If you have coeliac disease, choose rusks with a current gluten-free label on the packaging; don’t assume that ordinary rusks are suitable. If you’re after that crisp rusk texture, Schär Zwieback is one product to look for at Albert Heijn or PLUS. If rusks don’t meet your other requirements, or you can’t find them, choose another breakfast product explicitly labelled gluten-free and avoid contact with crumbs from ordinary bread.
You don’t want to rely on the product name or an old online listing. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises checking the packaging of gluten-free products for a gluten-free label or the Crossed Grain symbol.
You need not only a suitable product, but also a way to keep crumbs away from your gluten-free breakfast. The Dutch Coeliac Society also highlights the risk of contact through kitchen utensils and shared products.
You’d prefer rusks, but you can switch to gluten-free bread, rolls or crispbread if suitable rusks aren’t available or another type of product works better for you. Be sure to check the label on these alternatives too.
Start by checking for a gluten-free label. Then consider how you’ll prepare the food alongside ordinary breakfast products, before comparing the product type and other ingredients.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label | Check the current packaging for a gluten-free label or the Crossed Grain symbol. Don’t rely on the product category alone. | If someone with coeliac disease is eating with us, I want to check first that this particular product is labelled gluten-free. For around 50% of consumers, checking the product comes first. |
| Contact with gluten crumbs | Set out a clean knife and board, and use spreads that haven’t come into contact with crumbs. | When breakfast includes both ordinary bread and gluten-free products, I want to stop crumbs getting onto my food via the spread. Around 30% of consumers give keeping these foods separate top priority. |
| Product type and other ingredients | Compare rusks with bread products or crispbread explicitly labelled gluten-free. Check for relevant allergens and availability at your chosen shop. | I like something crisp, but want another option if rusks don’t meet our other requirements or aren’t available. This is the main consideration for around 20% of consumers. |
Not all rusks are suitable for a gluten-free breakfast. Bolletje lists wheat and rye among the ingredients in its Echte Beschuit.
If you have coeliac disease, choose a product explicitly labelled gluten-free and read the packaging of the product you’re actually buying.
Gluten-free doesn’t automatically mean egg-free or milk-free. Jumbo’s product information lists egg and milk for Damhert gluten-free rusks, while Albert Heijn and PLUS list Schär Zwieback as lactose-free.
Read the full allergen and ingredient information if there are other substances you want to avoid as well as gluten.
The Dutch Coeliac Society says gluten can get onto gluten-free food from another product. At the breakfast table, a used knife, board or shared jar of spread can therefore be a source of concern.
Prepare your gluten-free breakfast with clean utensils and use spreads that you know haven’t come into contact with gluten crumbs.
Albert Heijn and Jumbo’s product pages listed Damhert gluten-free rusks as no longer part of their online range. So an existing page doesn’t mean you’ll be able to buy the product this weekend.
Check current availability at your chosen shop and, if necessary, have another product explicitly labelled gluten-free ready as a backup.
Schär Zwieback is a rusk product for anyone specifically looking for a crisp option labelled gluten-free.
Albert Heijn and Jumbo have product listings for Damhert’s 125 g gluten-free rusks.
PLUS lists Schär Zwieback and, in a 2024 update about its own range, also mentioned gluten-free crispbread and gluten-free rolls.
Albert Heijn has a product listing for Schär Zwieback, with ingredient and nutritional information.
This mini baguette is a bread alternative for weekend breakfast, not a rusk. If the breakfast is for someone with coeliac disease, check that the current packaging is labelled gluten-free before buying.
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A bread-based alternative if you don’t want to have rusks for weekend breakfast. The product name specifies 7 mini baguettes; check the packaging for a gluten-free label, relevant allergens and preparation instructions.
Don’t assume they’re suitable: check that the product is explicitly labelled gluten-free. Bolletje lists wheat and rye in its Echte Beschuit, and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises always checking the label on gluten-free products.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the gluten-free label may be used if the food sold to the consumer contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. Check the packaging of the product you’re buying for the label.
Use clean kitchen utensils and spreads that haven’t been touched with a knife used for ordinary bread. The Dutch Coeliac Society advises taking care to avoid contact with gluten crumbs when sharing breakfast products; an unopened pack or a separate portion of spread can be useful.
You can’t assume this is the case for every rusk. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority describes iodised baker’s salt as a possible source of iodine in bakery products. For a specific product, check the ingredients on the packaging or ask the manufacturer.
The packaging of your current purchase is the best source for checking the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information. Albert Heijn and PLUS point out that product information can change, so don’t rely solely on an earlier purchase or a saved product page.
