If you’re serving a guest with coeliac disease, choose rice cakes whose current packaging states ‘gluten-free’ or displays the Crossed Grain symbol. Check for other allergens too, and keep the rice cakes away from crumbs when serving. Then choose an option to suit your coffee table: unsalted as a base for toppings, sea salt for a savoury choice or chocolate for a sweet one, provided the ingredients are suitable for all your guests.
You’ll want to check which rice cakes you’re serving. Voedingscentrum recommends looking for ‘gluten-free’ labelling or the Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging. Keep the rice cakes separate from regular bread, biscuits and crackers when serving.
You’re looking for a flavour your guests will enjoy: an unsalted cake for toppings, a savoury sea salt option or a chocolate rice cake. If you’re serving chocolate, ask about other allergies and check the packaging.
You’ll want to spot a suitable pack quickly in store. Use product information to find options, but check the label on the pack you actually buy or receive.
If your guest has coeliac disease, first check that the pack is labelled gluten-free. Then let flavour and other allergens guide your choice of rice cakes for the table.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling | Look for ‘gluten-free’ or the Crossed Grain symbol on the current packaging, and read the ingredients list. | If I’m hosting someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on the fact that rice itself is the ingredient. For around 50% of consumers, this is their top priority. |
| Flavour for the table | Choose unsalted for toppings, sea salt for a savoury option or chocolate for a sweet one. If you choose chocolate, check for other allergens too. | When I’m putting on a coffee table for people with different preferences, I want to serve something my guests will enjoy. Around 30% of consumers put this flavour match first. |
| Practical shopping | Check the pack size and local availability, and read the label on the pack you buy. | If friends are coming round soon, I want to be able to pick up enough suitable rice cakes without any fuss. This practical need comes first for around 20% of consumers. |
For a guest with coeliac disease, it’s the gluten-free status of the finished product that matters, not just the fact that rice isn’t a gluten-containing grain.
Choose a pack labelled ‘gluten-free’ or displaying the Crossed Grain symbol, and check the packaging again before serving.
As well as gluten, chocolate varieties may contain other allergens or state that traces may be present. For the Consenza and Céréal varieties mentioned, look out for soya, milk, nuts and sesame.
Ask your guests about other allergies and read the label of each variety individually.
Crumbs from bread, biscuits or crackers could get onto the rice cakes or serving utensils.
Use a clean plate and clean utensils, and keep the gluten-free rice cakes separate.
When choosing food for a guest with an allergy or coeliac disease, the information on the pack you’re serving is what counts.
Use online information to find an option, then check the current packaging, including the ingredients and allergen information.
Jumbo lists Consenza Pure & Free unsalted rice cakes as gluten-free. PLUS also lists a gluten-free organic chocolate variety.
ALDI lists Goud Gebakken sea salt rice cakes as gluten-free and vegan.
Céréal describes its dark chocolate rice cakes as gluten-free and individually wrapped in pairs.
No. Check the finished product: Voedingscentrum recommends looking for ‘gluten-free’ labelling or the Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a product sold to consumers may be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if it contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten.
Keep the gluten-free rice cakes separate and use a clean plate and clean serving utensils. This helps prevent crumbs from regular biscuits, bread or crackers getting onto the rice cakes.
Yes. Gluten-free doesn’t mean free from other allergens. The product information for the Consenza chocolate variety mentioned states that it may contain traces of soya, milk, nuts and sesame. For Céréal’s dark chocolate variety, it lists soya and sesame as ingredients and says it may contain traces of milk and nuts. Check the current label for each guest.
Use a product page to find a suitable option, but check the packaging you have at home before serving. The gluten-free labelling, ingredients and allergen information must all match the pack you’ve chosen.
