For someone with coeliac disease, ordinary rusks are not a substitute for a product explicitly labelled ‘gluten-free’. If you want rusks with your coffee, choose a gluten-free option such as Schär Zwieback; a gluten-free cracker or bread roll may be suitable if the rusk shape is less important. Check the packaging every time you buy, and prevent contact with crumbs and shared serving equipment at home.
You want something crunchy with your coffee, but you don’t choose based on appearance or words such as ‘wholemeal’. An explicit gluten-free label on the packaging and avoiding crumbs when serving are essential. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre and the Dutch Coeliac Society also highlight the importance of preventing contact with gluten.
You want rusks with your coffee rather than a cracker or bread roll. Albert Heijn and PLUS list Schär Zwieback as a gluten-free rusk option; check the packaging to make sure the product meets your other requirements.
You’re mainly looking for a gluten-free product to have with your coffee, and you’re happy to use a different base for toppings. PLUS lists gluten-free crispbreads and bread rolls, but these differ from rusks in shape and how they’re used.
First, check that the individual pack is labelled ‘gluten-free’ and read any warnings. Then choose between rusks and another gluten-free product to have with your coffee.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling | Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the current packaging and read the allergen information and any cross-contamination warnings. | If I’m buying something to have with coffee for someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on how a product looks; around 50% of consumers would prioritise gluten-free labelling and avoiding cross-contamination. |
| Rusk shape | Check that the product is sold as gluten-free rusks; if you eat them regularly, compare the nutritional information per 100 g too. | I want rusks with my coffee, not just any other base for toppings. For around 30% of consumers, the rusk experience would be the main deciding factor after checking that the product is gluten-free. |
| Availability | Check the current product status with your retailer, and check the gluten-free label separately on any alternative. | If the rusks on my shopping list aren’t available, I want to be able to choose a cracker or bread roll instead; for around 20% of consumers, that convenience would be the deciding factor. |
These words don’t tell you whether rusks are suitable for someone with coeliac disease. Regular rusks may contain gluten-containing grains.
Choose a pack explicitly labelled ‘gluten-free’, and check the ingredients and allergen information too.
Crumbs on hands, cutlery or a serving plate can come into contact with the gluten-free portion. The Dutch Coeliac Society highlights this risk of cross-contamination.
Prepare the gluten-free portion with clean hands and clean, separate serving equipment, and keep it away from crumbs from ordinary rusks.
Jumbo and Albert Heijn listed Damhert’s gluten-free rusks as no longer available in their online ranges; Jumbo also said the same about its own gluten-free rusks. Such a listing is no guarantee that you’ll be able to get the product.
Check the product status just before you shop, and if necessary choose another product whose packaging is explicitly labelled ‘gluten-free’.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers are not required to use baker’s salt. So you can’t tell from the ‘gluten-free’ label whether rusks contain iodised salt.
Check the ingredients of the specific product if you want to know which salt it contains.
A brand name alone doesn’t tell you whether a particular rusk is gluten-free. Compare the product listing with the packaging of the item you’re actually buying.
Albert Heijn and PLUS list Schär Zwieback as a gluten-free rusk option.
Damhert Nutrition Glutenvrij Beschuiten Biscottes is a specific gluten-free rusk option.
Albert Heijn has a product listing for Schär Zwieback gluten-free.
PLUS lists Schär Zwieback as well as gluten-free products in other categories.
Jumbo has a product listing for Lekker Vrij van Gluten Beschuit, 120 g.
Not on the basis of the ‘wholemeal’ label: it tells you nothing about whether the product is gluten-free. For someone with coeliac disease, choose only a product whose packaging is explicitly labelled ‘gluten-free’, and read the allergen information.
This warning indicates a risk of cross-contamination; it doesn’t mean that gluten is definitely present in every pack. According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, there may be a real risk that the product contains more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. So don’t treat this warning as equivalent to a gluten-free label.
Keep the gluten-free portion separate from ordinary rusks and their crumbs. Use clean hands, clean cutlery and separate serving equipment, and make sure shared toppings don’t come into contact with crumbs.
No, you can’t tell from the ‘gluten-free’ label. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers are not required to use baker’s salt; check the ingredients of the specific rusks if you want to know whether iodised salt has been used.
Albert Heijn and PLUS list Schär Zwieback as both gluten-free and lactose-free. This applies to the product listings mentioned, not to gluten-free rusks in general; also check the packaging for any other allergens relevant to you.
