If your child has coeliac disease, choose rusks whose current packaging explicitly says ‘gluten-free’; ‘wheat-free’ or ‘wholemeal’ is not a substitute. Check the other allergens too, and pack the rusks without letting them come into contact with ordinary bread or crumbs. Agree with the school on the arrangements for your child.
If your child has coeliac disease, it’s not just the label that matters. You also need to prevent contact with gluten when packing their food and while they eat at school. The Voedingscentrum points out that even a bread crumb can cause symptoms in someone with coeliac disease.
If allergens other than gluten are also a concern, the full allergen information needs to match your individual arrangements. A gluten-free claim won’t answer those other questions.
If you regularly serve rusks for breakfast or before school, you’ll want to know whether the pack is easy to take with you and whether the ingredients and nutritional information suit how they’re used at home and at school.
Start by checking for a gluten-free claim on the current packaging. Then look at other allergens, how you’ll pack the rusks for school and the nutritional information if they’re a regular part of the menu.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten and cross-contamination | Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the current packaging and keep the rusks away from ordinary bread and crumbs when packing them. | If my child has coeliac disease, I want to be able to rely on the gluten-free claim and make sure no crumbs get onto the rusks. This is the top priority for around 46% of consumers. |
| Other allergens and arrangements with school | Read the full allergen information and ask the school what arrangements apply to food and treats. | If my child also needs to avoid other allergens, I want to know what the rusks contain and how the school handles shared food. This is the top priority for around 27% of consumers. |
| Everyday use and nutritional information | Check the serving size, fibre and salt on the label; check the ingredients separately if ‘iodised salt’ is relevant to your dietary choice. | If I pack rusks regularly, I want them to be practical to pack and to be able to compare the nutritional information. Around 27% of consumers put everyday practicality first. |
Those claims are not a substitute for a gluten-free claim. The Voedingscentrum lists rusks among products that may contain gluten-containing grains.
First check that the current packaging says ‘gluten-free’; only then compare other product features.
The Voedingscentrum says that even a bread crumb can cause symptoms in someone with coeliac disease. So even a suitable product could come into contact with gluten while you’re preparing it.
Use a clean work surface and clean utensils, and pack the rusks separately from bread containing gluten.
Jumbo says that its Lekker Vrij van Gluten Beschuit product is no longer part of its online range.
Check the current range before relying on being able to buy the same product for the school week.
The ‘gluten-free’ claim says nothing about the salt used. The RIVM explains that iodine is added to (baker’s) salt, but that doesn’t tell you what a specific rusk contains.
Check the ingredients if you want to know whether a product lists iodised salt.
Albert Heijn describes Schär Zwieback as gluten-free rusks for people with gluten intolerance.
Jumbo has a product page for its 120 g Lekker Vrij van Gluten Beschuit.
Under Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the claim ‘gluten-free’ can only be used for a food sold to consumers if its gluten content is no more than 20 mg/kg. Check the claim on the packaging of the rusks you buy.
No. ‘Wheat-free’ or ‘gluten-free’ doesn’t automatically tell you whether a product is suitable for people with other allergies. Read the full allergen information and compare it with your individual dietary arrangements.
Keep the rusks separate from ordinary bread and crumbs, and use clean kitchen utensils when preparing them. Discuss with the school what arrangements apply to your child when eating and sharing food.
No, you can’t tell from the gluten-free claim. The RIVM explains that iodine is added to (baker’s) salt; check the ingredients of a specific rusk for ‘iodised salt’.
