Only choose Dutch breakfast cake for your oliebollen stall as a product with Fairtrade chocolate or cocoa if the current packaging or product specifications confirm this for the variant you’ve selected. An organic label or a retailer’s general Fairtrade page isn’t enough. Also check the portion format and allergen information: for unpackaged sales, customers must be able to get this information before buying, according to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).
You’re looking for Dutch breakfast cake whose current packaging or product specifications clearly state whether the chocolate or cocoa is Fairtrade. A retailer selling Fairtrade products doesn’t tell you anything about the specific breakfast cake you’ve chosen.
You slice the breakfast cake on site or sell slices without their original packaging. You’ll need up-to-date allergen information for each variant, which customers can access before buying, as required by the NVWA for unpackaged food.
When it’s busy, you want to be able to grab a ready-made portion without having to slice it each time. Individually wrapped slices could work well, but their packaging doesn’t in itself prove that they’re Fairtrade or suitable for someone with an allergy.
First decide which requirement matters most for your stall, then check the exact variant you’ll be selling. Assess the Fairtrade claim, allergens, portion size and recipe separately; one feature doesn’t confirm another.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who should prioritise this? |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade chocolate or cocoa | Look for the Fairtrade mark on the current packaging or product specifications for your chosen breakfast cake, or an explicit statement about the chocolate or cocoa. | I want to be able to show what the Fairtrade claim is based on for the breakfast cake I sell. This is the top priority for around 34% of consumers buying for an oliebollen stall. |
| Allergens when selling individual slices | Use the ingredients and allergen information for the exact variant, and make sure customers can access it before buying. The NVWA requires information about 14 allergens for unpackaged food. | If I sell individual slices, I want to be able to give customers accurate allergen information beforehand. This is the main concern for around 33% of these consumers. |
| Portions and serving | Check the number of slices, the weight of each slice and whether the product information remains available when serving. Peijnenburg states that its Naturel 10-pack contains ten individually wrapped slices of 28 g. | When it’s busy, I want to serve a ready-made slice without having to cut it first. Around 20% of these consumers give convenience of portioning the highest priority. |
| Ingredients and recipe | Check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information for each variant. Assess any dietary or nutritional claim separately from its Fairtrade status. | I want to know whether a particular recipe meets my customers’ needs, without making assumptions based on the name of another variant. For around 13% of these consumers, the recipe is the main selection criterion. |
A general Fairtrade page doesn’t confirm which ingredients in a particular breakfast cake are Fairtrade. Albert Heijn described an AH Bio chocolate breakfast cake as containing fair trade chocolate, but also lists the product as discontinued.
Check the claim on the current packaging or product specifications for the exact variant you’re buying. Don’t rely on the historical AH listing as a current purchasing option.
According to the NVWA, customers must be able to get information about any allergens present before buying unpackaged food. For example, the Peijnenburg Naturel 10-pack lists rye flour and possible traces of milk, hazelnuts, almonds and other cereals containing gluten; this doesn’t automatically apply to other variants.
Keep the information up to date for each variant you sell, and update it if you change product or supplier.
Individually wrapped slices make the portion size clear, but don’t in themselves tell you anything about the Fairtrade status of the cocoa or whether the product is suitable for a particular diet.
Check the portion, ingredients, allergens and Fairtrade claim separately for the variant you’ve chosen.
The NVWA states that, in bread, bread substitutes and other bakery products, iodine compounds may only be added through baking salt, with a maximum of 65 mg of iodine per kg of salt. This doesn’t tell you which salt or how much iodine is in a breakfast cake you’ve bought.
Take this rule into account when developing your own recipe. For a purchased product, rely on the information for that specific breakfast cake.
These names can help you focus your search for Dutch breakfast cake and product information, but their range or general Fairtrade messaging doesn’t confirm the status of any individual variant.
A Dutch breakfast cake brand with, among other options, plain portions and other recipe variants.
A retailer with Dutch breakfast cake products and a listing for AH Bio chocolate breakfast cake.
A retailer with a Dutch breakfast cake category and a separate category for Fairtrade breakfast, sandwich-filling and baking products.
A retailer with a Dutch breakfast cake category and general information about the Fairtrade mark on products such as chocolate.
No, the retailer’s product range doesn’t prove that. Check the current packaging or product specifications for the specific breakfast cake for the Fairtrade mark or an explicit claim about the chocolate or cocoa. Albert Heijn listed fair trade chocolate for its AH Bio chocolate breakfast cake, but also marks the product as discontinued.
For unpackaged sales, customers must be able to get information about any allergens present before buying. The NVWA lists 14 allergens that information must be provided about. Use the current details for the variant you’re selling and make sure customers know how to access them.
According to the NVWA, iodine compounds may only be added to bread, bread substitutes and other bakery products through baking salt, with a maximum of 65 mg of iodine per kg of salt. This preparation rule doesn’t confirm which salt or how much iodine is in a ready-made breakfast cake.
Use online information as a starting point, but check the current packaging or supplier specifications for the variant you’re selling when it arrives. Albert Heijn points out that ingredients, nutritional and allergen information can change, so update the information at your stall whenever the product details change.
