If you’re choosing a chocolate biscuit for a guest with coeliac disease, first check that the current packaging says it’s gluten-free, then check the allergens that matter to your guests. Oat biscuits topped with milk chocolate, chocolate chip cookies and biscuits labelled lactose-free offer different options. When serving them, keep the gluten-free biscuits separate from the others.
You want to offer a chocolate biscuit without relying on the product name alone. You also want to avoid crumbs from regular biscuits getting onto the gluten-free ones when you serve them. The Dutch Coeliac Society highlights the importance of checking labels and avoiding cross-contamination.
You’re looking for a chocolatey gluten-free treat for a birthday table with a mix of guests. Verkade describes its Oaties variant with milk chocolate as gluten-free, while Albert Heijn and Jumbo also list gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
As well as checking that a product is gluten-free, you may also need to consider lactose or specific allergens. In that case, the information on the individual pack matters more than the general biscuit category.
Start by checking the gluten-free claim on the current packaging. Then choose the type of biscuit and check for any other dietary requirements. Before serving, set aside clean utensils and a separate plate.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free status and serving | Check the gluten-free claim on the current packaging and set out a clean plate and separate serving utensils. | If a guest has coeliac disease, I want to avoid the wrong biscuit choice or crumbs on the serving plate spoiling the occasion. An estimated 36% of consumers prioritise this combination of checking the label and serving separately. |
| Chocolate and biscuit type | Compare an oat biscuit with a milk chocolate coating to a cookie or biscuit with chocolate chips. | For a birthday table, I want to choose a biscuit that suits the kind of treat I have in mind. An estimated 29% of consumers give this choice of chocolate flavour and biscuit type top priority. |
| Other allergens and lactose | Read the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements. Check for a lactose-free claim separately from the gluten-free one. | If a guest has another dietary requirement, I want to know whether this particular biscuit is suitable. For an estimated 21% of consumers, this additional check is the most important consideration. |
| Availability | Check that the product you want is available shortly before buying, and check the packaging again when it arrives. | When I’m getting ready for the get-together, I want a practical way to find the product without relying on a changing range. An estimated 14% of consumers prioritise how easy it is to find the product. |
A product name doesn’t tell you enough about its gluten-free status or how it was made. That’s why the Dutch Coeliac Society stresses the importance of checking the label.
Look for the word ‘gluten-free’ or a gluten-free symbol on the current packaging. You can also look for the Crossed Grain symbol if it’s relevant to your choice.
The Dutch Coeliac Society says that crumbs containing gluten can get into gluten-free food through shared utensils.
Serve gluten-free biscuits on a clean, separate plate and use dedicated tongs or a spoon.
Gluten-free doesn’t, by itself, mean a product is free from milk, soya or nuts. For example, Joybuy lists milk, oats and soya as allergens present in Verkade Oaties Milk Chocolate, and nuts as a possible allergen.
Ask your guests which ingredients they need to avoid, and check both the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements on the current packaging of each product you choose.
Albert Heijn says that ingredient and allergen information can change. So a product page you looked at earlier may not include all the information shown on the pack in your hand.
Check the product again shortly before your get-together, and read the packaging before serving.
Verkade describes Oaties Milk Chocolate as a gluten-free oat biscuit with a milk chocolate coating.
Albert Heijn lists AH Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies as a separate product.
Jumbo lists products including Schär Choco Chip Cookies and Céréal Gluten-Free & Lactose-Free Chocolate Biscuits.
Jumbo describes Schär Choco Chip Cookies as gluten-free biscuits with chocolate chips.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a food can be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if the finished product contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. When you buy it, check that the current packaging carries this claim or a gluten-free symbol.
Don’t rely solely on the absence of wheat from the ingredients list. Check for a gluten-free claim on the current packaging. The Dutch Coeliac Society also identifies the Crossed Grain symbol as an indication that takes the production process into account.
Put the gluten-free biscuits on a clean, separate plate with their own serving utensils. The Dutch Coeliac Society warns that shared utensils can transfer crumbs containing gluten.
No, that doesn’t follow from the ‘gluten-free’ claim. Jumbo lists Céréal Gluten-Free & Lactose-Free Chocolate Biscuits as a product carrying both claims, while Joybuy’s product information lists milk as an allergen present in Verkade Oaties Milk Chocolate. Check the current packaging of the product you choose for each guest.
Yes, read the packaging of the product you actually bought before serving it. Albert Heijn says that information including ingredients, nutrition and allergens may change.
