If someone with coeliac disease is coming to your film night, start by choosing a pre-packed chocolate biscuit labelled ‘gluten-free’ on its current packaging. Then check for other allergens: Céréal also labels its biscuits ‘lactose-free’, while AH Chocolate Chip Cookies contain milk, egg and hazelnuts, and Verkade Oaties Milk Chocolate contains milk and soya. Serve the gluten-free biscuits separately, with clean utensils, so they don’t come into contact with crumbs from regular biscuits.
You’re looking for a biscuit explicitly labelled gluten-free and want to prevent it coming into contact with regular biscuits when serving. The Dutch Coeliac Association advises keeping gluten-free food separate to prevent cross-contamination.
As well as looking for a gluten-free label, you’re looking for an option explicitly labelled lactose-free. Keep checking other ingredients and allergens: lactose-free doesn’t mean a biscuit is free from soya or milk proteins, for example.
For sharing during the film, you could compare chocolate chip cookies, chocolate digestives or oat biscuits topped with chocolate. First, check that your chosen option suits your guests’ dietary requirements.
Start with the gluten-free label and how you’ll serve the biscuits. Then compare the type of biscuit, pack size and any other allergens.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing and serving gluten-free biscuits | Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the current packaging and keep the biscuits separate from regular snacks when serving. | If someone with coeliac disease is coming, I want to offer a clearly labelled biscuit that won’t come into contact with gluten-containing crumbs. For around 50% of consumers, this suitability is the top priority. |
| Biscuit type and sharing | Compare chocolate chip cookies, digestives and chocolate oat biscuits by type and pack size. | When everyone can eat a suitable biscuit, I want to choose a type and quantity that are easy to share during the film. Around 30% of consumers prioritise sharing. |
| Other allergens | Check the ingredients and the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements on each pack. | If a guest also needs to avoid lactose or another ingredient, I don’t want to assume that ‘gluten-free’ tells me everything I need to know. Around 20% of consumers prioritise these additional checks. |
‘Wheat-free’ and ‘gluten-free’ don’t mean the same thing. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, ‘gluten-free’ may only be used on food for the final consumer if the gluten content is no more than 20 mg/kg.
For a guest with coeliac disease, look for an explicit gluten-free label on the packaging and check the ingredients and allergen information too.
Crumbs and used utensils can bring gluten-free biscuits into contact with gluten. The Dutch Coeliac Association highlights the risk of cross-contamination.
Use a separate plate and clean utensils. Ideally, only open the pack when you’re ready to serve the biscuits.
According to Albert Heijn, AH Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies contain milk, egg and hazelnuts, among other ingredients. Jumbo’s gluten-free Digestives Milk Chocolate contain milk, oats and soya; Céréal labels its chocolate biscuits lactose-free, but they contain soya.
Ask which ingredients your guests need to avoid and check the allergen information on the specific pack.
Albert Heijn warns that product ingredients and allergen information can change.
So check the label on the pack you’re actually serving every time you buy it.
AH Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookies are an option if you’re looking for a 160 g pack of chocolate chip cookies to share.
Digestives Milk Chocolate are biscuit-style treats topped with chocolate, in a 165 g pack.
Oaties Milk Chocolate are oat biscuits with chocolate, for anyone looking for something different from a classic chocolate chip cookie.
According to Jumbo’s product description, the 150 g chocolate biscuits are both gluten-free and lactose-free.
Albert Heijn lists Choco Chip Cookies as a 100 g pack containing nine biscuits.
This Verkade Oaties variety is an oat biscuit with milk chocolate, ideal for a film night. If you’re serving a guest with coeliac disease, check the gluten-free label on the current packaging and look out for other allergens too.
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An oat biscuit with milk chocolate, if you’re looking for something other than a classic chocolate chip cookie for your film night.
The product description specifies gluten-free oats. The listed allergen information includes milk, oats and soya; the product may contain nuts. Check the current packaging before buying.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, this label may only be used on food for the final consumer if the gluten content is no more than 20 mg/kg. For your film night, check the label on the current pack rather than relying on the biscuit’s name alone.
No. The word ‘oat’ alone doesn’t guarantee that they are. The Dutch Coeliac Association advises checking for a gluten-free label or the Crossed Grain symbol on oat products. Verkade specifies gluten-free oats in its Oaties; check the packaging of the variety you choose.
No. Jumbo describes Céréal’s chocolate biscuits as gluten-free and lactose-free, but they also contain soya and may contain nuts and milk proteins, among other ingredients. Check the allergen information for each individual product.
Put them on a separate plate and use clean utensils, so crumbs from regular biscuits don’t get onto the gluten-free ones. The Dutch Coeliac Association highlights cross-contamination from crumbs and kitchen utensils as something to watch out for.
Check the packaging you buy and serve too. Albert Heijn says that ingredients and allergen information can change, so an older pack or product page may not match the pack you have in your hand.
