If you have coeliac disease, choosing rusks for your holiday starts with checking the current gluten-free label on the packaging and preventing cross-contamination, not with the product’s shape. Gluten-free rusks are a good choice if you want the familiar rusk shape; a gluten-free rusk-style alternative may suit you if a different shape works for you on the go. If you regularly eat little bread, you could also consider your iodine intake as part of your overall diet.
You want to take rusks or an alternative with you that is labelled gluten-free, even if you’re sharing a kitchen with other people. According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, crumbs can get onto gluten-free food via a shared chopping board.
You’re looking for something to have for breakfast or with toppings, and want to know whether you’re buying genuine gluten-free rusks or an alternative in a different shape. You’ll still need to check the gluten-free label separately.
You’re not just thinking about rusks for your holiday, but also about the place of bread in your usual diet. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that eating little bread can affect your iodine intake.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling and cross-contamination | Check the current packaging for a ‘gluten-free’ label or the Crossed Grain symbol. If you’re sharing food, use clean kitchen utensils and separate toppings. | When I have breakfast with other people, I want both a suitable product and a crumb-free space away from ordinary bread. For around 45% of consumers, avoiding contact with gluten would be their main concern when buying. |
| Supplies for your journey | Check the storage instructions for your chosen product and stock up before you leave; an online range doesn’t tell you what’s in stock at a particular branch. | I don’t want to depend on one shop for a suitable breakfast product at my destination. For around 27% of consumers, having a useful supply for their holiday would be the top priority. |
| Rusk shape and how you’ll use it | Check whether the packaging contains rusks, Zwieback or another product, and whether the shape works with fruit or toppings. | For breakfast with strawberries, I want something I can top in the same way as a rusk. Around 18% of consumers would mainly be looking for the familiar rusk shape. |
| Iodine if you eat little bread | Don’t assume that every gluten-free rusk contains iodine-enriched baker’s salt; consider the product as part of your overall diet. | If I also eat little bread outside the holiday, I don’t want to base my iodine intake on a single packet of rusks. For around 10% of consumers, this broader dietary question would be the main concern. |
Rusks, crackers and toast aren’t automatically suitable if you have coeliac disease. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends looking for the ‘gluten-free’ label or the Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging.
Check the current packaging, even if you’ve bought the same product before.
According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, crumbs can get onto gluten-free food via shared utensils. This is also something to bear in mind when you’re staying somewhere with a shared kitchen on holiday.
Use clean kitchen utensils and separate toppings, or agree in advance how to keep the worktop free of crumbs.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bread contributes to your iodine intake. That doesn’t tell you how much iodine an individual gluten-free rusk contains.
If you regularly eat little bread, consider your overall diet rather than basing this choice on the assumed ingredients of one product.
A product listing at Albert Heijn or Jumbo doesn’t tell you whether that product will be in a particular shop on your travel date.
Stock up on suitable products before you leave if you don’t want to depend on a specific shop at your destination.
Albert Heijn lists Damhert Glutenvrije beschuit; Jumbo lists Damhert Glutenvrij Beschuiten Biscottes, 125 g.
Albert Heijn lists Schär Zwieback beschuit glutenvrij as a dry, rusk-style option.
Jumbo lists 120 g gluten-free rusks in this range.
Check the current packaging for a ‘gluten-free’ label or the Crossed Grain symbol, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. Don’t judge a product by its name or shape alone, or rely on a previous purchase.
No, how you handle the product after opening it matters too. According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, crumbs can get onto gluten-free food via, for example, a shared chopping board. So use clean utensils and separate toppings.
You can’t assume that every gluten-free rusk does. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre identifies bread as an important source of iodine in the Netherlands; if you regularly eat little bread, you could consider your iodine intake as part of your overall diet.
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging of your chosen product. For Damhert Glutenvrij Beschuiten Biscottes, Jumbo advises storing them in a ‘cool, dry place’; also keep gluten-free products away from crumbs from bread containing gluten.
