If you have coeliac disease, choose a roll that is explicitly labelled gluten-free. Prepare it at home if you can’t confirm that it will be handled separately using clean equipment at the festival. AH and PLUS sell gluten-free rolls; another type of gluten-free bread may also work, as long as you check the current label for other allergens and avoid contact with ordinary bread.
A roll with no obvious wheat ingredient isn’t enough to tell you whether it’s suitable. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that even a bread crumb can be relevant if you have coeliac disease. Look for an explicit gluten-free label, and ask how contact with gluten is prevented when food is sold unpackaged.
If you bake it at home and take it with you, you don’t have to rely as much on a festival stall to prepare it safely. Albert Heijn and PLUS provide cooking instructions for their gluten-free rolls; follow the instructions on the packaging of the variant you choose.
Gluten-free doesn’t mean suitable for someone with a different allergy. Product information from Albert Heijn, PLUS and Jumbo shows that ingredients and ‘may contain’ warnings vary from one roll to another. Always check the label for the exact variant.
If you have coeliac disease, first check whether the gluten-free label and the way the roll is handled are suitable for you. Then compare how it needs to be prepared, other allergens and the type of bread.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free and kept separate | Look for an explicit gluten-free label. If it’s prepared on site, ask whether separate, clean tongs and surfaces are used. | If I have coeliac disease, I want to avoid my roll coming into contact with crumbs from ordinary bread after it’s opened. Around 36% of consumers put this check first. |
| Preparing and taking it with you | Read how the exact variant should be prepared and stored, and decide whether you can do this before you leave. | I want to prepare my roll at home if I can’t rely on the festival’s equipment. For around 29% of consumers, preparation is the most important factor. |
| Other allergens | Read the ingredients and allergen information for the variant you’ve chosen, including any ‘may contain’ warnings. | As well as gluten, I may need to avoid ingredients such as sesame or soya; a gluten-free label doesn’t answer that question. This is the most important additional consideration for around 21% of consumers. |
| Availability and type of bread | Check current availability before you leave, and see whether a different type of gluten-free bread would work with your filling. | If I can’t find rolls, I want to know whether another type of bread will work without compromising on gluten-free. Around 14% of consumers give this choice the highest priority. |
Spelt is a type of wheat that contains gluten. An ordinary spelt roll is therefore not a suitable alternative for someone with coeliac disease.
Choose a roll with an explicit gluten-free label and check the label for the exact variant.
Once opened, a gluten-free product can come into contact with crumbs or shared food-preparation equipment. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre stresses that cross-contamination must be avoided if you have coeliac disease.
Where possible, prepare the roll at home. If it’s being reheated on site, ask how clean, separate equipment and surfaces are used.
A gluten-free roll can still contain other allergens. PLUS lists sesame in its multiseed rolls; the AH and Schär products reviewed also list other allergens or ‘may contain’ warnings.
Read both the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging you buy.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So a gluten-free label doesn’t tell you what type of salt a roll contains.
If you want to know, check whether iodised salt or baker’s salt is listed in the ingredients.
The AH Glutenvrij range includes white gluten-free rolls that you bake at home.
PLUS sells gluten-free multiseed rolls in packs of two, for baking at home.
Schär offers gluten-free burger buns and other types of bread that can be used as an alternative to a roll.
At Jumbo, Consenza offers gluten-free pitta breads and small rolls, among other alternatives.
Jumbo lists a range of gluten-free bread alternatives, including products from Schär and Consenza.
If you’d like to take a different type of bread to the festival instead of a roll, you could consider these mini baguettes. Before buying, check that the packaging and preparation method suit your gluten-free requirements and your plans to prepare them at home.
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A different type of bread for anyone who wants to take a gluten-free alternative with them; check the gluten-free label on the packaging. Preparation instructions vary between bake-at-home rolls and a mix that still needs shaping, so check which method applies to this variant before buying. According to the product information, this variant contains soya and may contain traces of lupin and mustard; check the current label.
That information alone isn’t enough. Other gluten-containing ingredients and contact with crumbs or shared food-preparation equipment also matter; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that even a bread crumb can cause symptoms if you have coeliac disease. Ask about the ingredients and preparation, or choose a roll explicitly labelled gluten-free and keep it separate yourself.
Yes. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergen information must also be available for unpackaged food. Before buying, ask about the specific roll and how it’s prepared.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a food can be labelled gluten-free if the gluten content of the product sold to consumers is no more than 20 mg/kg. This label doesn’t remove the need to prevent contact with ordinary bread once the product has been opened.
No. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. Check the ingredients of the roll you choose: Albert Heijn lists iodised salt in its white gluten-free rolls, while the PLUS multiseed variant reviewed lists salt only.
