Gamers whose top priority is coeliac disease
You want something chocolatey to enjoy while gaming, without compromising on an explicit gluten-free label. So check the current packaging before choosing a biscuit style.
Who are these biscuits for?
Fans of crunchy oat biscuits
You’re looking for a biscuit-style treat with chocolate and are considering one made with gluten-free oats. You’ll also check the packaging for information about oats, milk and soya.
Fans of lactose-free cookies with chocolate chips
As well as gluten-free, you want to compare lactose-free options, and you’d rather have chocolate chips in a cookie than a chocolate coating on an oat biscuit or digestive.
What should you look for when choosing?
If coeliac disease is a factor, use the gluten-free label on the current packaging as your first filter. Then choose your preferred biscuit style and check any other dietary requirements and the pack size separately.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label | Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the current packaging, and read the ingredients and allergen warnings. | If coeliac disease is a factor, I want to check the gluten-free label myself before choosing a biscuit. Around 50% of consumers put checking the label first. |
| Biscuit style and chocolate | Compare an oat biscuit with a chocolate coating, a chocolate digestive and a cookie with chocolate chips. | For my gaming snack, it matters whether the chocolate is on the biscuit or mixed in as chips. For around 30% of consumers, biscuit style is the deciding factor after checking it’s gluten-free. |
| Other requirements and pack format | Check for lactose and any other relevant allergens; also see whether the biscuits are individually wrapped or packaged together. | I don’t want to find out only when I open the pack that a biscuit doesn’t meet another dietary requirement or is packaged differently from what I expected. For around 20% of consumers, this is the main additional requirement alongside being gluten-free. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming ‘wheat-free’ means ‘gluten-free’
An ingredients list with no obvious wheat ingredient is no substitute for a gluten-free label. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority links the use of ‘gluten-free’ to the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 828/2014.
If coeliac disease is your priority, first check for an explicit label on the current packaging, then read the rest of the product information.
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Assuming gluten-free means free from other allergens too
The Jumbo digestives described contain milk, oats and soya, and may contain nuts. Verkade Oaties contain milk and soya. These differences matter if you need to avoid anything other than gluten too.
Check for milk, soya and oats, as well as warnings about possible traces, for each specific variety. Don’t treat ‘gluten-free’ as a catch-all for other dietary requirements.
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Relying only on the online product description
Ingredients and allergen information can change. Albert Heijn advises customers to read the packaging before use alongside its online product information.
Check the packaging again when your biscuits arrive, especially if you’re sharing them with someone for whom an allergen is a concern.
Brands to consider
Verkade
Verkade describes Oaties Melkchocolade as a gluten-free oat biscuit with milk chocolate. This product information applies to this variety, not to every biscuit made by the brand.
- The product description mentions gluten-free oat flakes and gluten-free oat flour.
- The biscuits contain milk and soya; check the current packaging for information about oats too.
Jumbo Lekker Vrij
The 165 g Digestives Melkchocolade are a gluten-free biscuit option with milk chocolate. Jumbo displays the Crossed Grain symbol for this product.
- A familiar digestive shape if you’re looking for a biscuit with a chocolate coating.
- This variety contains milk, oats and soya, and may contain nuts.
Schär
Schär Choco Chip Cookies have chocolate chips rather than a digestive or an oat biscuit with a chocolate coating. Jumbo describes the variety reviewed as gluten-free, lactose-free and vegan.
- According to the product information, there are three biscuits in each pack.
- The biscuits contain soya; the lactose-free and vegan labels don’t answer questions about other allergies.
Céréal
Céréal describes its Cookies met Stukjes Chocolade as gluten-free and lactose-free. This applies to this specific cookie variety.
- An option to compare if both gluten-free and lactose-free labelling matter to you.
- According to Céréal, the product may contain eggs, nuts, sesame, lupin and milk proteins, among other things.
Related products on Joybuy
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Frequently asked questions
Does ‘wheat-free’ mean the same as ‘gluten-free’ if you have coeliac disease?
No. If coeliac disease is your priority, look for an explicit gluten-free label on the current packaging rather than relying only on the absence of wheat from an ingredients list. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, ‘gluten-free’ may be stated when the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 are met.
Can a gluten-free chocolate biscuit contain oats?
Yes, a biscuit labelled gluten-free can contain gluten-free oats. Check both the gluten-free label and the information about oats on the packaging. If oats are a separate concern for you, consider them separately when making your choice.
Should I read the packaging if I’ve already checked the online product description?
Yes, check the packaging before eating the biscuits. Albert Heijn points out that ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information can change, so an earlier online description is no substitute for the current label.
Are gluten-free chocolate biscuits also lactose-free or nut-free?
Not automatically. Check each product’s other claims and allergen warnings individually. Jumbo describes Schär Choco Chip Cookies as lactose-free, but lists soya; for its gluten-free and lactose-free cookies, Céréal warns that they may contain nuts and milk proteins, among other things.