If your child has coeliac disease, only choose breakfast cake labelled ‘gluten-free’: under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, this claim may be used if the product contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten when sold to the final consumer. Check the label for other allergens too, and ask the nursery how food brought from home is handed out. A bar is already portioned, whereas you can cut a portion from an uncut cake yourself. For everyday lunches, breakfast cake is still a different choice from foods on the Dutch Wheel of Five that are suitable for your child’s diet.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, coeliac disease requires a lifelong gluten-free diet. Parents and nursery staff should therefore check the gluten-free claim on the chosen packaging and make sure the lunch fits the arrangements for the child.
If other allergens are a concern as well as gluten, the allergen information for the exact product variant is key. Albert Heijn lists milk and lupin in Peijnenburg cake, and its AH bar also carries warnings about sesame seeds and certain nuts.
A pre-portioned serving can make it easier to pack and hand out. Compare the packaging and portion size, and make a separate choice for everyday lunches that suits your child’s diet and nutritional requirements.
Start by checking for a gluten-free claim and any other allergens. Then compare the portion and nutritional information, and check the nursery’s arrangements before packing the food.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free claim | Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the packaging and check that it is the variant you intend to buy. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the claim means the product contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten when sold to the final consumer. | If my child has coeliac disease, I want to be able to recognise the gluten-free claim before sending the cake in. For around 50% of consumers, that reassurance matters most. |
| Other allergens and serving arrangements | Read the allergen information on the exact product packaging and ask how the nursery stores and hands out food brought from home. | If there are also arrangements relating to milk, lupin, sesame seeds or nuts, I want to know whether the chosen cake and the way it is served meet those requirements. For around 30% of consumers, this is the priority. |
| Portion and nutritional information | Compare the portion size and the nutritional values listed per 100 g and per portion; check that the cake fits with the agreed lunch. | For an occasional cake treat, I want to send a suitable amount without treating it as a regular lunch staple. Around 20% of consumers give this consideration priority. |
According to Albert Heijn’s product information, Peijnenburg Ontbijtkoek glutenvrij contains milk and lupin. The AH Glutenvrij Ontbijtkoekreep also contains milk and lupin and may contain sesame seeds and certain nuts.
Each time you buy it, compare the allergen information on the packaging with the arrangements for your child.
‘Zero’ or ‘no added sugars’ does not tell you whether a breakfast cake meets the EU requirements for the ‘gluten-free’ claim.
First check that ‘gluten-free’ appears on the packaging of the product you have chosen. Then assess the sugars and other nutritional values separately.
The gluten-free claim says nothing about where breakfast cake fits into a child’s everyday diet. For toddlers and pre-schoolers, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends foods from the Dutch Wheel of Five, including fruit and vegetables, as snacks.
Make any cake treat fit your child’s individual diet and nutritional requirements; choose their everyday lunch separately.
A nursery may have its own arrangements for food brought from home, labels, storage and serving. The Dutch Government says that childcare organisations must have a health and safety policy.
Before packing the food, ask the nursery what procedures apply to your child.
The 285 g uncut gluten-free breakfast cake is an option if you want to cut off a portion yourself.
The 65 g gluten-free breakfast cake bar is individually wrapped, so you can send it in as a whole portion.
Jumbo lists a 300 g uncut gluten-free breakfast cake in this product range.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a food may be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if it contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten when sold to the final consumer. A claim such as ‘zero’ or ‘no added sugars’ does not confirm that this requirement has been met.
No, that does not follow from the ‘gluten-free’ claim. Albert Heijn lists milk and lupin in the gluten-free Peijnenburg cake; the AH Glutenvrij Ontbijtkoekreep also carries warnings about sesame seeds and certain nuts. Check the packaging of the variant you plan to send in.
Don’t automatically treat breakfast cake as a regular lunch staple just because it is gluten-free. For toddlers and pre-schoolers, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends foods from the Dutch Wheel of Five as snacks. Make sure everyday lunches and any cake treats fit your child’s diet and nutritional requirements.
Ask how the nursery handles food brought from home, labels, storage and serving, and what arrangements apply to your child. According to the Dutch Government, childcare organisations must have a health and safety policy; discuss the practical procedures with your child’s nursery.
