If a child has coeliac disease, choose ontbijtkoek whose current packaging explicitly states that it is gluten-free. You can cut a whole cake into portions yourself, as long as you use clean, separate equipment; bars are more convenient if you want to keep individual treats separate in advance. Whichever you choose, prevent contact with crumbs from regular cake.
You want to check that the ontbijtkoek is explicitly labelled gluten-free and make sure the portion served at the party does not come into contact with crumbs containing gluten. The Dutch Coeliac Society also highlights the importance of safe gluten-free food at children’s parties.
You want to be able to give a child their own treat, without taking portions from a platter of regular cake. Albert Heijn lists gluten-free ontbijtkoek bars as a separate product format.
You want to choose a treat without assuming that ontbijtkoek provides iodine. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers are not required to use iodised baker’s salt. If a child eats little bread, or bread made without iodised salt, iodine intake needs to be considered as part of their overall diet.
Start by checking for a gluten-free statement on the packaging. Then decide whether you can cut a whole cake separately or would prefer to hand out pre-portioned bars.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free statement | Read the current packaging: does it explicitly say ‘gluten-free’, and what does the label say about ingredients and allergens? | If a child with coeliac disease is joining in, I don’t want to rely on the absence of wheat from the ingredients list. An estimated 36% of consumers put an explicit gluten-free statement first. |
| Portions and serving | Can you cut a whole cake using clean, separate equipment, or would individual bars be easier to hand out? | At a busy party, I want to keep the gluten-free treat separate from regular cake. For around 29% of consumers, portioning and serving convenience comes first. |
| Product and shop | Check which variant you want to buy, whether it is available at your shop and whether the packaging matches your choice. | If I’m shopping in advance, I want to know where I can get the chosen whole cake or bar. This is the main concern for an estimated 21% of consumers. |
| Nutritional context | Read the label if iodine or other nutritional information is relevant to your choice; don’t infer the ingredients from the product category. | If a child eats little bread, I don’t want to assume this treat provides iodine. Around 14% of consumers give this nutritional context top priority. |
For a child with coeliac disease, this is no substitute for an explicit gluten-free statement. Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014 allows the term ‘gluten-free’ to be used when the food, as sold to the final consumer, contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten.
Check for a gluten-free statement on the packaging of the product you are actually buying.
A gluten-free product can come into contact with crumbs containing gluten while being served. The Dutch Coeliac Society warns against this kind of cross-contamination.
Keep gluten-free portions separate and use clean, separate cutting and serving equipment.
Albert Heijn says that product information, including ingredients and allergens, can change. This means a product description you viewed earlier may not match the packaging in your hand.
Read the label on your chosen variant shortly before buying and serving it.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers are not required to use iodised baker’s salt. So you cannot assume a product contains iodine just because it is called ontbijtkoek.
Consider questions about iodine as part of the overall diet, rather than basing your decision on this one treat.
These product formats offer different ways to serve gluten-free ontbijtkoek. Always check the packaging of the specific variant when you buy it.
Albert Heijn and Jumbo list a 285 g whole, unsliced Peijnenburg ontbijtkoek that is gluten-free. Jumbo shows the crossed-grain symbol for this variant.
Jumbo lists an unsliced 300 g Lekker Vrij van Gluten Ontbijtkoek and shows the Crossed Grain quality mark for this product.
Albert Heijn lists an AH Glutenvrij Ontbijtkoekreep and an AH Glutenvrij Vezelrijke ontbijtkoekreep 2-pack.
Don’t rely on that alone: choose ontbijtkoek with an explicit gluten-free statement on the current packaging. Under Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the term can be used when the food, as sold to the final consumer, contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten.
The quality mark is a recognisable additional indication that a product is gluten-free, but you still need to serve it safely. The Dutch Coeliac Society describes Crossed Grain as an internationally recognised quality mark. Keep the chosen treat separate from crumbs containing gluten too.
Keep the gluten-free portions separate, and use clean hands and separate cutting and serving equipment. This helps prevent contact with crumbs from regular cake, even when the ontbijtkoek itself is labelled gluten-free.
No, you can’t tell from the product name. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers are not required to use iodised baker’s salt. Check the packaging if the ingredients of a particular ontbijtkoek matter to your choice.
