If you’re packing a snack for a child with coeliac disease, choose a specific biscuit labelled ‘gluten-free’ or bearing an appropriate Crossed Grain certification, and check the current packaging before packing it. Keep it away from crumbs from ordinary biscuits or bread. Then check any other allergens, the portion size and what the school or childcare setting allows.
An ordinary biscuit is not a like-for-like alternative. Check that the product you choose is labelled gluten-free, and make sure it doesn’t come into contact with gluten crumbs while you’re packing it, as the Dutch Coeliac Society also advises.
A gluten-free label doesn’t tell you whether a product contains, for example, milk, egg, almond, soya or lupin. If any of these allergens are relevant to your child, read the ingredients information for the specific biscuit.
A plain biscuit, filled biscuit, rice biscuit or oat biscuit may suit a child’s tastes differently. Compare the shape and portion size only after checking the gluten-free label and any relevant allergens.
Start with the label on the specific biscuit and how you’ll pack it. Then consider other allergens, your child’s preferences and a portion that’s practical to take along.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label and crumbs | Look for ‘gluten-free’ or an appropriate certification on the specific product. Keep the biscuit separate from bread containing gluten and ordinary biscuits. | When I’m packing for a child with coeliac disease, I want a clearly labelled biscuit that won’t come into contact with gluten crumbs while it’s on the go. Around 50% of consumers prioritise this gluten-free choice. |
| Other allergens | Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging; if necessary, ask about the school or childcare setting’s rules. | If my child also has another food allergy, I can’t rely on the word ‘gluten-free’ alone. For around 30% of consumers, these additional allergens are the first thing to consider. |
| Biscuit type and portion size | Compare the type of biscuit and pack size of products that meet the required labelling criteria. | If my child wants a familiar type of biscuit and the portion needs to be easy to take along, I’ll choose an option that’s practical. Around 20% of consumers prioritise this preference and portion size. |
A biscuit without wheat listed as an obvious ingredient isn’t necessarily gluten-free. According to Voedingscentrum, biscuits can contain gluten.
When choosing for a child with coeliac disease, check that the specific product is labelled gluten-free or carries an appropriate certification.
The Dutch Coeliac Society says that contact with gluten crumbs can contaminate a gluten-free product.
If possible, leave the biscuit in its packaging until it’s time to eat, or use clean hands to place it in a clean, separate, sealed compartment.
Gluten-free biscuits may contain other allergens. For example, the gluten-free almond biscuits described by Albert Heijn contain almonds, egg and soya; Jumbo lists almonds, egg, lupin, milk and soya among the allergens in its gluten-free filled biscuit.
Check all allergens that are relevant to your child, and ask what rules the school or childcare setting has for snacks brought from home.
A particular type of biscuit may not be available every time you visit the shop. For example, when Lidl’s additional gluten-free range was unavailable, its range information referred customers to the standard range.
Check what’s currently available and read the label on the product you’re actually taking with you before you buy it.
Albert Heijn’s range includes gluten-free almond biscuits.
Jumbo offers a range of biscuit types in this line, including digestives, spiced biscuits and syrup waffles.
Gv Oaties Milk Chocolate is an oat biscuit with milk chocolate, described as gluten-free.
ALDI describes gluten-free rice biscuits and coconut macaroons as two different types of biscuit.
Lidl offers a gluten-free range alongside additional products that vary over time.
This option is an oat biscuit with milk chocolate for an after-school snack. Check that your child tolerates gluten-free oats, and that the other allergens and packaging suit the way you’re packing it and the school’s rules.
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An after-school biscuit for a child who tolerates gluten-free oats and would enjoy an oat biscuit with milk chocolate.
The pack contains 150 g. The product contains oats, milk and soya, and may contain nuts; check the current packaging for all relevant allergens.
Keep the biscuit away from gluten crumbs. Check the packaging itself if you need individually wrapped portions.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, this claim may be used when the food, as sold to the final consumer, contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. For a child with coeliac disease, look for the label on the specific biscuit, rather than relying only on the fact that wheat isn’t listed as a main ingredient.
No. Check both the gluten-free label and whether the individual can tolerate oats. The Dutch Coeliac Society highlights the risk of ordinary oats being contaminated with gluten-containing grains, and notes that some people with coeliac disease also react to pure oats.
Yes. If your child has coeliac disease, keep it separate when you’re also packing ordinary bread or biscuits containing gluten. The Dutch Coeliac Society advises avoiding cross-contamination, so leave the biscuit sealed if possible or use a clean, separate, sealed compartment.
A gluten-free biscuit may still contain ingredients your child is allergic to. Voedingscentrum explains that common allergens must be listed in the ingredients information, so read the current packaging and check the rules at the school or childcare setting too.
