For a drinks party with a guest who has coeliac disease, choose speculaas labelled ‘gluten-free’ and serve it separately from snacks containing gluten. Small speculaas biscuits are ideal for a sharing bowl; a filled speculaas biscuit is more of an individual treat. If your guest has any additional allergies, check the latest allergen information too: gluten-free does not mean free from other allergens.
You want to offer speculaas with a clear gluten-free label, without crumbs from foods containing gluten getting onto the biscuits. The Dutch Coeliac Society points out that contact with other snacks during serving can pose a risk of cross-contamination.
You’re looking for individual speculaas biscuits to put in a separate bowl, so guests can help themselves without having to divide a filled biscuit. Check the allergen information on the packaging for each product.
As well as checking for a gluten-free label, you need to know whether the speculaas contains ingredients such as egg, nuts, soya or wheat. Product information from Albert Heijn and Jumbo shows that these warnings vary between speculaas products.
Start by checking for a ‘gluten-free’ label on the packaging. Then choose a serving style and check for any additional allergens. Under European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, ‘gluten-free’ may be stated when the food, as sold to the final consumer, contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten. It’s still important to serve it separately if there are snacks containing gluten on the table.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free and served separately | Check the gluten-free label on the packaging and use a clean bowl of its own, along with separate serving utensils. | If someone with coeliac disease is joining us, I want to prevent the speculaas coming into contact with crumbs containing gluten; this is the top priority for around 50% of consumers. |
| Shape and portion | Compare individual speculaas biscuits with a single filled biscuit, and check the net weight or portion size. | For a sharing platter, I’d prefer small biscuits, while for one guest I could choose an individual treat; around 30% of consumers give this serving style top priority. |
| Additional allergens | Check the current packaging for both allergen information and ‘may contain’ warnings. | If a guest has another allergy too, I need to look beyond the gluten-free label; additional allergens are the main concern for around 20% of consumers. |
Gluten-free speculaas may contain other allergens. For example, Albert Heijn lists wheat in the allergy information for its gluten-free filled speculaas biscuit. The gluten-free label does not make it suitable for someone with a wheat allergy.
For every guest with an additional allergy, check the allergen information and warnings on the current packaging.
The Dutch Coeliac Society says that crumbs from bread containing gluten, as well as contact via hands or serving utensils, can lead to cross-contamination.
Put the speculaas in a separate bowl and use clean, dedicated serving utensils.
The Jumbo pages for Consenza Glutenvrije Speculaasjes and Gluten Free Bakery Holland Gevulde Speculaas say that these products are no longer part of the online range.
Check what packaging is available at the shop where you plan to buy it, and read the allergen information on that pack.
Albert Heijn points out that product information can change. An ingredients list you checked previously may not match the packaging of the product you’re serving.
Read the packaging again before serving the speculaas, even if you’ve bought the same product before.
Albert Heijn lists both 125 g of crunchy gluten-free speculaas and a 60 g gluten-free filled speculaas biscuit. The first is a good choice for sharing individual biscuits; the second is an individual treat.
Jumbo describes its 125 g gluten-free speculaas as small biscuits and displays the Crossed Grain trademark on the product page.
Consenza has sold 100 g packs of gluten-free speculaas biscuits. The Jumbo page for this product says it is no longer part of the online range.
Under European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a product may be labelled ‘gluten-free’ if it contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten as sold to the final consumer. When buying speculaas for a guest with coeliac disease, don’t rely only on ingredients that don’t appear to contain wheat; check the label on the packaging.
Not necessarily. Albert Heijn lists wheat in the allergy information for its gluten-free filled speculaas biscuit. If someone has a wheat allergy, check the allergen information for the specific product rather than relying on the gluten-free label alone.
Serve the gluten-free speculaas in its own bowl, with clean, separate serving utensils. The Dutch Coeliac Society points out that crumbs from foods such as baguette, and contact via hands when sharing food, can lead to cross-contamination.
Yes. Albert Heijn says that ingredients and allergen information can change. So check the packaging of the speculaas you’re actually going to serve.
