If someone in your household has coeliac disease, first choose granola with a current ‘gluten-free’ label on the packaging; a large bag of standard granola isn’t automatically suitable. For shared breakfasts, you can then weigh up individual bags of your preferred variety against a multipack, provided the ingredients, allergens, shelf life and storage space work for your household.
If someone with coeliac disease will be eating it, checking for a current gluten-free label comes before choosing a flavour or pack size. This is especially important with granola containing oats: the Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns that oats may be contaminated with gluten.
If you share granola with several people, you can compare individual bags with a multipack. Consider how many packs your household will use before their best-before date, and how much storage space you have.
A gluten-free product may still contain ingredients that someone in your family needs to avoid. So check the packaging for ingredients such as nuts, peanuts and soya in the variety you choose.
First, decide which granola is suitable for the person with coeliac disease. Then compare the quantity per purchase and the features that matter to everyone else eating it.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who this matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free suitability | Check the current ‘gluten-free’ label on the packaging, including when the granola contains oats. | If someone with coeliac disease will be eating it, I wouldn’t want to infer that it’s suitable from the ingredients or bag size. Around 36% of consumers are thought to consider this their primary purchase requirement. |
| Stock and packaging | Compare the amount in each bag, the number of bags in a multipack and the best-before date with how much you use. | For a shared breakfast, I want enough in stock without buying more than we can use; this is thought to be the main consideration for around 29% of consumers. |
| Other allergens | For the specific variety, check both ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ information if anyone in your family needs to avoid certain allergens. | If one granola is going on the table for everyone, I also need to consider allergens other than gluten. This is thought to be the priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Nutrition and flavour | Compare the nutritional information per 100 g, including sugars, fibre and protein, and choose a flavour your household will enjoy. | Once the essential suitability checks are done, I want to be able to compare products by their ingredients and flavour; around 14% of consumers are thought to see this as their main consideration. |
A 500 g pack tells you nothing about whether the granola is gluten-free. The standard granolas from Jumbo and ALDI mentioned here don’t have the same explicit gluten-free labelling as the gluten-free products referred to.
Start by checking the current packaging for a ‘gluten-free’ label, then compare quantities.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, oats don’t naturally contain gluten, but they may be contaminated with gluten, making them unsuitable for someone with coeliac disease.
For granola containing oats, check the current gluten-free label and product information for that specific variety.
The gluten-free granolas mentioned here include ingredients such as almonds, hazelnuts, soya and peanuts. A ‘gluten-free’ label says nothing about whether these ingredients are present.
Before buying for the family, also read the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ information, especially if you’re planning to buy several packs of the same variety.
A granola mentioned previously may no longer be in the range. Another granola from the same shop isn’t automatically a gluten-free alternative.
Check what’s currently available just before you buy, and assess any replacement by checking its own packaging.
These examples can help you compare specific product ranges. Check the variety and current packaging each time you buy.
Albert Heijn lists an AH Glutenvrij Granola, 250 g.
Jumbo lists gluten-free Holie's granola in 330 g bags; a 6 x 330 g multipack of the peanut chocolate variety is also available at Joybuy.
Jumbo lists Free Of Gluten Crunchy Granola nuts and honey as a 340 g gluten-free variety.
Albert Heijn has listed 340 g gluten-free Emco granolas made with buckwheat and millet flakes.
ALDI lists gluten-free muesli and porridge oats in its breakfast cereal range; these aren’t automatically gluten-free granolas.
Here you’ll find one bag and a multipack of Holie's Granola Glutenfree Peanut Chocolate. Compare them based on how much of this specific variety your household uses, and check the current packaging and allergen information for both before buying.
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For a household that has already chosen this gluten-free variety and wants to keep several individual bags in stock.
Multipack with 6 bags of 330 g. The product information lists oats and peanuts; the variety may also contain almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans and soya. Check the current packaging and best-before date before stocking up.
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For a household that wants to try one bag of this gluten-free peanut chocolate variety before choosing a multipack.
One 330 g bag. The product information lists oats and peanuts; the variety may also contain almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans and soya. Check the current packaging and best-before date before buying.
Don’t assume it is unless the packaging has a current ‘gluten-free’ label. Even granola made mostly with oats, nuts and seeds isn’t automatically suitable: according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, oats may be contaminated with gluten.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the ‘gluten-free’ label may be used when a food contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten for the final consumer. Check the label on the granola you’re actually buying.
Oats as an ingredient don’t, on their own, prove that a granola is suitable for someone with coeliac disease. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre explains that oats don’t naturally contain gluten, but are often contaminated with it. So check that the specific product is currently suitable for a gluten-free diet.
A multipack can work well if several family members eat the same gluten-free variety, and you can use and store the individual bags before their best-before date. Before buying more, also check that everyone can eat the ingredients and allergens listed for that specific variety.
Yes. Check the current packaging again each time you buy. Albert Heijn warns that ingredients, nutritional values and dietary or allergy information for its granola may change.
