If you’re choosing for someone with coeliac disease, check the packaging of both the rusks and the chocolate sprinkles separately for a current gluten-free label. Keep the gluten-free portion away from ordinary bread crumbs, and check the nutritional information and use of baker’s salt separately: the ‘gluten-free’ label tells you nothing about either.
With coeliac disease, you need to pay attention to the labels on both the rusks and the chocolate sprinkles, as well as how you handle crumbs at the table. A list of ingredients that doesn’t mention wheat is not the same as an explicit gluten-free label.
If ordinary bread is also on the table, crumbs can get into the gluten-free portion via a knife, board or shared butter. The Dutch Coeliac Association highlights this risk of cross-contamination.
If you’d like to keep eating rusks with chocolate sprinkles, you can check the nutritional information for each product as well as its gluten-free label. If you’re eating less ordinary bread, you may also want to check whether a bread substitute contains baker’s salt.
When choosing rusks and chocolate sprinkles for someone with coeliac disease, start by checking both packs, then consider how you’ll prepare them at the table and check the nutritional information. According to the Dutch Coeliac Association, the ‘gluten-free’ label means the product contains less than 20 mg of gluten per kg.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Both products are gluten-free | Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the current packaging of both the rusks and the chocolate sprinkles. Check again if you choose a different variety. | If I’m making rusks with chocolate sprinkles for someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want to guess based on an ingredients list alone. Around 50% of consumers prioritise having a gluten-free label on both products. |
| Cross-contamination at the table | Use a clean plate and knife, and make sure the butter or other spread hasn’t had crumbs dropped into it. | When ordinary bread is on the table, I want to stop crumbs getting into the gluten-free portion. Avoiding cross-contamination is the top priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Nutritional information and baker’s salt | Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and per portion. If you’re choosing a bread substitute, check whether it contains baker’s salt if that’s relevant to your diet. | If I’m eating less ordinary bread, I want to know what my alternative breakfast contains, without assuming anything about its nutritional value from the ‘gluten-free’ label. This is the top priority for around 20% of consumers. |
Chocolate sprinkles labelled gluten-free don’t make ordinary rusks suitable for someone who needs to eat strictly gluten-free.
Before combining them, check the current gluten-free label on both packs.
According to the Dutch Coeliac Association, crumbs from ordinary bread can get into gluten-free food via shared utensils and other items.
Prepare the gluten-free portion with clean utensils, and use butter or another spread that hasn’t been used with a knife that’s touched ordinary bread.
The gluten-free label doesn’t tell you how much sugar, fat, fibre or salt a product contains, or whether baker’s salt was used in its preparation.
Read the nutritional information for each product separately. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre notes that bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt.
Ingredients and allergen information can change. And a label on one variety of chocolate sprinkles doesn’t automatically apply to another.
When you buy them, check the packaging of the exact rusks and chocolate sprinkles you’re serving.
Albert Heijn lists Schär Zwieback rusks as gluten-free and wheat-free.
According to Albert Heijn’s product listing, AH Hagelslag puur (dark chocolate sprinkles) carries a gluten-free label.
Venz Hagelslag melk (milk chocolate sprinkles) is a familiar choice if you’re putting together a classic breakfast with chocolate sprinkles.
Albert Heijn has listed a product called Damhert Glutenvrije beschuit (Damhert gluten-free rusks).
Yes. If you’re putting this combination together for someone with coeliac disease, check both products separately for a current gluten-free label. According to the Dutch Coeliac Association, that label means the product contains less than 20 mg of gluten per kg.
No. The absence of wheat from an ingredients list is no substitute for an explicit gluten-free label on the rusks or chocolate sprinkles you choose. Check the current label if you switch to a different variety or the packaging changes.
Use a clean plate and knife, and keep the portion away from ordinary bread crumbs. Don’t use butter or another spread that’s already been used with a knife that touched ordinary bread; according to the Dutch Coeliac Association, this can transfer crumbs.
No. The ‘gluten-free’ label tells you nothing about the use of baker’s salt. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers aren’t required to use it. Check the label or ask if it matters to your diet.
