If you’re hosting someone with coeliac disease, first choose toast or crackers whose current packaging explicitly says they’re gluten-free, and keep them separate from any gluten-containing nibbles when serving. Italian-seasoned toast adds flavour to the spread on its own, while a more lightly seasoned cracker leaves more room for a range of toppings. In either case, check the ingredients and allergen information too.
You want to serve a gluten-free base alongside regular nibbles without crumbs or shared utensils coming into contact with it. The Voedingscentrum advises checking the label, while Glutenvrij.nl recommends using an unopened pack to help prevent cross-contamination.
You’re looking for a base that’s already seasoned, so every piece of toast doesn’t need a strongly flavoured topping. Jumbo lists Italian herbs in Gluten Free Bakery Holland’s toast, while a Laurieri product page mentions garlic and parsley in its Scrocchi crackers.
You want one more lightly seasoned base to pair with a variety of savoury toppings. So compare the flavour of your chosen cracker with what you plan to serve on it, and check the current packaging for your guest with coeliac disease.
When you’re hosting an Italian get-together with someone who has coeliac disease, checking the gluten-free label and serving food separately come before choosing between seasoned toast and a cracker for different toppings.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Serving gluten-free food | Check the gluten-free label and allergen information on the current packaging. Set aside an unopened portion with clean, separate serving utensils. | If someone with coeliac disease is eating with you, you’ll want to stop crumbs from regular toast getting onto their food. This would be the main concern for around 50% of consumers. |
| Italian herb flavour | Compare the listed herbs with your planned toppings; garlic or an Italian seasoning blend can shape the flavour, even with a simple topping. | If you don’t want to prepare many toppings, you may prefer the toast or cracker to provide the flavour. This would be the main consideration for around 30% of consumers. |
| Room for toppings | Choose a less seasoned option if you’re serving a range of toppings, and check that the packaging suits the way you plan to serve it. | With several savoury toppings, you won’t want the same herb flavour to dominate every bite. That’s why around 20% of consumers would mainly look for a versatile base. |
The absence of wheat from an ingredients list is no substitute for an explicit gluten-free label. For someone with coeliac disease, how the product is served matters too.
Read the current packaging and keep gluten-free nibbles separate from products containing gluten.
According to Glutenvrij.nl, crumbs and used utensils can contaminate gluten-free food.
Open a separate pack and use a clean work surface and separate serving utensils. Don’t use a knife from the regular toast in the dip for the gluten-free nibbles.
Garlic and Italian herbs contribute to the flavour of the nibbles and can overpower more subtle toppings.
Choose a seasoned base if that’s the flavour you want; opt for a more lightly seasoned cracker when you want the toppings to shine.
A mention of salt or the possibility of using baker’s salt doesn’t tell you which salt is in a particular piece of toast.
Check the packaging or ask the manufacturer for product-specific information if the iodine content is relevant to your choice.
An option if you want the base itself to have an Italian seasoning.
A cracker option to compare if you want the toppings to provide the flavour.
A cracker option if you’re looking for garlic and parsley in the base.
This rice toast is an option if you want to add most of the Italian flavour with your toppings. If you’re serving someone with coeliac disease, check the current gluten-free label and serve the toast separately.
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Rice toast to consider when you want a range of Italian toppings to shine.
65 g pack. Before serving, check the gluten-free label and allergen information on the current packaging, and use clean, separate serving utensils.
Check the current packaging for an explicit gluten-free label, and read the allergen information too. The Voedingscentrum advises checking the label; then keep the food you’ve chosen separate from products containing gluten.
If you’re serving someone with coeliac disease, use a separate, clean serving area to avoid contact with crumbs from regular toast. Use clean hands and separate serving utensils, and open the gluten-free pack separately.
No. The fact that baker’s salt exists doesn’t mean it has been used in a particular product. Check the packaging or ask the manufacturer which salt is used if this matters to your choice.
Yes. A gluten-free label doesn’t mean that a product is free from other allergens. For Gluten Free Bakery Holland’s Italian-seasoned toast, Jumbo lists egg and the possible presence of nuts and sesame, among other information; so check the allergen details on the pack you’re serving.
