For a late-night snack when you have coeliac disease, first choose a product labelled gluten-free and avoid contact with ordinary breadcrumbs while preparing it. Plain rice toast is ready to eat; crackers, seasoned toast and rolls that need baking also require you to check the ingredients, allergens and preparation instructions. Check the label too if salt or iodised salt is important to your choice.
For you, the gluten-free label on the packaging isn’t the only thing that matters. If there’s ordinary bread in the kitchen too, you’ll want to prevent crumbs getting onto your snack from hands, worktops or kitchen utensils.
If you avoid soya, eggs, milk, nuts or sesame as well as gluten, check the ingredients and allergen information for each product. For example, a vegan cracker may still contain soya.
Plain rice toast and crackers make easy snacks on their own, while rolls that need baking take more preparation. Compare the packaging and nutritional information for the type you actually want to eat.
If you have coeliac disease, start by checking for a gluten-free label and preparing your snack on a clean surface. Then choose between something ready to eat and a bread-based snack you need to prepare, and check the current packaging for any other allergens.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling and crumb contact | Look for a gluten-free label or the crossed-grain symbol, and keep ordinary bread crumbs away while preparing your snack. | If I have coeliac disease, I want to prepare my late-night snack without it coming into contact with regular bread. Around 42% of shoppers give this gluten-free choice and preparation top priority. |
| Convenience and snack type | Check whether the product is ready to eat or needs baking, and how much the pack contains. | Late in the evening, I sometimes want something crunchy straight away, without having to prepare a roll first. For around 25% of shoppers, convenience comes first. |
| Other allergens | Read the ingredients and allergen information, including any mentions of soya, eggs and possible traces. | If I avoid another ingredient as well as gluten, that specific requirement should guide my choice. For around 17% of shoppers, an additional requirement like this is the top priority. |
| Nutritional information | Compare salt per 100 g and per portion. For bread or bread substitutes, check whether iodised salt or baker’s salt is listed. | If toast is a regular substitute for bread, I want to take the salt content and listed ingredients into account when choosing. For around 16% of shoppers, this nutritional consideration matters most. |
Suitable packaging won’t stop your snack coming into contact with crumbs from regular bread at home.
Use clean hands, a clean worktop and clean utensils. Keep your snack separate from ordinary bread.
The Laurieri Scrocchi described by Albert Heijn contains no milk or eggs, but it does contain soya. Seasoned toast and gluten-free bread may list other allergens.
Read both the ingredients and the allergen warnings on the current packaging.
Product information from Jumbo and Albert Heijn lists 1.5 g of salt per 100 g for the rice toast discussed, 3 g for Laurieri Scrocchi and 6.6 g for the Italian-seasoned toast.
Compare values on the same per-100 g basis, and also consider the portion you eat.
According to the Voedingscentrum, baker’s salt contains iodine, but bakers aren’t required to use it. A mention on one bread product doesn’t automatically apply to other rolls or toast.
Check each product’s ingredients list for iodised salt or baker’s salt.
The Rice Toast Original discussed here is plain rice toast for anyone looking for a snack that’s ready to eat.
Scrocchi Sea Salt is a cracker for anyone looking for a savoury snack who also needs to check for milk and eggs in the ingredients.
The Italian-seasoned toast discussed here is an option if you’d prefer a seasoned snack to plain toast.
The white bread discussed here is a good fit for a late-night snack that you want to make into toast with a topping.
These products offer three different options for a late-night snack: rice toast that’s ready to eat, lentil wafers as an alternative to toast, and mini rolls that need baking. If you have coeliac disease, always check the current packaging for a gluten-free label and any allergen information.
Image unavailable
Plain rice toast for a late-night snack when you want something ready to eat.
Carefully check the current packaging for sesame and soya if those allergens matter to you.
Image unavailable
Lentil wafers with rosemary for anyone looking for a crunchy snack that isn’t toast or bread.
If you have coeliac disease, check the current packaging for a gluten-free label and read the allergen information, especially if you avoid milk or soya.
Image unavailable
Mini rolls for a warm late-night snack if you have time to bake them at home; they aren’t ready-to-eat toast.
Check the packaging for a gluten-free label and allergen information, especially if soya, lupin or mustard is relevant to you.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, a product can only be labelled gluten-free if the finished product contains no more than 20 mg of gluten per kg. If you have coeliac disease, also check the current label and avoid contact with ordinary bread crumbs at home.
No. Don’t rely on the presence of oats alone. Choose an oat-containing product labelled gluten-free, and check the current ingredients and allergen information.
Use clean hands, a clean worktop and clean utensils, and keep your gluten-free snack away from regular bread. This is especially important when both are being prepared in the same kitchen.
No. Check each product’s ingredients list to see whether it contains iodised salt or baker’s salt. The Voedingscentrum says baker’s salt contains iodine, but bakers aren’t required to use it.
Not necessarily. According to Albert Heijn’s product information, the Laurieri Scrocchi discussed contains no milk or eggs, but it does contain soya. If you have a soya allergy, read the allergen information on the current packaging.
