If you’re preparing breakfast for someone with coeliac disease, choose mini toasts or crackers that are specifically labelled gluten-free, and check the other allergens too. Plain rice toasts go with a range of toppings, seasoned toasts suit a savoury breakfast, and larger gluten-free crackers offer more room for toppings. In a shared kitchen, prepare gluten-free food separately; if it regularly replaces ordinary bread, it’s also worth considering your iodine intake.
You’re looking for a product labelled gluten-free and want to avoid it coming into contact with crumbs from ordinary bread during preparation or serving. The Dutch Coeliac Society highlights the risk of cross-contamination.
You’re looking for small, crunchy toasts to serve with toppings and choosing between a plain rice option and seasoned toasts. If guests have additional allergies, the ingredients and ‘may contain’ information matter too.
You want more room for breakfast toppings than a small toast can offer, so you’re also considering gluten-free crackers or crispbread. If these products regularly replace bread, their place in your overall diet is worth considering too.
First, check that the specific product is labelled gluten-free and review its allergen information. Then choose between a small toast and a larger cracker, depending on your toppings and the product’s role in breakfast.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who should pay particular attention? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free status and other allergens | Look for the gluten-free label on the specific product and read the current ingredients and allergen information. In Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the European Commission sets the limit for this label at no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. | If I’m preparing breakfast for someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on rice or maize being listed as an ingredient; I also need to take any other allergies into account. This product check would be the top buying priority for around 50% of consumers. |
| Shape and flavour to suit the toppings | Compare the size and choose deliberately between plain rice toasts and seasoned toasts; if you choose a flavoured option, check the other ingredients too. | For a brunch platter, I want the toast to go with my toppings, without herbs getting in the way of a sweet combination. Serving style and flavour would come first for around 30% of consumers. |
| The role of toast at breakfast | If toast regularly replaces bread, compare the serving size and nutritional information, including fibre and salt. For a bread alternative, also check whether the ingredients include iodised salt. | If I want to make a regular breakfast with toppings, I may need more room than small toasts offer, and I’ll want to consider my overall diet. This role at breakfast would be the main reason for choosing a product for around 20% of consumers. |
The type of grain or product name doesn’t confirm that the finished product can be labelled gluten-free. Under Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the limit for this label is no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten.
If you’re buying for someone with coeliac disease, check the gluten-free label on the packaging of the exact variety you’re buying.
The Dutch Coeliac Society says that bread crumbs and shared kitchen utensils can transfer gluten to gluten-free food. It’s also worth taking care with a knife that goes back into a jar of spread.
Use a clean preparation area and clean utensils, and keep gluten-free toasts separate from ordinary bread and shared spreads.
Using a separate preparation area and clean utensils takes extra preparation when you’re sharing breakfast.
Gluten-free doesn’t mean free from other allergens. Jumbo lists egg and oats in Gluten Free Bakery Holland Toastjes Italiaans Gekruid, and says the product may also contain nuts and sesame, among other things.
If anyone at the table needs to avoid other ingredients, check the allergen information for your chosen variety again.
Toasts don’t automatically have the same nutritional value as bread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre describes bread as an important source of iodine in the Netherlands, partly because of iodised baker’s salt.
If you regularly replace bread, compare the nutritional information of the products and consider fibre and iodine as part of your overall diet.
Van der Meulen Rijsttoast Natuur is an example of a small, plain toast. Joybuy’s product information labels this variety gluten-free.
The Toastjes Italiaans Gekruid described by Jumbo are a seasoned option for a savoury breakfast.
Albert Heijn offers a range of products under AH Glutenvrij for anyone considering crackers or crispbread as well as small toasts.
Jumbo includes Schär Crackers Glutenvrij in its range of toasts and related products.
Jumbo has a dedicated gluten-free category where you can look for breakfast products and products from Consenza.
Under European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, food may be labelled gluten-free if it contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten when sold to the end consumer. For someone with coeliac disease, the label on the specific product is therefore a more important check than whether rice or maize appears in the product name.
No. Check that the specific rice toast is labelled gluten-free. Joybuy’s product information describes Van der Meulen Rijsttoast Natuur as gluten-free, but also mentions possible traces of sesame and soya. If there are other allergies to consider, check the current packaging too.
Use a clean preparation area and clean utensils, and avoid contact with crumbs from ordinary bread. The Dutch Coeliac Society highlights cross-contamination from things such as crumbs and shared utensils, so take care with knives, spreads and shared toasters too.
This is particularly worth considering if toast or other bread alternatives regularly take the place of ordinary bread. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bread provides around 45% of iodine intake in the Netherlands, partly thanks to iodised baker’s salt. So consider any replacement as part of your overall diet, rather than looking at the toast alone.
Yes. A product labelled gluten-free can contain oats, provided it meets the relevant EU requirements for oats and gluten content. Check the label and ingredients for the specific toast. The Dutch Coeliac Society says that most people with coeliac disease tolerate pure oats, but not everyone does.
