Rye bread isn’t a gluten-free option for someone with coeliac disease: rye contains gluten. For a street festival, it’s best to bring bread or rolls labelled ‘gluten-free’ on the packaging. If you’d like to buy something from a stall, ask about the ingredients and how it’s prepared before you buy. A dark or multiseed alternative isn’t the same as rye bread, so check for other allergens too and, if it matters to you, compare the nutritional information.
Looking for something similar to rye bread, but needs to avoid rye because it contains gluten. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre classifies rye as a gluten-containing cereal. At a stall, you should also consider the risk of contact with bread crumbs.
Wants to choose and pack a bread product at home, so their options at the festival depend less on what’s available and the information provided at a stall. You can check the label before you leave.
Wants to compare fibre per 100 g and check whether iodised salt has been used when switching from regular bread to a gluten-free alternative, rather than judging by its dark colour.
For a street festival, first check that the specific product is labelled gluten-free. Then choose a type you can prepare and take with you, and compare the nutritional information that matters to you.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it’s most relevant to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free suitability | Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the packaging and read the ingredients and allergen information for the product you’ve chosen. Rye contains gluten. | If I have coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on the dark colour or the words ‘multigrain’: the specific bread must be gluten-free. This is the top priority for around 50% of consumers. |
| Preparation and taking it with you | Check the product type, preparation method and storage advice. Pack food prepared at home separately from regular bread. | If I prepare my lunch in advance, I want to know what I still need to make at home and how to take it with me. This preparation is the top priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Nutritional information | Compare fibre per 100 g and check the ingredients if you want to know whether iodised salt or baker’s salt has been used. | When I replace regular bread, I want to compare the ingredients in my new choice. This comparison matters most to around 20% of consumers. |
The colour and the name of the grain don’t tell you whether bread is gluten-free. Rye contains gluten, as the Netherlands Nutrition Centre also points out.
Check for the ‘gluten-free’ label and read the ingredients on the packaging of the product you’re actually buying.
The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information must also be available for unpackaged products. Information about the ingredients won’t necessarily tell you how the food has been stored and prepared.
Before you buy, ask about the ingredients and whether the food could have come into contact with regular bread via, for example, a chopping board or tongs. If you’re unsure, choose an alternative you’ve checked yourself and brought with you.
The ingredients in gluten-free breads can vary. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt, so the type of bread alone won’t tell you whether iodised salt has been added.
Compare fibre per 100 g and check the ingredients if the use of iodised salt matters to your choice.
A product shown on a range page may not be available at the shop you’ve chosen. Temporary gluten-free promotions aren’t a reliable basis for planning your festival food either.
Check what your chosen shop has available before you leave, and buy a suitable alternative in advance if you don’t want to rely on a festival stall.
Albert Heijn lists products including AH Gluten-Free Dark Multiseed Bread, half loaf, 4-pack.
Jumbo lists Jumbo Lekker Vrij van Gluten Bruin 500 g in its gluten-free bread range.
PLUS lists a range of gluten-free breads in its online bread category.
Dirk’s search results include gluten-free bread products from Schär.
Lidl provides separate information about additional gluten-free products and its regular range.
ALDI mentions gluten-free bread in its information about bake-at-home rolls and bakery products.
These Joybuy products suit a plan to prepare a bread alternative before the festival. For the mini baguettes, first check the product type and preparation method; the Schär option is a bread mix that you need to turn into bread at home.
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A small bread option to consider if you want to prepare your food before the festival. Before buying, check whether this product is bake-at-home rolls or a mix, and what preparation it requires.
Check the current gluten-free label and allergen information on the packaging. Pay particular attention to soya, lupin and mustard if these are relevant to you.
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For anyone who wants to make bread at home, then take it to the festival ready to eat and packed up. This is a 1 kg bread mix, not a ready-made loaf.
Check the preparation instructions and allergen information, especially if soya is relevant to you. Check the label for iodised salt too, if you want to keep an eye on this.
No, not if the bread contains rye: rye is a gluten-containing cereal, as the Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out. Choose a different specific product labelled ‘gluten-free’ on the packaging and check the ingredients.
Before you buy, ask which allergens the product contains and how it has been prepared and served. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information must also be available for unpackaged products. If you have coeliac disease, also ask about possible contact with regular bread and bread crumbs.
Not necessarily: ‘gluten-free’ doesn’t tell you whether other allergens are present. Check the allergen information for the bread you’ve chosen. For example, PLUS lists soya and possible lupin, mustard and sesame in Schär Meesterbakker Mehrkorn.
No, you can’t tell from the type of bread. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. Check the ingredients on the packaging or, for unpackaged bread, ask which salt has been used.
