Regular rye bread isn’t suitable for someone with coeliac disease, as rye contains gluten. If you’re looking for a dark slice, choose bread explicitly labelled ‘gluten-free’, or opt for gluten-free rolls if individual portions work better on your snack table. Keep the bread separate from snacks containing gluten during preparation and serving. If you eat it regularly, check the ingredients and nutritional information too.
For this guest, a clear gluten-free label matters more than how closely the bread resembles rye bread. The Dutch Coeliac Association lists rye as a grain containing gluten; contact with snacks containing gluten during preparation also needs to be avoided.
If you’re serving regular and gluten-free snacks side by side, you’ll need a bread option that can be stored, prepared and served separately. Shared knives, tongs and serving dishes need particular care.
If you’re mainly looking for a dark slice or seeded bread to go with savoury snacks, you can choose based on flavour, ingredients and how it’s served. A gluten-free label doesn’t, in itself, tell you anything about the product’s overall nutritional value.
First, decide whether you need a strictly gluten-free option and how you’ll keep it separate when serving. Then choose between a dark slice and individual rolls. If you don’t need bread, another snack base may work too, as long as the finished product and preparation are suitable.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling | Check that the finished product is explicitly labelled ‘gluten-free’; a dark colour or a reference to rye bread isn’t enough. | If I’m buying for someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want to have to rely on the colour or product name. For around 40% of consumers, a clear gluten-free label comes first. |
| Keeping preparation separate | Check whether you can use a clean chopping board, knife, tongs and serving dish. If you’re baking the bread, remember the oven tray too. | When serving regular snacks at the same table, I want to stop the gluten-free portion coming into contact with crumbs or shared kitchen utensils. Keeping food separate is the main concern for around 30% of consumers. |
| Flavour and serving style | Compare the ingredients and choose between sliced dark seeded bread and individual rolls; check the preparation instructions for rolls. | With savoury snacks, I’m looking for a dark slice or a roll I can serve individually. Around 20% of consumers give this format and texture top priority. |
| Nutritional information | Compare fibre and salt per 100 g, and check the ingredients list to see whether baker’s salt or iodised salt has been used. | If gluten-free bread regularly replaces my usual bread, I also want to be able to compare its ingredients. This is the most important factor for around 10% of consumers. |
Rye contains gluten, while the colour and seeds tell you nothing about whether a loaf is suitable for someone with coeliac disease.
Check the gluten-free label on the current packaging of the finished product. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, this label may be used when the food, as sold, contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg.
A gluten-free roll can come into contact with crumbs containing gluten when it’s sliced, baked or served. The Dutch Coeliac Association recommends taking steps to prevent this kind of contact.
Store the gluten-free option separately and use clean work surfaces and utensils. Don’t put it on a dish that has already held regular bread rolls or breaded snacks.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. This distinction is particularly relevant if gluten-free bread regularly replaces your usual bread.
Check the ingredients list for baker’s salt or iodised salt, and consider a regular bread choice in the context of the rest of your diet.
Bread styles vary by brand and product, so always compare the specific packaging rather than assuming that the features of one loaf apply to another.
Schär offers various gluten-free bread styles, including sliced bread and mini baguettes available in Dutch supermarket ranges.
Albert Heijn lists a gluten-free Consenza chia seed loaf as an option for anyone looking for seeded bread.
Albert Heijn’s range includes dark multiseed bread and gluten-free rolls.
This product suits anyone looking for individual mini baguettes to serve with snacks, rather than a dark slice that resembles rye bread. If you’re buying for someone with coeliac disease, check the gluten-free label and preparation instructions on the packaging.
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The mini baguette format works well for individual bread portions on a snack table. The product name indicates that the pack contains seven pieces. Check the packaging to see whether the product is gluten-free and how it should be prepared. If you have coeliac disease, use clean, separate utensils for preparation and serving.
No. The Dutch Coeliac Association lists rye as a grain that contains gluten. For someone with coeliac disease, dark bread isn’t a substitute for a clear gluten-free label on the finished product.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, food may be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if, as sold to the final consumer, it contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. Check the packaging of the product you’re actually serving.
Store and serve the gluten-free portion separately, and use clean hands, work surfaces, knives, tongs and serving dishes. If you’re putting rolls in the oven, the same applies to the oven tray and any other utensils that touch the bread.
No. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that baker’s salt isn’t compulsory. Check the ingredients list to see whether baker’s salt or iodised salt has been used, particularly if you eat this bread regularly instead of regular bread.
