For an office lunch when you have coeliac disease, choose rusks clearly labelled ‘gluten-free’ and check the ingredients and allergens on the current packaging. Take the rusks in a sealed container and use a clean knife and work surface at the office: according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre and the Dutch Coeliac Association, crumbs and shared lunch equipment can also lead to contact with gluten.
When packing lunch for the office, it’s not just the rusks you buy that matter. You also need to think about how you handle the packaging and toppings when it’s time to eat.
You need gluten-free rusks and want to avoid them coming into contact with bread crumbs, shared knives or serving dishes at the office. The Dutch Coeliac Association highlights shared lunch equipment as something to watch out for at work.
As well as gluten, you may need to check for milk, egg, lupin or soya, for example. Which ingredients and ‘may contain’ warnings matter will depend on the product and its packaging.
You’re looking for rusks you can buy in time to pack your lunch. Check current availability before adding a product to your plans.
First, check the gluten-free label and how you’ll keep the rusks separate at the office. Then look at other allergens and whether the exact pack is available when you need it.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Contact with gluten | Look for the ‘gluten-free’ label on the packaging. Take the rusks in a sealed container and use a clean knife and work surface. | I want to add toppings to my rusks without them coming into contact with ordinary bread crumbs. For around 46% of consumers, avoiding contact with gluten is the top priority. |
| Additional allergens | Read the ingredients and allergen information on the exact pack; ‘lactose-free’ does not automatically mean ‘milk-free’. | As well as coeliac disease, I need to consider another allergen, so my chosen rusks need to be suitable for that too. Around 27% of consumers prioritise checking for additional allergens. |
| Availability and labelling | Check current stock for your planned lunch. If you have questions about iodine, look for iodised salt or baker’s salt in the ingredients. | I need to be able to organise my lunch in time, without relying on a product I can’t buy. For around 27% of consumers, practical availability is the deciding factor. |
Rusks can contain gluten. For someone with coeliac disease, an ordinary variety is therefore not interchangeable with rusks clearly labelled gluten-free.
Check the label on the pack you buy, and read it again if the recipe changes.
Even gluten-free rusks can come into contact with crumbs on a worktop, knife or serving dish when you add toppings. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre and the Dutch Coeliac Association highlight this risk of contact with gluten.
Take the rusks in a sealed container, keep them separate and use your own lunch equipment or make sure it has been cleaned thoroughly.
The product information found for Damhert lists egg, milk and lupin. Schär says its Zwieback may contain traces of soya.
After checking the gluten-free label, check the current packaging separately for every allergen that matters to you.
Gluten-free rusks do not automatically contain iodised salt. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that using baker’s salt in bread is not compulsory.
If you have a specific question about iodine, look for ‘iodised salt’ or ‘baker’s salt’ in the product’s own ingredients list.
These product examples show the differences you may find on labels; the features of one type of rusk do not automatically apply to the whole brand.
Albert Heijn and PLUS describe Schär Zwieback, 175 g, as gluten-free rusks. Check the current packaging when you buy them.
Damhert Gluten-Free Rusks, 125 g, are a separate product option to assess by checking the label and availability.
Don’t assume they are: choose rusks with a clear gluten-free label. Under Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, that label is linked to a maximum of 20 mg of gluten per kg of product; check the packaging of the variety you’re actually taking with you.
No. You also need to prevent contact with gluten while storing and serving the rusks. Keep them separate from ordinary bread products and use a clean knife and work surface, not a shared serving dish. The Dutch Coeliac Association identifies shared knives at work as a risk.
No, you can’t tell from the label ‘gluten-free’. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that baker’s salt is not compulsory in bread. The product information found for Damhert Gluten-Free Rusks lists iodised salt; check each pack rather than assuming the same applies to other rusks.
Read the current ingredients list and allergen information on the exact rusks you’re buying. The product information found for Damhert Gluten-Free Rusks lists egg, milk and lupin. Schär Zwieback is described as lactose-free, but Schär says it may contain traces of soya; assess these labels separately from ‘gluten-free’.
Yes, but check stock just before buying rather than relying on an earlier product listing. Albert Heijn and PLUS list Schär Zwieback as a product; the pages checked for Damhert at Albert Heijn and Jumbo Lekker Vrij van Gluten Beschuit at Jumbo said those products were no longer in their online ranges.
