Host with a guest who has coeliac disease
You’re looking for biscuits with a clear gluten-free claim on the current packaging. Then check the ingredients and allergen information before serving them.
For a guest with coeliac disease, choose packaged biscuits whose current label says ‘gluten-free’. 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. Then choose between individually wrapped portions and a sharing pack, and check the allergen information on each pack for anything that may affect your guests.
You’re looking for biscuits with a clear gluten-free claim on the current packaging. Then check the ingredients and allergen information before serving them.
You want to be able to pass biscuits around the table easily. Individually wrapped portions and larger packs call for different ways of serving, so check the product information for both.
As well as gluten, milk, lactose, soya or nuts may be relevant to a guest. So check the full allergen information for each individual product.
If you’re catering for a guest with coeliac disease, start with the gluten-free claim on the current label. Then decide how you want to serve the biscuits and take any other dietary requirements into account.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label | Read the ‘gluten-free’ claim and allergen information on the current pack. | If I’m putting biscuits out for a guest with coeliac disease, I want to be able to check the gluten-free claim on the packaging. For around 42% of consumers, this information on the label is their top priority when choosing. |
| Serving at the table | Compare the number of biscuits, portion size and whether they’re individually wrapped. | Once the game is under way, I want to be able to hand out biscuits without having to pass a shared pack around each time. For roughly 25% of consumers, ease of serving is the main consideration. |
| Other allergens | Check the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements for allergens that are relevant to your guests. | If a guest has another dietary requirement as well as avoiding gluten, I need to check whether the same biscuit meets it. For around 17% of consumers, these additional requirements matter most. |
| Flavour and pack size | Compare the flavours and pack sizes with the number of guests. | Once the dietary requirements are taken care of, I want to choose a flavour and quantity that suit the group. For roughly 16% of consumers, this is what makes the difference. |
Gluten-free biscuits may still contain milk, soya or other allergens. For example, Jumbo lists soya as an allergen in Céréal’s gluten-free and lactose-free chocolate biscuits.
For each guest, check the relevant ingredients and both the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements on the pack.
Albert Heijn points out that ingredients and allergen information can change. An earlier online listing is no substitute for checking the label on the pack you’re serving.
Use a search filter to find options, then check the current packaging before serving.
A product page doesn’t guarantee that the biscuits will be available at your chosen shop on the day of your game night.
Check availability in advance and have a second option with a clear gluten-free claim in mind.
Albert Heijn’s own-label range of gluten-free biscuits.
Jumbo’s own range, which includes gluten-free speculaas, stroopwafels, mini cakes and milk chocolate digestives.
Jumbo describes the 150 g chocolate biscuits reviewed as gluten-free and lactose-free.
A gluten-free oat biscuit option in four individually wrapped 30 g portions, according to Albert Heijn.
ALDI describes the coconut rings as six gluten-free ring-shaped biscuits in a 360 g pack.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, food sold to the final consumer may be labelled ‘gluten-free’ in the EU if it contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. If you’re serving a guest with coeliac disease, check for this claim on the current packaging.
No. The gluten-free claim tells you nothing about these other allergens. For example, Jumbo lists soya in Céréal’s gluten-free and lactose-free chocolate biscuits; the Twix variety reviewed contains milk and soya and may contain nuts. So check the allergen information on each pack.
Yes, check the current label before serving the biscuits. Albert Heijn says that ingredients and dietary or allergen information can change, even if you’ve viewed the product online before.
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging for your chosen product. Reseal an opened pack as directed on the packaging; you can leave individually wrapped portions sealed until you’re ready to hand them out.