If your toddler has coeliac disease, a chocolate biscuit is only suitable if the current packaging explicitly says ‘gluten-free’. Check the other ingredients and allergens too, and ask about the school or childcare setting’s rules before packing it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping biscuits for young children small and occasional, rather than offering them as a daily snack.
You’re looking for a chocolate biscuit for an occasional treat and check the gluten-free label on the packaging first. Then read the ingredients and allergen information for the product you’re going to give your child.
You want to decide in advance how much biscuit to offer, rather than treating a whole pack or portion bag as a toddler-sized serving. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends offering biscuits occasionally rather than every day.
As well as gluten, you may need to consider lactose, milk, soya or oats. A gluten-free label doesn’t answer those separate questions.
Start by checking the gluten-free label on the current packaging. Then check for other allergens and decide how much you want to offer as a treat.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing gluten-free | Look for an explicit gluten-free label and check the ingredients on the current packaging. A regular chocolate biscuit isn’t automatically gluten-free. | If my toddler has coeliac disease, I want to be sure I’m not choosing an ordinary wheat biscuit as an alternative. For around 50% of consumers, checking for gluten is the top priority when buying. |
| Portion size and frequency | Check the nutritional information per biscuit or serving and decide on a small amount yourself; don’t use the contents of a bag as your guide. | I’m looking for something for an occasional treat, not for every daily snack. This is the main consideration for around 30% of consumers. |
| Other allergens | Read the full ingredients and allergen information, especially if milk, soya or oats are also a concern. Check any lactose-free label separately. | If my child has another dietary restriction, the biscuit needs to suit that too. Additional ingredients or allergens are the main concern for around 20% of consumers. |
Lotus Bakeries Netherlands lists wheat flour and gluten in its regular Lotus Biscoff Original. A smaller size or handy pack doesn’t change that.
If your toddler has coeliac disease, use the explicit gluten-free label on the current packaging as your first selection criterion.
A pack may contain several biscuits. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends offering biscuits to babies and toddlers occasionally rather than every day.
Decide on a small amount before serving, and save everyday snacks for suitable alternatives such as fruit or vegetables.
Gluten-free doesn’t automatically mean free from milk, soya or oats. Jumbo also describes Céréal Chocoladekoekjes as lactose-free, but that label alone doesn’t tell you whether they’re suitable for someone with a cow’s milk allergy.
Whenever another dietary restriction is involved as well as gluten, read the full ingredients and allergen information each time you buy the product.
Product ingredients and allergens can change. A description you viewed previously isn’t enough to check the biscuit you’re actually giving your child.
Check the label on the pack you’ve bought again before serving it or packing it for school or childcare.
Verkade describes Oaties Melkchocolade as oat biscuits with a milk chocolate coating that are labelled gluten-free.
Albert Heijn describes Schär Choco Chip Cookies as gluten-free chocolate biscuits.
Jumbo describes Céréal Chocoladekoekjes as both gluten-free and lactose-free.
Jumbo describes Lekker Vrij van Gluten Digestives Melkchocolade as gluten-free biscuits with milk chocolate, and mentions the Crossed Grain symbol.
For this choice, regular Lotus Biscoff Original is mainly one to rule out: Lotus Bakeries Netherlands lists wheat flour and gluten.
No. Lotus Bakeries Netherlands lists wheat flour as an ingredient and gluten as present in regular Lotus Biscoff Original. In this situation, choose a product whose current packaging explicitly says ‘gluten-free’.
No. Even with an oat biscuit, check the current gluten-free label and the other ingredients. According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, a product bearing the Crossed Grain symbol contains less than 20 mg of gluten per kilogram of product. That symbol doesn’t remove the need to check separately for ingredients such as milk, soya or oats.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends offering biscuits to babies and toddlers once a week rather than every day. Choose a small amount for a treat, and offer other suitable products such as fruit or vegetables for everyday snacks.
No. Before giving or packing the biscuit, read the label on the pack you’ve bought. Albert Heijn notes that product information can change, so check the gluten-free label, ingredients and allergens again. For school or childcare, also ask about the rules for food brought from home.
