If you’re catering for someone with coeliac disease, choose bread or rolls clearly labelled gluten-free, and keep them separate from regular bread and crumbs during preparation and serving. Then decide between a larger loaf to share, sliced bread for sandwiches or rolls to bake and serve warm. Check the exact packaging for other allergens and storage and preparation instructions, too.
They need a gluten-free bread option that won’t come into contact with regular bread or crumbs when it’s served. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that even a bread crumb can be a problem for someone with coeliac disease.
They’re looking for rolls that can be baked just before the Easter lunch. The preparation instructions on the chosen pack will determine how they fit into your plans.
They want to decide in advance whether a larger loaf to share or sliced bread for sandwiches will work better for the lunch. The stated number of servings or slices can help you choose.
For an Easter lunch with a guest who has coeliac disease, start by checking the gluten-free label and planning a separate way to serve the bread. Then compare the bread format, other allergens, and instructions for buying and storing it.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten and cross-contamination | Check the pack for a gluten-free label. Plan to use clean, separate utensils and keep the bread apart from regular bread. | If I’m serving bread to a guest with coeliac disease, I want to prevent crumbs from regular bread getting onto it. For around 42% of consumers, gluten safety is the top priority. |
| How it’s served | Compare the number of servings, slices or rolls, and check the preparation instructions for products that need baking. | For sandwiches, I want to have slices ready; for warm rolls, baking them needs to fit into the lunch schedule. For around 25% of consumers, the way the bread is served is the deciding factor. |
| Other allergens | Read the ingredients, allergen information and any ‘may contain’ statements for the exact product. | If someone has another allergy as well as coeliac disease, I want to know whether the chosen bread is suitable for them, too. Around 17% of consumers prioritise checking for other allergens. |
| Buying and storage | Check whether it’s available when you want to buy it, and read the use-by and freezing instructions. | When I’m planning the Easter lunch in advance, I want to be able to buy the bread in good time and store it as instructed on the pack. For around 16% of consumers, planning is the most important consideration. |
The name ‘multigrain’ doesn’t mean a bread is suitable for someone with coeliac disease. Multigrain bread can contain grains that contain gluten.
Choose a pack labelled gluten-free and check the label on the exact product.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that even a bread crumb can be a problem for someone with coeliac disease. So gluten-free products need careful handling when you’re preparing lunch, too.
Serve the bread separately and use clean, separate utensils, its own bread basket, and spreads that haven’t been in contact with regular bread.
Gluten-free doesn’t mean a bread is free from other allergens, such as soya. This could matter to another guest at a shared lunch.
Ask which allergies you need to cater for, and read both the ingredients and allergen information on the current pack. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that pre-packed products must show allergen information on the label.
If a particular type of bread is important to your menu, leaving it until the last minute makes preparation more difficult.
Check availability in advance and, if necessary, choose another gluten-free bread option in good time that meets your guests’ needs.
The Meesterbakker Mehrkorn option is sliced bread for making sandwiches.
The Meerzaden Brood is a larger loaf to serve at a shared lunch.
The Meerzaden rolls are a bake-at-home option for serving warm.
PLUS Meerzaden glutenvrij is a bread option with linseed and sunflower seeds.
No. ‘Multigrain’ doesn’t mean gluten-free: the bread may contain grains that contain gluten. If you’re catering for someone with coeliac disease, choose a product labelled gluten-free and check the label on the exact product.
No. Even bread labelled gluten-free needs to be kept separate from regular bread and crumbs when served. Use clean, separate utensils and make sure shared spreads don’t come into contact with crumbs. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns that even a bread crumb can be a problem for someone with coeliac disease.
Yes, if the rolls you choose are intended for baking. For AH Glutenvrij Meerzaden rolls, Albert Heijn recommends 6–7 minutes in the oven at 180 °C, or 5 minutes in a preheated air fryer at 180 °C. Follow the instructions on the pack and use clean utensils.
No, not all gluten-free bread has to contain iodised baker’s salt. The Dutch Commodities Act Decree on the Addition of Micronutrients to Food sets conditions for adding iodine through baker’s salt to certain foods, including bread. Brood.net Professionals explains that using iodine-containing baker’s salt is not a legal requirement. Check the ingredients if this is important to your choice of bread.
