Parents of pupils with coeliac disease
For a snack in your child’s lunchbox, the gluten-free label on the packaging is key. Talk to the school about how to keep the food separate from other snacks, and check for any other allergens.
If your child has coeliac disease, only choose an egg cake whose current packaging says ‘gluten-free’ or displays the Crossed Grain symbol; the Dutch Coeliac Association recommends this as the basis for choosing gluten-free food. Check for other allergens too, and follow the school’s guidelines. If the snack doesn’t have to be an egg cake, you could consider another biscuit labelled gluten-free.
For a snack in your child’s lunchbox, the gluten-free label on the packaging is key. Talk to the school about how to keep the food separate from other snacks, and check for any other allergens.
If another type of biscuit would also work for break time, you can consider biscuits labelled gluten-free as well as gluten-free egg cakes. The texture may be different: Verkade Oaties, for example, are oat biscuits, not soft egg cakes.
The number of biscuits in a pack, the best-before date and availability at your chosen shop will determine how many you can take to school or keep for later. A regular egg cake is not a suitable substitute if the snack needs to be gluten-free.
Choose this when: You specifically want a soft egg cake and the current packaging carries a gluten-free label.
Bear in mind: Gluten-free doesn’t mean free from other allergens.
Consider this when: A biscuit for break time will do and it doesn’t have to be an egg cake.
Bear in mind: An oat biscuit such as Verkade Oaties doesn’t have the soft texture of an egg cake. You’ll also need to check its label.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label | Look for ‘gluten-free’ or the Crossed Grain symbol on the current packaging; don’t rely on the name egg cake alone. | If my child has coeliac disease, I want to check the label on the pack before putting the biscuit in their lunchbox. For around 50% of consumers, that reassurance that a product is gluten-free comes first. |
| Portions and availability | Check the number of biscuits in the pack, the best-before date and your shop’s current range. | If I’m buying snacks for several school days, I want to know how many breaks one pack will cover and whether I can buy the same product again. Around 30% of consumers give this kind of practical planning top priority. |
| Other allergens | Read the allergens listed on every pack, as well as any ‘may contain’ warnings. | If another allergen also needs to be avoided, the words ‘gluten-free’ on their own aren’t enough. Checking for other allergens is the top priority for around 20% of consumers. |
The product name doesn’t tell you which allergens it contains. Bolletje lists cereals containing gluten and wheat for Brosse Eierkoek.
Check for a gluten-free label on the pack, then read the label for the specific variety you’re buying.
According to the product information, the Gluten Free Bakery Holland Eierkoeken described here contain egg, milk and soya, and may also contain nuts and sesame.
Check all the allergens that are relevant to your child, and make sure the food you bring in follows the school’s guidelines.
What’s available can change. Lidl, for example, reported that its additional gluten-free products were unavailable at the time.
Check what your chosen shop has to offer before the school term starts, and decide what suitable alternative you could take.
Gluten Free Bakery Holland describes its bakery as entirely gluten-free. Jumbo lists this brand’s Eierkoeken in a pack of two, weighing 100 g in total.
Albert Heijn stocks a product called AH Glutenvrij Eierkoeken.
Albert Heijn lists Maître Mathis Eierkoeken glutenvrij in its range.
Verkade describes Oaties as gluten-free oat biscuits.
Bolletje sells Brosse Eierkoek as a regular snack.
No. The name egg cake doesn’t tell you whether a product is gluten-free. Bolletje, for example, lists cereals containing gluten and wheat for Brosse Eierkoek. Check that the current packaging of the egg cake you buy says ‘gluten-free’ or displays the Crossed Grain symbol.
No. The Gluten Free Bakery Holland Eierkoeken described here contain egg, milk and soya, and may also contain nuts and sesame. If other allergens are relevant to your child, check the allergen information on the packaging.
Jumbo says these egg cakes should be stored in a cool, dry place in a sealed pack. Also follow the best-before date and storage instructions on the packaging you actually buy.
Ingredients and allergen information can change. Albert Heijn recommends checking the packaging for its products, even if you already know the product.