Who might find this choice relevant?

Breakfast eaters keeping an eye on sugar

You want to keep enjoying egg cakes, but compare how much sugar each one contains before deciding how many to serve.

Breakfast eaters who consider fibre

You’re considering a wholemeal egg cake and want to compare its fibre content without assuming that wholemeal also means less sugar.

Families planning a Sunday treat

You want to decide in advance how many cakes to put on the table. A small or individually wrapped cake can be handy, but it doesn’t automatically contain little sugar.

What should you look for when choosing?

What to consider What to check when buying Who it matters to
Sugar per cake Compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g, then check how many grams of sugar are in the portion you want to serve. I want an egg cake with breakfast, but don’t want to unknowingly serve a large portion of sugar. Around 42% of consumers give limiting sugar their highest priority.
Fibre and breakfast Compare fibre and sugars separately per 100 g; if you’re considering a wholemeal version, check the ingredients too. I’m considering wholemeal, but want to know how the cake fits alongside the rest of my breakfast. For around 33% of consumers, fibre and the make-up of breakfast come first.
Portions and sharing Check the sugar per cake and decide in advance how many to serve; use the nutrition information to assess any coating or sugar topping. When we have breakfast together, I want to be able to share the cakes easily without mistaking a small cake for one that contains little sugar. For around 25% of consumers, portion convenience and sharing are the main priorities.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming wholemeal means less sugar

    According to Albert Heijn’s product information, both its standard and wholemeal egg cakes contain 31 g of sugars per 100 g. Jumbo’s wholemeal version lists 33.6 g, compared with 29.5 g per 100 g for its standard version.

    Compare sugars and fibre separately per 100 g, then consider the portion you want to eat.

  • Mistaking a small cake for a low-sugar one

    Jumbo lists 6.6 g of sugars per cake for Bolletje Brosse Eierkoeken met Melklaagje, with each cake weighing around 15.5 g. It also lists 42 g of sugars per 100 g. Portion size and nutritional composition therefore answer different questions.

    Use the sugar per cake to decide on your portion, and the figure per 100 g to compare products.

  • Treating an egg cake as a complete breakfast

    An egg cake on its own doesn’t provide the combination of breakfast foods included in the Voedingscentrum’s breakfast examples, such as wholemeal products, yoghurt or a fortified alternative, and fruit.

    If you’d like an egg cake for Sunday breakfast, choose what to eat with it too, rather than treating the cake as the whole meal.

  • Relying only on a claim on the front of the pack

    A claim about one feature doesn’t tell you how much sugar and fibre a portion of egg cake contains. According to the NVWA, a nutrition claim must be accurate, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the nutritional value has been assessed.

    As well as checking the claim, read the nutrition information, ingredients and allergen information for the version you’ve chosen.

Brands compared

Albert Heijn

Albert Heijn offers standard and wholemeal egg cakes, which you can compare for sugar and fibre.

  • According to Albert Heijn, both versions contain 31 g of sugars per 100 g; the wholemeal version lists 3.5 g of fibre, compared with 1.4 g in the standard version.
  • In this comparison, the wholemeal version has no lower sugar value. Check the current packaging when you buy.

Jumbo

Jumbo’s standard and wholemeal options also call for a separate comparison of sugar and fibre.

  • According to Jumbo, the standard version lists 29.5 g of sugars and 1.9 g of fibre per 100 g; the wholemeal version lists 33.6 g of sugars and 3.9 g of fibre per 100 g.
  • In this product pair, the version with more fibre also has a higher sugar value per 100 g.

Bolletje

The Bolletje Brosse Eierkoeken met Melklaagje in this comparison are individually wrapped and topped with a milk coating and sugar.

  • Jumbo lists 6.6 g of sugars per cake for this Bolletje version, with each cake weighing around 15.5 g, so you can check the amount per cake.
  • At 42 g of sugars per 100 g, this version isn’t a lower-sugar option among the products mentioned here.

Related products at Joybuy

Related products will be available soon.

Frequently asked questions

Does a wholemeal egg cake automatically contain less sugar?

No, wholemeal doesn’t automatically mean less sugar. According to Albert Heijn, both the standard and wholemeal versions in this comparison contain 31 g of sugars per 100 g; Jumbo’s wholemeal version lists 33.6 g, compared with 29.5 g per 100 g for its standard version. So compare fibre and sugars separately.

How can you include an egg cake in a lower-sugar Sunday breakfast?

Serve the egg cake as a sweet addition and use the nutrition information per cake to decide on your portion. For the rest of breakfast, you could choose wholemeal bread, yoghurt or a fortified alternative, and fruit. These foods also feature in the Voedingscentrum’s breakfast examples.

What does ‘less sugar’ on a pack mean?

That claim doesn’t replace the nutrition table: check how much sugar the egg cake contains per 100 g and per portion. According to the NVWA, a nutrition claim must be accurate; also check the product’s other nutrition information and ingredients before you buy.

Where can I check allergens in egg cakes?

Check the allergen information on the current packaging of the specific egg cake. For the versions compared here, look out for egg, wheat, milk and soya; Jumbo’s product information also lists oats and barley for its wholemeal version. Don’t rely just on the word ‘wholemeal’ or on information about a different version.