consumers. |
Jumbo lists 63% chocolate in its Dark Chocolate Biscuits, while Albert Heijn lists a 27% dark chocolate coating on its sugar-topped biscuits. These percentages describe part of the whole biscuit, not the cocoa content of the chocolate.
Is a particular cocoa content essential for you? Look for the stated cocoa percentage on the pack.
The number of nutritional servings doesn’t tell you whether the biscuits are individually wrapped. This matters most when you want to take only some of the biscuits from an opened pack.
Check whether the pack explicitly says the biscuits are individually portioned. If not, put the portion you want in a resealable container.
A dark chocolate coating doesn’t tell you how much sugar or saturated fat the whole biscuit contains. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that many products sold as snacks contain a lot of sugar or saturated fat.
Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and take into account how many biscuits you’ll actually be taking with you.
The dark chocolate varieties described by Jumbo, Albert Heijn and Lotus list milk ingredients; some products may also contain wheat or soya, or carry warnings about possible traces of nuts.
Check the label of your chosen variety every time you buy it, including any warnings about what the product may contain.
Lotus Biscoff makes speculoos biscuits with a dark chocolate layer. Lotus Bakeries lists this variety as a pack of 7 × 3 biscuits.
AH Sugar-topped Biscuits with Dark Chocolate comes in a 400 g pack, so you can portion them out yourself.
Jumbo Dark Chocolate Biscuits come in a 125 g pack, for which Jumbo lists nine servings.
Lidl lists 125 g chocolate biscuits in milk and dark varieties, available in store.
ALDI’s Biscotto chocolate biscuit range contains 20 biscuits in a 250 g pack.
No. The term alone doesn’t give you a specific cocoa percentage. Check the cocoa content on the pack if that’s what you want to base your choice on; the percentage of chocolate in the whole biscuit doesn’t answer that question.
Not necessarily. The varieties described by Jumbo, Albert Heijn and Lotus list milk ingredients. If you have an allergy or intolerance, check the ingredients and allergen information on the current pack.
Put the amount you want in a clean, well-sealed lunchbox and reseal the rest of the pack securely once opened. Also follow the storage instructions on the packaging; Albert Heijn recommends storing its sugar-topped biscuits in a sealed tin after opening.
Before eating the biscuit, check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that mandatory labelling covers 14 allergens; also check for any warnings about what the product may contain.
