Choose a plain or wholemeal egg cake if you want a soft snack with a clearly defined portion for your journey; a digestive biscuit is a better choice if you’re after a crunchy biscuit. Check the weight per biscuit, full nutritional information, allergens and storage advice for the specific product. Individually wrapped crisp egg cakes can be handy for sharing, but any variety with a milk coating needs to be protected from heat.
If you’re taking individual biscuits on a day out, the weight per biscuit tells you more about your snack than the nutritional values per 100 g alone. Albert Heijn lists AH Eierkoeken as 30 g per portion; Jumbo also lists a regular egg cake with portions of 75 g. According to Jumbo, Bolletje Brosse Eierkoeken met melklaagje are individually wrapped.
When choosing between a plain egg cake, a wholemeal egg cake and a digestive biscuit, look beyond the fibre content and compare the sugars, fats and ingredients too. The name ‘digestive’ doesn’t, by itself, indicate any effect on digestion.
If several people are eating from the same pack, resealability, storage and the current label all matter. The egg cakes and biscuits mentioned here vary in ingredients and allergens, so check the packaging for anyone who needs you to do so.
Start with the texture and portion you want. Then compare the nutritional information and check how to store your chosen pack while you’re on the go.
Choose this if: you want a soft cake and the weight per piece suits your planned snack.
Bear in mind: portion sizes vary. Albert Heijn lists AH Eierkoeken at 30 g each, while Jumbo lists a regular variety at 75 g per cake.
Choose this if: you want an egg cake and would like to take the fibre content of the specific variety into account. Jumbo lists 3,9 g of fibre per 100 g for its wholemeal egg cake.
Bear in mind: ‘wholemeal’ is no substitute for checking the sugars, ingredients and allergens on the packaging.
Choose this if: you want a crunchy biscuit and prefer to take portions from a pack yourself.
Bear in mind: Jumbo advises keeping its crunchy digestives well sealed and in a dark place after opening. The product name doesn’t indicate any effect on digestion.
Choose this if: you want individually wrapped, crisp pieces to take with you. According to Jumbo, Bolletje Brosse Eierkoeken met melklaagje are individually wrapped.
Bear in mind: the milk coating makes this different from a plain egg cake. The storage advice says to protect the cakes from heat.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Portion per snack | Compare the weight and nutritional values per piece with the figures per 100 g. | I want to know how much one cake weighs for a day of travelling, without having to divide up a pack each time. For around 40% of consumers, having a clearly defined portion in advance is the deciding factor. |
| Fibre and ingredients | Check the fibre, sugars and fats per 100 g and for the portion you plan to eat. | If I’m undecided between an egg cake and a digestive biscuit, I want to weigh up the full nutritional information rather than judge by the name. For around 30% of consumers, this comparison comes first. |
| Storage and allergens | Read the storage advice and allergen information on the current packaging; reseal an opened pack as instructed. | I’m taking snacks for several people and want to know how to store them and which ingredients matter to them before setting off. This is the main concern for around 30% of consumers. |
The name doesn’t prove that a biscuit affects digestion. For McVitie's Digestives with milk chocolate, Jumbo’s product information explicitly states that the biscuit ingredients contain no substances that aid digestion.
Compare the nutritional information for the variety you’re considering, both per 100 g and per biscuit or portion.
A soft wholemeal egg cake and a crisp egg cake with a milk coating differ in texture and ingredients. Jumbo lists 3,9 g of fibre per 100 g for its wholemeal variety; for Bolletje Brosse Eierkoeken met melklaagje, Jumbo lists 42 g of sugars per 100 g.
Check the full product name, weight per piece, ingredients and nutritional information for the specific variety.
Albert Heijn warns that the product information for AH Eierkoeken may change. If allergens matter to your purchase, the information on the packaging you’re actually taking with you is what counts.
Read the current label before buying, and check it again before eating if you’re serving others or handing out snacks.
For Bolletje Brosse Eierkoeken met melklaagje, Jumbo advises protecting them from heat. Jumbo recommends keeping its crunchy digestives well sealed and in a dark place after opening.
Follow the storage advice on your packaging, keep coated cakes away from direct heat and reseal an opened biscuit pack securely.
A useful point of comparison for crisp egg cakes alongside the usual soft variety.
An example of a plain, soft egg cake with a stated portion size.
A supermarket brand offering plain and wholemeal egg cakes, as well as crunchy digestives, so you can compare different product types.
A biscuit option to compare with egg cakes, rather than a like-for-like soft egg cake.
A supermarket option for a larger pack of plain free-range egg cakes.
A supermarket option for a 12-piece pack of egg cakes.
This product selection is suited to anyone looking for a classic digestive biscuit to compare by portion size and nutritional information for the summer holidays.
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An option if you want a classic digestive biscuit for your journey and prefer to choose your portion by the biscuit.
Jumbo lists a 14,7 g portion and 3,7 g of fibre per 100 g for McVitie's Digestives Original. If you have allergies, check the current label for wheat and any mention of milk. Store the biscuits as directed on the packaging and reseal the pack securely after opening.
You can’t tell from the name ‘digestive’. Jumbo’s product information for McVitie's Digestives with milk chocolate says that the biscuit ingredients contain no substances that aid digestion. Base your choice on the ingredients and nutritional information for the specific variety, not its name.
Individually wrapped pieces can be useful if you want to divide up portions in advance. According to Jumbo, Bolletje Brosse Eierkoeken met melklaagje are individually wrapped, but you need to protect them from heat. If you’re taking biscuits from a larger pack, check how to reseal it after opening.
Follow the storage advice on the specific packaging and keep coated varieties away from direct heat. For Bolletje Brosse Eierkoeken met melklaagje, Jumbo explicitly says ‘protect from heat’; for Jumbo Krokante Digestive Biscuit, the advice is to keep an opened pack well sealed and in a dark place.
Check the allergens for the specific egg cake or biscuit on the current packaging, as ingredients vary between varieties. For AH Eierkoeken, Albert Heijn lists wheat, egg, milk and soya, among others. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that allergens must be listed in the ingredients information on the label.
