For a holiday lunch when you have coeliac disease, choose a product whose current packaging clearly confirms that it is gluten-free, and keep it separate from ordinary bread when packing and serving. A ready-to-eat gluten-free raisin bun needs little preparation; bake-at-home buns and homemade currant buns take more time. Currants or raisins in an ordinary bun do not make it gluten-free.
The type of bread and preparation you prefer may vary, but when making lunch for someone with coeliac disease, it’s important to handle gluten-free products with care.
Parents and carers looking for a familiar lunch for a child with coeliac disease. They need to check the packaging and make sure the lunch does not come into contact with ordinary bread while it is being prepared or served. The Dutch Coeliac Society stresses that gluten-free food must stay gluten-free.
People who would rather take a ready-to-eat raisin bun or another packaged raisin bread product than bake at home for a day out or a day of travelling. The format will help determine whether you still need to slice, fill or bake it.
People who have time to bake buns at home or make them from scratch, and also want to check specific ingredients or allergens. A gluten-free label alone tells you nothing about other allergens.
Start by checking that the product is labelled gluten-free, and avoid contact with ordinary bread. Then choose the format that suits the time you have: a ready-to-eat bun, bake-at-home buns, sliced raisin bread or homemade buns.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping it gluten-free | Check the current gluten-free label and allergen information. Use a clean, separate lunchbox when preparing the food. | When I pack lunch for someone with coeliac disease, I want to make sure the bun won’t come into contact with ordinary bread while we’re out. Around 40% of consumers put careful handling first. |
| Preparation | Decide whether the product is ready to take with you, needs slicing or needs to be baked at home; check the latest product information from the retailer. | If I’m setting off without time to bake, I look for something I can pack straight away. For around 30% of consumers, ease of preparation is the top priority. |
| Flavour and format | Choose between a raisin bun, sliced raisin bread and a recipe made with currants or raisins. | If it’s the bun shape or filling that makes a currant bun appealing, I don’t want to treat ordinary gluten-free bread as an equivalent alternative. Around 20% of consumers put this similarity first. |
| Additional dietary checks | Check separate allergen warnings and, where relevant, the ingredients list for iodised salt or baker’s salt. | If I also need to check for other allergens or specific ingredients, gluten-free on its own isn’t enough information. For around 10% of consumers, these additional checks are the main concern. |
The presence of currants or raisins tells you nothing about whether the bread is gluten-free.
Don’t rely on the name or appearance: look for the gluten-free label and check the current packaging.
Crumbs, shared cutlery or shared fillings can still bring gluten into contact with a carefully chosen lunch.
Keep the bun in a clean, separate lunchbox and use clean cutlery and separate fillings. Make arrangements in advance for serving it at school or childcare.
A gluten-free product may contain other allergens or carry a warning that it may contain traces of them. Happy Bakers, for example, says that its bakery also handles nuts, eggs and milk.
Check each product’s allergen information for anything relevant to the person eating it; don’t assume it from the gluten-free label alone.
A general statement about baker’s salt doesn’t tell you which type of salt is used in a particular product.
If this ingredient matters to your choice, check each product’s ingredients list for details such as iodised salt, baker’s salt or potassium iodide.
These examples come in different formats, so not every brand listed offers a ready-to-eat gluten-free currant bun.
Albert Heijn’s own-brand range includes raisin buns in its gluten-free bakery category.
Raisin bread sold by PLUS as gluten-free, for anyone who would be happy with sliced bread for a holiday lunch.
A bakery offering gluten-free raisin buns that you bake at home.
A brand with gluten-free bread and snack products that offer other lunch options.
A brand offering gluten-free bread products and a bread mix for anyone who wants to bake at home.
Don’t assume it is unless you can check that the product is labelled gluten-free. Currants and raisins don’t make the bread itself gluten-free, so check the current packaging rather than relying on the filling or product name.
Take the bun in its packaging or in a clean, separate lunchbox, and avoid contact with ordinary bread, crumbs, shared cutlery and fillings. In its guidance for schools and childcare settings, the Dutch Coeliac Society stresses that gluten-free food must stay gluten-free during preparation and serving too.
No, a warning that a product may contain traces of nuts or sesame doesn’t in itself tell you whether it is gluten-free. Check for gluten separately, and if a nut or sesame allergy is relevant, read the corresponding warning on the current packaging too.
You can’t tell from the product category. If the type of salt used matters to your choice, check each product’s ingredients list for details such as iodised salt, baker’s salt or potassium iodide.
