Don’t serve someone with coeliac disease an ordinary spritz biscuit such as Verkade NoboSprits Original: according to Verkade’s ingredients list, it contains wheat flour. First, choose a biscuit whose current packaging confirms that it is suitable for a gluten-free diet and carries no warning about cereals containing gluten or coeliac disease. Then decide which style of biscuit will go best with the coffee. A gluten-free oat biscuit may be crunchy, but it isn’t a spritz biscuit. When serving, keep your chosen biscuit separate from ordinary spritz biscuits and crumbs.
You want to offer a suitable biscuit with coffee without putting an ordinary wheat-based spritz biscuit or gluten-containing crumbs next to the gluten-free biscuit. The Dutch Coeliac Association advises keeping gluten-free products sealed for as long as possible to help prevent cross-contamination.
You’re looking for a biscuit to have with coffee and are happy with a different shape or flavour from a spritz biscuit. Verkade describes its gluten-free Oaties as biscuits with crunchy oat flakes; they’re oat biscuits, not spritz biscuits.
You need to consider ingredients or allergens other than gluten. Which biscuits are suitable depends on the individual packaging and your guests’ requirements.
For a guest with coeliac disease, check the current packaging first; only then compare biscuit styles. If you’re serving a mixed selection with coffee, also consider other allergens and crumbs from ordinary biscuits.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free suitability | Read the gluten-free labelling, ingredients list and warnings on the current packaging. According to Verkade, Verkade NoboSprits Original contains wheat flour; choose a different biscuit for someone with coeliac disease. | If I’m serving biscuits to someone with coeliac disease, I want to rule out ordinary wheat-based spritz biscuits. Around 50% of consumers put gluten-free suitability first. |
| Biscuit style to have with coffee | After checking for gluten, compare options such as oat biscuits, speculaas or a filled biscuit, based on the texture and flavour you want. None of these styles is automatically a spritz biscuit. | With my coffee, I want a crunchy biscuit, even if it tastes different from a spritz. For around 30% of consumers, biscuit style is the deciding factor after checking for gluten. |
| Other allergens and serving | Check the allergen information on each pack. Keep the gluten-free biscuit separate from ordinary biscuits and use clean crockery, as advised by the Dutch Coeliac Association. | When guests have different allergen requirements, I want to know which biscuit is intended for whom and avoid contact with ordinary biscuits. Around 20% of consumers put additional allergens or separate serving first. |
Its shape or texture tells you nothing about its ingredients. Verkade lists wheat flour in NoboSprits Original.
First check whether the biscuit you’re actually buying is suitable for a gluten-free diet, then choose a style you like.
A warning about cereals containing gluten or unsuitability for people with coeliac disease on the packaging is also important for your guest.
Check the warnings on the current packaging too. If you see such a warning, choose a different biscuit for your guest with coeliac disease.
According to the Dutch Coeliac Association, gluten-containing crumbs can get onto gluten-free food via hands or crockery.
Use clean crockery, serve the biscuits separately and, if possible, keep the gluten-free biscuit sealed until you’re ready to serve it.
A gluten-free label doesn’t tell you whether a biscuit contains ingredients such as milk, egg or nuts. Jumbo lists almonds, egg, lupin, milk and soya among the allergens in its gluten-free filled biscuit.
Ask about any additional allergen requirements and check the allergen information for each product you choose.
Verkade offers both regular NoboSprits Original and Oaties, which the brand describes as gluten-free. That doesn’t mean another biscuit from the same brand is automatically suitable.
Albert Heijn’s gluten-free range includes filled biscuits, double cookies and speculaas, among other options.
Jumbo’s gluten-free range includes various biscuit styles, such as speculaas, digestives and stroopwafels.
Jumbo describes Céréal chocolate biscuits as gluten-free and lactose-free.
Not if they contain wheat: according to Verkade, wheat flour is listed in the ingredients for NoboSprits Original. For any other product, always check its own packaging rather than relying on its shape or name.
Choose a different biscuit for your guest with coeliac disease if that warning appears on the current packaging. As well as the gluten-free label, read the ingredients and warnings.
Keep them separate and use clean crockery and clean hands. The Dutch Coeliac Association advises keeping gluten-free products sealed for as long as possible to help prevent contact with gluten-containing crumbs.
No, that isn’t guaranteed by a gluten-free label. Ask which other allergens matter to your guests and check the allergen information for each biscuit individually.
