Choose crispbread whose current packaging states that it is gluten-free, and arrange for it to be stored and served separately at the hotel breakfast. For a guest with coeliac disease, an open bowl next to ordinary bread is no substitute for an unopened pack or a portion served separately: according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, even a single bread crumb can cause symptoms. Also check the allergens listed for the exact product, especially if the guest needs to avoid ingredients other than gluten.
As well as a gluten-free product, you need a way of serving it that keeps crumbs and shared serving utensils away from the crispbread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that even a stray crumb can cause symptoms.
You need to be able to check the packaging and allergen information before serving, and to store and offer the product separately. The Dutch Coeliac Association recommends serving gluten-free products in their packaging wherever possible.
Even with a gluten-free product, you need to check the information for the exact variant. The listed ingredients and possible traces differ between Wasa and Albert Heijn crispbread products.
Start with the gluten-free statement and how the product will be served. Then compare the other allergens and the nutritional information on the exact pack.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free and served separately | Check the gluten-free statement on the current packaging. Ask for an unopened pack or a portion served separately using clean, dedicated utensils. | If I have coeliac disease, I want to be able to have breakfast without crumbs from the bread basket ending up on my crispbread. For around 50% of consumers, this combination of product choice and buffet safety comes first. |
| Other allergens | Read the ingredients and any warnings about possible traces for the exact variant, and check these against the guest’s other allergies. | If I need to avoid an ingredient as well as gluten, the gluten-free statement alone isn’t enough to help me choose. Around 30% of consumers give this additional allergen check the highest priority. |
| Buffet use and nutritional information | Check the packaging and nutritional information, including salt per 100 g and, where available, per portion. If iodine is a consideration, check which type of salt is listed in the ingredients. | When putting together a hotel breakfast, I want to be able to store and serve a product whose nutritional information I can also compare. This practical consideration comes first for around 20% of consumers. |
An open pack or bowl can come into contact with gluten through crumbs and shared serving utensils. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, even a bread crumb can cause symptoms for someone with coeliac disease.
Where possible, keep the product sealed and serve it separately using clean utensils, as recommended by the Dutch Coeliac Association.
A similar appearance tells you nothing about the ingredients. Ryvita states that all its products contain gluten.
For a guest with coeliac disease, choose based on the gluten-free statement and ingredients list for the exact product, not on how it looks.
A gluten-free variant may contain other relevant ingredients or carry warnings about possible traces. For example, Jumbo lists sesame as an ingredient in Wasa Sesame & Sea Salt, and says it may also contain milk, soya and mustard.
Ask which other allergies are relevant to the guest and read all the information on the packaging before serving.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers in the Netherlands aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So the product category alone won’t tell you which type of salt has been used.
Check the ingredients list for the chosen variant if iodised salt or baker’s salt is relevant to your comparison.
Wasa offers Gluten- & Lactose Free Classic and Sesame & Sea Salt as gluten-free crispbread options. Check the packaging for each variant before choosing it for a guest.
AH Gluten-free High-Fibre crispbread is worth comparing if you want to check for a gluten-free statement and information about the production environment.
Ryvita is worth considering if a hotel wants to assess its usual crispbread for a guest with coeliac disease.
No. You should also check how the crispbread is stored and served. Ask for an unopened pack or a portion served separately, using clean, dedicated utensils. The Dutch Coeliac Association recommends serving gluten-free products in their packaging wherever possible.
Yes. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that hotels in the Netherlands must provide consumers with information about allergens present in non-prepacked foods. Also ask how the product was prepared and presented: ingredient allergen information doesn’t in itself tell you whether crumbs or shared utensils have come into contact with the product.
No. Ryvita states that all its products contain gluten. For a guest with coeliac disease, choose a product whose current packaging states that it is gluten-free, then check how it will be served.
No, you can’t tell from the category alone. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers in the Netherlands aren’t required to use baker’s salt. If iodine is a consideration, check which type of salt is listed in the ingredients on the exact pack.
