If you have coeliac disease, it’s best to bring pre-packed speculaas clearly labelled ‘gluten-free’, and check the label for any other relevant allergens. If you buy something from a festival stall, ask how the seller prevents cross-contamination during storage, preparation and serving; checking the ingredients alone isn’t enough.
They look for speculaas with a clear gluten-free label and want to know whether it could come into contact with gluten at a stall. The Dutch Coeliac Association advises festival-goers to ask specifically about this.
They want to check the packaging and ingredients before setting off, rather than relying on the information available at a festival stall when deciding what to buy.
As well as checking the gluten-free label, they need to read the ingredients and allergen information on each pack. Gluten-free speculaas may contain egg, for example, or carry a warning about the possible presence of nuts, as the product information from Albert Heijn and Jumbo shows.
First check the gluten-free label and any allergens you personally need to avoid. Then decide whether you’ll bring a sealed pack or whether the stall can give you enough information about cross-contamination.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is it most relevant for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free label | Check that the pack says ‘gluten-free’ and read the ingredients for that specific variety. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, the claim may only be used when the food sold to consumers contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. | If I have coeliac disease, I don’t want to choose speculaas based on the brand name or appearance alone. Around 36% of consumers would make a verifiable gluten-free label their top purchasing priority. |
| Packaging and stall practices | Bring the original, sealed pack. If food is being sold loose, ask how it is kept, prepared and served separately from products containing gluten. | If I have little time to ask a stall lots of questions while out and about, I want to check the product information in advance. For around 29% of consumers, being able to make this practical check at the festival comes first. |
| Other allergens | Read the allergen declaration and information about possible traces on the physical packaging. If there is a product-specific warning, check whether it applies to your variety. | I need to avoid an allergen as well as gluten, so I can’t rely on the gluten-free label alone. Checking for another allergen would be the top priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Availability | Check before setting off that the variety you want is available, and allow enough time to read the label on the product you buy. | If I’m counting on a particular variety of speculaas, I don’t want to start looking for it only once I get to the festival. Around 14% of consumers would see availability, after the necessary label checks, as their main practical consideration when choosing. |
Lotus Bakeries lists wheat flour among the ingredients in Lotus Biscoff Original Speculoos. This regular variety is therefore not a gluten-free alternative for someone with coeliac disease.
Check the gluten-free label on the pack of the specific variety; don’t rely on the brand name or a similar appearance alone.
The Dutch Coeliac Association says cross-contamination can occur when gluten from another product gets onto gluten-free food. This is also relevant to food sold loose at festivals.
Ask the seller how the product is stored, prepared and served. If they can’t give you a clear answer, a sealed pack you’ve checked in advance gives you more confidence in your choice.
Gluten-free speculaas may contain other allergens. On 9 September 2026, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority also warned that information about almonds may be missing from AH Glutenvrij Speculaasbrok with a best-before date of 26-3-2027. The warning applies to Speculaasbrok, not to all AH Glutenvrij Speculaas.
Read the current label and, if you have a relevant allergy, check whether a warning applies to your specific product and best-before date.
Jumbo describes its Lekker Vrij van Gluten Speculaas as gluten-free and states that the 125 g pack carries a crossed-grain symbol.
Albert Heijn sells AH Glutenvrij Speculaas in a 125 g pack and says it is made in a completely gluten-free environment.
Consenza Glutenvrije Speculaasjes is a separate 100 g gluten-free variety to compare by its ingredients.
Lotus Biscoff Original Speculoos is a regular speculoos variety, not a gluten-free option for someone with coeliac disease.
No, Lotus Biscoff Original Speculoos is not a gluten-free alternative for someone with coeliac disease. Lotus Bakeries lists wheat flour as an ingredient; always check the packaging of other varieties individually.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a food may only be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if the product sold to consumers contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. The label says nothing about whether other allergens are present.
Don’t just ask whether the product is gluten-free; ask how the stall prevents cross-contamination too. The Dutch Coeliac Association advises festival-goers to ask specifically about this, including how food is stored, prepared and served.
Yes, always check the current allergen information, even on gluten-free speculaas. Albert Heijn and Jumbo state that their varieties mentioned here contain egg and may contain other allergens. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority issued a specific warning about possibly missing almond information on AH Glutenvrij Speculaasbrok with a best-before date of 26-3-2027.
Keep the speculaas in its original, sealed pack until you’re ready to eat it, and follow the storage instructions on the label. Keep it away from crumbs and shared surfaces where food containing gluten has been placed; the Dutch Coeliac Association says gluten can get onto a gluten-free product this way.
