For a guest with coeliac disease, choose biscuits whose current packaging says ‘gluten-free’, and serve them as a separate sweet option alongside the savoury nibbles. A gluten-free biscuit doesn’t make the other snacks gluten-free: keep crumbs and shared serving utensils away, and check for any other allergens that matter to your guest.
You’re putting together a platter of different snacks. Alongside a biscuit labelled ‘gluten-free’, you’ll need a way to prevent contact with bread, regular biscuits and crumbs. The Voedingscentrum points out that even a stray bread crumb can cause symptoms for someone with coeliac disease.
You want to be able to serve each guest a sweet biscuit without first taking them from a large pack and placing them on a shared platter. According to Albert Heijn’s product information, Schär Digestive Landtaler biscuits are packed in portions of four.
As well as gluten, your guest may need to avoid milk, eggs, soya, nuts or oats, for example. Ingredients and allergens vary between biscuits, so check the packaging of the variety you choose.
First, choose a biscuit labelled ‘gluten-free’ and decide how you’ll serve it separately from the other snacks. Then compare pack sizes and check for any additional allergens.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free and served separately | Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the current packaging. Use a clean, separate dish and dedicated serving utensils, away from snacks containing gluten. | If someone with coeliac disease is joining us, I want to stop regular biscuits or crumbs from touching their portion. Around 50% of consumers put this gluten-free choice and serving method first. |
| Dividing into portions | Compare multipacks with biscuits that are already packed in portions of four, such as Schär Digestive Landtaler, according to Albert Heijn. | When putting together a platter for several guests, I want to serve sweet portions without placing them among the other snacks. Around 30% of consumers put this convenience first. |
| Other ingredients and allergens | As well as gluten, check the ingredients and allergens that matter to your guest, including milk, eggs, soya, nuts or oats. | If my guest also needs to avoid other ingredients, ‘gluten-free’ on its own isn’t enough to choose a biscuit. This additional check is the top priority for around 20% of consumers. |
A suitable biscuit can still come into contact with crumbs from bread or regular snacks. The Voedingscentrum stresses the importance of preventing cross-contamination for people with coeliac disease.
Check the other snacks separately and serve the gluten-free biscuits in a clean dish with dedicated serving utensils.
These labels answer a different question. For example, Jumbo lists wheat flour as an ingredient in regular Lotus Biscoff Speculoos, even though the product is sold as vegan.
Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the packaging, then read the ingredients list for the variety you’ve chosen.
Albert Heijn warns that product ingredients and allergen information can change. As a result, a product page you viewed earlier may not match the packaging of the product you buy.
Use online information to compare options, but check the packaging again before serving the biscuits.
Individual portions make serving easier, but they tell you nothing about ingredients such as soya, eggs or lupin. According to the product information, Schär Digestive Landtaler contains soya and may contain eggs and lupin.
Check the allergen information on individually wrapped portions too, and choose another variety if it lists an allergen that matters to your guest.
Compare the specific biscuit, not just the brand: ingredients, allergens and packaging also vary across a range.
Albert Heijn stocks gluten-free Double cookies and almond biscuits, among other options, for anyone looking to compare different types of sweet biscuits.
According to Jumbo, the range includes gluten-free speculaas, syrup waffles and digestives. Speculaas is an option if you want to serve a familiar type of biscuit alongside savoury snacks.
Schär Digestive Landtaler is particularly useful if you want to serve biscuits in individual portions of four.
Verkade Gv Oaties with milk chocolate is a sweet option for anyone looking for a chocolate biscuit made with gluten-free oats.
Regular Lotus Biscoff Speculoos can be served on a general drinks platter, but it isn’t a gluten-free option for a guest with coeliac disease.
This oat biscuit with milk chocolate is a sweet option to serve alongside savoury snacks. Keep it separate from snacks containing gluten, and check the packaging for any allergens that matter to your guest.
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A biscuit with milk chocolate and oats, ideal as a separately served sweet treat with drinks.
It’s best not to put them together for a guest with coeliac disease if crumbs or serving utensils could touch the biscuits. The Voedingscentrum warns that even a stray bread crumb can cause symptoms, so use a clean, separate dish and dedicated serving utensils.
Under EU Implementing Regulation 828/2014, a product labelled ‘gluten-free’ must contain no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. Also check the current ingredients and allergen information, as a gluten-free biscuit may contain other allergens.
Ask which allergens are in each snack and how they’re served. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that businesses must also provide consumers with allergen information for unpackaged products. A packaged gluten-free biscuit tells you nothing about the other snacks on the platter.
No. According to Jumbo, regular Lotus Biscoff Speculoos is sold as vegan, but contains wheat flour and wheat. If your guest needs to avoid gluten, check specifically for the ‘gluten-free’ label and read the ingredients list.
