Choose Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur if you’re looking for a dark chocolate option with an explicit Fairtrade claim. The PLUS milk chocolate sprinkles reviewed here carry a Fairtrade Cocoa claim and are a good fit if you prefer to serve milk chocolate, provided milk isn’t a concern for your guests. Check the current packaging for both the sprinkles and rusks for allergen information; the Fairtrade mark says nothing about nutritional value or the iodine content of the rusks.
You want to serve chocolate sprinkles with coffee when friends visit, and you’re looking for a verifiable Fairtrade claim. Check which ingredient the claim applies to on the packaging, rather than treating a general sustainability claim as equivalent.
You’re serving several guests and want to check the ingredients and allergen information for both the sprinkles and the rusks in advance. A dark chocolate flavour doesn’t automatically mean a product is free from milk.
You want to consider both flavour and portion size. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, chocolate sprinkles contain sugars and saturated fat, among other things; a Fairtrade claim doesn’t change this nutritional information.
Start with the Fairtrade claim on the packaging of the product you’re buying. Then check whether the ingredients are suitable for your guests, and compare flavour and portion size.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade claim | Check that the claim applies to this product, and whether it covers cocoa, sugar or both. | If Fairtrade is the reason I’m choosing these sprinkles, I want to know exactly what the mark on this packaging covers. For around 42% of consumers, making a verifiable Fairtrade choice comes first. |
| Allergens | Check the ingredients and allergen information for both the sprinkles and the rusks; also look out for warnings about possible traces. | If I’m serving guests who avoid certain ingredients, I need to be able to check both packs before putting anything out. For around 33% of consumers, choosing something suitable for their guests is the most important consideration. |
| Flavour and portion size | Compare the dark and milk options for each specific product, and check the nutritional information per portion as well as per 100 g. | For a small rusk with coffee, I want to choose a flavour that suits the group without losing sight of how many sprinkles I’m using. Around 25% of consumers give this consideration priority. |
The De Ruijter and Venz product pages reviewed here mention Rainforest Alliance-certified cocoa. That claim doesn’t show that the products meet a Fairtrade requirement.
If Fairtrade is essential, check the Fairtrade claim and exactly what it covers on the specific sprinkles you’re buying.
According to the Albert Heijn product information, Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur may contain milk. The milk chocolate options reviewed here contain milk.
Check the current ingredients list and allergen information before serving. Check the rusks separately if a guest needs to avoid certain ingredients.
Fairtrade relates to the supply chain, not nutritional value. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre highlights the sugars and saturated fat in chocolate sprinkles.
Check the nutritional information and let your guests decide how many sprinkles they want on their rusk.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre identifies baker’s salt as a possible source of added iodine. This doesn’t mean that every rusk is made with iodine-containing baker’s salt.
If you want to check this for a particular type of rusk, look at the ingredients on the packaging or ask the manufacturer.
Compare claims product by product and variant by variant: a Fairtrade mark or ingredients list for one type of sprinkles doesn’t automatically apply to the rest of the brand’s range.
The dark and milk chocolate sprinkles reviewed here offer two flavour options, with different Fairtrade claims and allergen information.
The 400 g milk chocolate sprinkles reviewed here are an option if a Fairtrade Cocoa claim meets your purchasing criteria.
The dark chocolate sprinkles reviewed here may be worth considering if you’re also looking at sustainability claims other than Fairtrade.
The chocolate sprinkles with vanilla flavour reviewed here carry a Rainforest Alliance claim for the cocoa.
No. According to Albert Heijn, Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur, reviewed here, may contain milk. Check the current packaging if milk or the possibility of traces is a concern for one of your guests.
Fairtrade Original Hagelslag Puur carries a claim of at least 32% cocoa solids and may contain milk; the Fairtrade Original milk chocolate option reviewed here contains milk and carries Fairtrade claims for cocoa and sugar. The PLUS milk chocolate option reviewed here carries a Fairtrade Cocoa claim, contains milk and lactose, and has at least 20% cocoa solids. Compare this information for each product rather than treating it as a general rule for dark and milk chocolate options.
No. If you specifically want Fairtrade, don’t rely on a Rainforest Alliance claim. The De Ruijter and Venz product pages reviewed here mention Rainforest Alliance cocoa; for Fairtrade, check the claim on the specific product.
No, you can’t tell from the product category alone. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre identifies baker’s salt as a possible source of added iodine; check the ingredients of the rusks you’ve chosen or ask the manufacturer if you want to find out.
