For a small household that gets through less than a whole loaf in a few days, half a wholemeal loaf can work well with your weekly shop, as you’ll have less bread open at once. A whole loaf can work too if you freeze the slices you want to eat later as soon as you buy it, following the Food Centre’s storage advice. Whichever you choose, check the ingredients, allergens and whether baker’s salt is listed on the label.
If you do a weekly shop but don’t get through a whole loaf in a few days, you can choose half a loaf or freeze a whole loaf in portions as soon as you buy it. The Food Centre advises freezing the portions you want to eat later as soon as you get home.
A smaller pack doesn’t have to mean a different type of bread: Albert Heijn and Jumbo, among others, sell half wholemeal loaves. Compare the ingredients and fibre per 100 g if these are important to your choice.
If the type of salt used or an allergen matters to you, read the label on the exact loaf you’re buying. The Food Centre says that not all bread is made with baker’s salt, and allergens can vary between varieties too.
A good fit if: you want to open less bread at once during the week because you don’t get through a whole loaf in a few days.
Bear in mind: even half a loaf can sit around for too long, so choose an amount that suits how often you eat bread.
A good fit if: you want to buy a whole loaf without using all the slices at once. The Food Centre advises freezing it in portions as soon as you buy it.
Bear in mind: you’ll need space in the freezer and a little planning when it comes to defrosting.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is it important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity and storage | Compare the pack size with how much bread you eat and decide which slices you want to freeze straight away. | If bread is left after a few days, I want to have fewer slices open at once or freeze the rest; around 36% of consumers would put reducing waste first. |
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check the type of bread and the ingredients; compare the fibre listed per 100 g. | I’m looking for a smaller pack without losing sight of my preference for wholemeal bread; for around 29% of consumers, that product choice would be the top priority. |
| Type of salt and allergens | Check the current packaging to see which allergens and type of salt the bread contains. | If an ingredient matters to me, I don’t want to rely on the bread’s name alone; around 14% of consumers would put checking the ingredients first. |
| Shop and availability | Check whether the exact variety is available from your chosen shop or delivery service. | I want to be able to add the bread to my usual weekly shop without having to shop somewhere else just for that pack; around 21% of consumers would put availability first. |
The Food Centre says that using baker’s salt when baking bread is not compulsory. So even if you buy a loaf regularly, you can’t tell which type of salt it contains from the name alone.
Check the label to see whether baker’s salt or iodised salt is listed among the ingredients.
A smaller pack won’t automatically stop unused slices from going stale. The Food Centre recommends keeping opened brown bread in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days.
Freeze any slices you won’t use within a few days in portions as soon as you buy the loaf.
The colour and name don’t tell you everything about the grains and other ingredients in the bread. Varieties containing seeds or several types of grain may also contain different allergens.
If you’re looking for wholemeal bread, check the product description and ingredients list. If you have an allergy, also read the allergen information on the current packaging.
Albert Heijn sells products including AH Vloerbrood volkoren half and AH Extra lang lekker waldkorn volkoren half.
Jumbo sells several half loaves, including Jumbo Fijn Volkoren Half.
Lidl sells Halfje extra volkorenbrood in a 400 g pack.
ALDI sells products including Extra vezelrijk volkorenbrood half and Boeren volkoren meergranen Half.
PLUS sells products including Korenlanders Extra donker volkoren vloer half, in a 400 g pack, and Grof volkoren half.
Dirk sells half wholemeal loaves from Bakker van der Akker, including Boeren volkoren half and Extra vezels volkoren half.
No. The Food Centre says that using baker’s salt when baking bread is not compulsory. If the type of salt used matters to you, check the label to see whether baker’s salt or iodised salt is listed among the ingredients.
Freeze the slices you want to eat later in portions as soon as you buy the bread. The Food Centre recommends keeping opened brown bread in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days and in the freezer for 1–3 months; bread may become drier if you keep it in the freezer for longer.
No, don’t rely on the colour or a description such as multigrain alone. If you’re specifically looking for wholemeal bread, check the product description and ingredients list for the variety you’ve chosen.
Half a wholemeal loaf isn’t automatically gluten-free. The half wholemeal loaves mentioned from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS list gluten-containing grains; check the allergen information on the exact packaging and only choose a product that explicitly meets your requirements.
It depends on the product and the shop. Jumbo and PLUS list half loaves available to order online, while Lidl’s Halfje extra volkorenbrood mentioned above is listed as in-store only. Check whether the exact variety is available from the shop you’re ordering from.
