If you have coeliac disease, first look for the ‘gluten-free’ label, then check the current packaging for other allergens. When comparing ready-to-eat multigrain or multiseed bread, compare the nutritional information per 100 g and choose a type that suits your Sunday morning. Bake-at-home rolls and bread mixes need more preparation and aren’t automatically multigrain bread.
The words ‘multigrain’ and ‘multiseed’ don’t tell you whether a product is gluten-free. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends checking the label on gluten-free products. Look for the ‘gluten-free’ statement, and check the ingredients and allergen information.
If bread is a regular part of your breakfast, you can compare the fibre content in the nutritional information per 100 g. A higher fibre content doesn’t replace the need to check for a gluten-free statement.
Sliced bread, bake-at-home rolls and bread mixes all need different levels of preparation. Before you buy, check the storage and freezing instructions for the product you choose.
If you have coeliac disease, start by checking for a gluten-free statement and reading the current label. Then compare nutritional value, other allergens and how much preparation you want to do on Sunday.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free option | Look for the ‘gluten-free’ statement and read the current label; ‘multigrain’ on its own isn’t enough. | If I have coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on a bread’s name or colour. For around 36% of consumers, choosing a confirmed gluten-free product comes first. |
| Nutritional value | Compare fibre and salt per 100 g using the nutritional information for gluten-free products. | People who regularly eat bread for breakfast want to know how the nutritional value varies between products. Around 29% of consumers give this comparison top priority. |
| Other allergens | Check both ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’, and see which ingredients matter to the people you’re sharing the table with. | If you have another food allergy, the bread needs to suit you as well as being gluten-free. For around 21% of consumers, other ingredients and allergens matter most. |
| Preparation | Check whether you’re buying sliced bread, bake-at-home rolls or a mix, and read the storage and preparation instructions. | If I want to sit down to breakfast straight away on Sunday morning, it matters whether the bread still needs to go in the oven. Around 14% of consumers put convenience first. |
Multigrain bread may contain cereals with gluten. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, ‘gluten-free’ may only be used on a food if it contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg as sold.
Use the explicit gluten-free statement as your first selection criterion, then check the ingredients and allergens on the current packaging.
The fibre values listed by Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS for the gluten-free breads discussed here vary. You can’t tell the difference just by looking at them.
Once you’ve selected products that meet your gluten-free requirements, compare the nutritional information per 100 g.
As well as being labelled gluten-free, the breads discussed here may contain soya or oats, or carry warnings about other allergens.
If anyone at the table has another allergy, check the current information about allergens that are present or may be present.
Dutch regulations allow iodine to be added to bread and other bakery products via baker’s salt. That doesn’t mean every loaf contains iodised salt.
If you want to know which salt has been used, check the ingredients list on the bread you’re actually buying.
Schär offers products including Meesterbakker Mehrkorn, a sliced gluten-free bread, as well as gluten-free multigrain rolls.
The 480 g dark multiseed loaf is a sliced option for anyone looking for a whole loaf for breakfast.
Jumbo describes its gluten-free multiseed bread as being made with tapioca starch, with kernels and seeds.
PLUS offers a 500 g gluten-free multiseed loaf for anyone looking to buy a whole loaf.
If you’d like to prepare your own bread for Sunday breakfast, take a look at these gluten-free bake-at-home rolls and bread mix. The rolls are white, and the mix isn’t a ready-made loaf; neither is ready-to-eat multigrain bread.
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For anyone who wants to bake gluten-free rolls for Sunday breakfast. These are white bake-at-home rolls, not ready-to-eat multigrain bread. If you have other allergies, check the current label for information about soya, lupin and mustard.
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For anyone who wants to bake their own breakfast bread: according to the product information, you can knead the mix by hand or use a bread maker. This is a mix, not ready-to-eat multigrain bread. If you have a soya allergy, check the current label.
No. ‘Multigrain’ doesn’t tell you whether bread contains gluten. If you have coeliac disease, choose a product with an explicit ‘gluten-free’ statement and check the current label. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, this statement means the food contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg as sold.
Because gluten-free breads can vary in their nutritional value and ingredients. Compare fibre per 100 g and check the allergen information, especially if someone at the table has another food allergy.
Yes, as long as you can follow the storage instructions for the product you choose. For example, Albert Heijn says that AH Glutenvrij Brood donker meerzaden half can be frozen at home on the day of purchase and should then be used within a month. For other breads, follow the instructions on the packaging.
No, don’t assume it does without checking the label. Dutch regulations allow iodine to be added to bread and other bakery products via baker’s salt, but don’t require every loaf to contain this salt. Check the ingredients list for the product you choose.
