Who is this choice relevant to?

Home bakers who value Fairtrade

You want an explicit Fairtrade label on the sprinkles for your cake, not just a different sustainability certification. Fairtrade Original and PLUS state Fairtrade or Fairtrade Cacao on selected varieties.

Bakers who check ingredients and allergens

You check whether your chosen variety contains or may contain milk or lactose. PLUS labels its Dark sprinkles and Mix as vegan, but also states that both may contain milk and lactose.

Bakers who want to decorate their cake

You choose the topping for its flavour and appearance: dark, milk or a mix with white sprinkles. In a Fairtrade Original cake recipe, the sprinkles are added to the buttercream once the cake has cooled.

What should you look for when choosing?

Check for the Fairtrade label on the exact variety, then choose a flavour and finish to suit your cake. Before buying, read the ingredients and allergen information too.

What to consider What to check when buying Who it matters to
Fairtrade label Look for Fairtrade or Fairtrade Cacao on the packaging or current product page for your chosen variety. A Rainforest Alliance label does not confirm the same claim. I want the sprinkles for my cake to be explicitly labelled Fairtrade. For around 36% of consumers, this product label comes first.
Flavour and finish Compare dark, milk and mix varieties by their ingredients and appearance. In a cake with buttercream, the Fairtrade Original recipe adds the sprinkles after the cake has cooled. If the sprinkles will be on show, I weigh up a dark flavour against milk chocolate or a mix with white sprinkles. Around 29% of consumers say flavour and finish are their top priority.
Ingredients and allergens Read both the ingredients list and any warnings about possible allergens on the current packaging; a vegan label does not replace this check. If I’m making a recipe without milk ingredients or need to consider the risk of milk allergens, I also need to check for warnings about possible traces. Ingredients and allergens are the main concern for around 21% of consumers.
Pack size Compare the size of your chosen pack with the amount of sprinkles you want to use for the recipe. If I’m baking one cake, I want to know whether the pack contains the amount I need. For around 14% of consumers, pack size matters most.

Common mistakes

  • Mistaking another certification for Fairtrade

    ALDI Netherlands mentions Rainforest Alliance for the De Ruijter and Kiekeboe sprinkles it reviewed. This is not the same as a Fairtrade label for those products.

    If Fairtrade is a requirement for your purchase, check for that label on the exact packaging or current product page.

  • Assuming a vegan label guarantees a product is allergen-free

    PLUS labels its Dark and Mix varieties as vegan, but also states that they may contain milk and lactose. This distinction matters if you need to avoid milk.

    Check both the ingredients and any warnings about possible allergens on the packaging of your chosen variety.

  • Sprinkling chocolate sprinkles over a warm cake

    In the Fairtrade Original cake recipe, the cake is cooled first, then decorated with buttercream and sprinkles.

    Let the cake cool before spreading on the buttercream and sprinkling over the chocolate.

  • Confusing Fairtrade with a nutritional claim

    A Fairtrade label doesn’t tell you how much sugar or fat your chosen sprinkles contain. This varies from product to product.

    If the nutritional content matters to your choice, read the information for the exact variety.

Brands compared

A brand name alone doesn’t tell you which certification, ingredients or allergen warnings apply to the chocolate sprinkles you’ve chosen.

Fairtrade Original

Fairtrade Original lists 380 g of Fairtrade dark chocolate sprinkles and suggests cake as one way to use them.

  • The Dark variety states that it contains at least 32% cocoa solids.
  • The product information warns that this variety may contain milk; if you have an allergy, check the current packaging.

PLUS huismerk

PLUS states that selected Dark, Milk and Mix varieties of its chocolate sprinkles contain Fairtrade Cacao.

  • PLUS labels its Dark and Mix varieties as vegan; according to PLUS, the mix is made up of 50% chocolate sprinkles and 50% white sprinkles.
  • According to PLUS, the Dark and Mix varieties may contain milk and lactose. Check the ingredients and allergen information for the specific variety.

De Ruijter

De Ruijter is a useful brand to compare when choosing chocolate sprinkles, but you’ll need to check the certification for each variety.

  • There are Dark and Milk varieties to compare for flavour and ingredients.
  • ALDI Netherlands mentions Rainforest Alliance for the Dark and Milk varieties it reviewed. Don’t treat that label as a Fairtrade claim for these varieties.

Joybuy products

Related products will be available soon.

Frequently asked questions

When should I add chocolate sprinkles to a cake with buttercream?

Add the sprinkles once the cake has cooled and you’ve finished decorating it with buttercream. In the Fairtrade Original recipe, the cake is left to cool on a wire rack first; the sprinkles are then added to the top.

Is vegan Fairtrade chocolate suitable for someone with a milk allergy?

A vegan label alone isn’t enough to confirm that it is. PLUS states that its vegan-labelled Dark and Mix varieties may contain milk and lactose, so check the allergen information on the current packaging of your chosen variety.

Does Rainforest Alliance on chocolate sprinkles also mean Fairtrade?

No. A Rainforest Alliance label is not a Fairtrade label for the same product. ALDI Netherlands mentions Rainforest Alliance for the De Ruijter and Kiekeboe sprinkles it reviewed; if Fairtrade is a requirement, choose a variety that is explicitly labelled Fairtrade or Fairtrade Cacao.