If you have coeliac disease, choose toast or crackers whose packaging explicitly says ‘gluten-free’, and check the latest ingredients and allergen information too. Taking an unopened pack with you gives you more control over contact with regular toast. If you want to eat something from a festival stall, ask about the ingredients and how it is prepared before buying.
You want to take a gluten-free snack with you without crumbs from regular toast getting onto it when it is served. According to the Voedingscentrum, even a small amount of gluten, such as a breadcrumb, can cause symptoms if you have coeliac disease. That is why both the label and the way you store and serve the product matter.
Gluten-free toasts and crackers can contain different ingredients, such as egg, oats or soya. If you also need to avoid an allergen, check the information on the packaging of the specific product rather than relying on the gluten-free claim alone.
As well as the ingredients, you might look at things such as salt per 100 g. If you regularly replace bread with gluten-free alternatives, do not assume that toast contains iodised baker’s salt: according to the Voedingscentrum, bakers are not required to use it.
Start by checking for a gluten-free claim and considering how to avoid contact with regular toast. Then compare how easy the snack is to take with you and which other ingredients matter to you.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free and kept separate | Look for an explicit ‘gluten-free’ claim on the packaging. For unpackaged food, ask about the ingredients and whether it is prepared separately. | If I have coeliac disease, I want to stop regular toast or crumbs from touching my snack. For around 50% of consumers, this is the most important factor when choosing. |
| Taking it with you and serving it | Check the storage instructions and keep the pack sealed until you are ready to eat; find a clean place to enjoy your snack. | When I pack food to take with me, I want to open it at the festival and keep it separate from other snacks. For around 30% of consumers, this practical aspect comes first. |
| Other ingredients and nutritional information | Read the allergen information and compare salt per 100 g if relevant. For bread-like products, check separately whether baker’s salt is listed in the ingredients. | As well as being gluten-free, my choice needs to suit the ingredients I avoid or the nutritional information I compare. For around 20% of consumers, this is the most important additional consideration. |
The type of product tells you nothing about its ingredients. For example, Jumbo lists wheat flour and wheat gluten in its regular Knapperige Toast (Crispy Toast).
If you have coeliac disease, only choose an individual product with an explicit gluten-free claim, and check the label again if the packaging changes.
Other ingredients may also contain cereals containing gluten. Allergen information also does not tell you whether tongs or work surfaces are shared with other products.
Ask about the ingredients and preparation before buying. If you do not get a clear answer, it is safer to choose your own unopened gluten-free snack.
Jumbo lists egg and oats in Gluten Free Bakery Holland Toastjes Italiaans Gekruid (Italian Herb Toasts); according to the product information, the toasts may also contain certain nuts and sesame. Albert Heijn lists soya in Laurieri Scrocchi sea salt crackers.
Check the full allergen information on the latest packaging. Compare the nutrition table separately if, for example, the salt content affects your choice.
According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers are not required to use baker’s salt. So you cannot tell how much iodine a product contains from its type or gluten-free claim.
Check the ingredients of the specific bread-like product if baker’s salt matters to your comparison.
Jumbo sells this brand’s 100 g Italian Herb Toasts as gluten-free toasts.
Albert Heijn sells Scrocchi sea salt crackers as a gluten-free cracker in its luxury toast category. They are a different type of product from classic toasts.
Schär is a gluten-free bakery brand. Jumbo lists crackers from the brand, while Albert Heijn stocks its bread and bake-off products.
These rice toasts and lentil wafers are options to consider as crunchy snacks. If you have coeliac disease, check the gluten-free claim on the latest packaging before eating them, and think about how to keep them separate from regular toast when taking them with you.
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Rice toast is a toast-style snack you can take with you; the product description says this variety is gluten-free. If you have coeliac disease, check the latest packaging and avoid contact with regular toast while transporting and serving it.
Pack size: 65 g. If you have a soya or sesame allergy, check the allergen information on the packaging before choosing.
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These lentil wafers are a crunchy alternative to toast; the product description says they are gluten-free. If you have coeliac disease, check the latest label and keep the snack separate from products containing gluten when taking it with you.
Pack size: 54 g. If you have a milk or soya allergy, check the allergen information before choosing.
Do not assume so: the toast itself must also be explicitly labelled gluten-free. Jumbo lists wheat flour and wheat gluten in its regular Knapperige Toast (Crispy Toast), so check the label of the individual product, whatever the topping.
Before buying, ask which allergens are present in the unpackaged food and how it is prepared. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergen information must be available for unpackaged food. Also ask whether tongs and work surfaces are shared, as information about the ingredients alone will not tell you.
No, this varies from product to product. Jumbo lists egg and oats in Gluten Free Bakery Holland Toastjes Italiaans Gekruid (Italian Herb Toasts) and warns that they may contain nuts and sesame, among other allergens. Albert Heijn lists soya in Laurieri Scrocchi sea salt crackers. Check the latest packaging for the variety you want to buy.
No, the gluten-free claim does not tell you whether baker’s salt has been used. According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers are not required to use it. Check the ingredients of the specific product rather than assuming it provides a set amount of iodine.
