If you have coeliac disease, don’t choose standard wholegrain breakfast cake for its fibre: the Peijnenburg, AH and PLUS varieties we looked at contain rye, so they’re not suitable gluten-free options. First look for breakfast cake that is explicitly labelled gluten-free, then check for other allergens. After that, compare the fibre content and portion sizes of the options that remain.
If you’re buying breakfast cake for someone with coeliac disease, it’s important to distinguish between wholegrain and gluten-free. The European Commission lists rye and wheat as gluten-containing cereals, so check the gluten-free label, ingredients and allergen information on the packaging.
If you’re also keeping an eye on fibre when choosing gluten-free options, compare the nutritional information per 100 g and per serving. Product details from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS show that the gluten-free breakfast cakes compared here list less fibre per 100 g than the standard wholegrain rye cakes we looked at.
A gluten-free breakfast cake bar may be more convenient than a cake you have to slice yourself for school, work or when you’re out and about. Even with an individually wrapped bar, check the gluten-free label and other allergen information.
When buying breakfast cake for someone with coeliac disease, the first thing to look for is a gluten-free label. Only then is it useful to compare fibre content and packaging.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free status | Look for an explicit gluten-free label and read the ingredients and allergen information. Rye, wheat and barley contain gluten. | When I’m buying for someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want the word ‘wholegrain’ to distract me from checking the ingredients. This check is the top priority for around 50% of consumers. |
| Fibre | Compare the fibre per 100 g and per serving, but only between breakfast cakes that meet the gluten-free requirement. | I want to know how much fibre a serving contains among the gluten-free options, without choosing a rye cake as an alternative. Around 30% of consumers give this the highest priority after that. |
| Portion size | Compare a whole cake with an individual bar, and check the other allergens for both. | When I’m out and about, I want to be able to take a portion with me without having to slice a whole cake. Convenience comes first for around 20% of consumers, once gluten-free status has been checked. |
The wholegrain breakfast cakes from Peijnenburg, AH and PLUS that we looked at contain rye. The European Commission lists rye as a gluten-containing cereal, so a higher fibre content doesn’t make these cakes suitable for someone with coeliac disease.
If you have coeliac disease, start by checking for a gluten-free label, then check the ingredients and allergen information.
According to product information from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS, the gluten-free options we looked at list 1.0 to 1.1 g of fibre per 100 g, compared with 4.5 to 5.7 g per 100 g for the standard wholegrain rye cakes we compared them with.
Compare the nutritional information for gluten-free breakfast cakes with each other, both per 100 g and per serving.
Gluten-free doesn’t mean allergen-free. Product information from Albert Heijn and Jumbo lists milk and lupin, among other things, in the gluten-free breakfast cakes we looked at.
Read the current label every time you buy, even if you’ve bought the product before.
Iodised baker’s salt says nothing about whether a product contains gluten. The Dutch baking industry also says that using it is not a general legal requirement.
When choosing breakfast cake for someone with coeliac disease, check the gluten-free label, ingredients and allergen information, not the type of salt used.
Albert Heijn lists both a standard wholegrain breakfast cake and a gluten-free, unsliced 285 g version.
Jumbo describes an unsliced, gluten-free breakfast cake weighing 300 g.
Albert Heijn lists a 65 g gluten-free breakfast cake bar as an individual portion.
PLUS lists a sliced, standard wholegrain breakfast cake weighing 485 g.
ALDI lists a sliced wholegrain breakfast cake from Koek & Bakker in a 485 g pack.
Lidl lists a sliced wholegrain breakfast cake weighing 485 g.
No. Wholegrain and gluten-free don’t mean the same thing. The wholegrain breakfast cakes from Peijnenburg, AH and PLUS listed by Albert Heijn and PLUS contain rye, so they aren’t gluten-free options for someone with coeliac disease.
Under European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a product may be labelled gluten-free if the finished product contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. You should also read the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of the product you buy.
Not in the products compared here. Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS list 1.0 to 1.1 g of fibre per 100 g for the gluten-free options we looked at, and 4.5 to 5.7 g per 100 g for the standard wholegrain rye cakes. Check the nutritional information on the label to see how much fibre is in your own portion.
Yes. According to product information from Albert Heijn and Jumbo, the gluten-free cakes we looked at contain milk and lupin; Albert Heijn also lists lactose in its breakfast cake bar. Check the latest allergen information for the product you choose.
No. The baker’s salt used doesn’t determine whether breakfast cake is gluten-free. The Dutch baking industry also says that using iodised baker’s salt isn’t a general legal requirement. If you have coeliac disease, check the gluten-free label, ingredients and allergen information.
