If you’re catering for someone with coeliac disease, choose bread labelled ‘gluten-free’ and keep it separate from regular bread during preparation and serving. Sliced white bread needs no baking, rolls work well as individual portions, and a bread mix takes time and clean preparation equipment. Also check the current packaging for other allergens and, if gluten-free bread regularly replaces regular bread, look for iodised salt or baker’s salt.
They’re looking for bread clearly labelled gluten-free and want to prepare and serve it separately from regular Christmas bread. The Voedingscentrum warns that, for someone with coeliac disease, even a stray bread crumb can cause symptoms.
They choose a style to suit the menu: slices for the bread basket, individual rolls for each place setting, or homemade bread. If using a mix, there needs to be time for proving, baking and cooling.
As well as checking for gluten, they check the allergens listed on the chosen pack. Anyone who regularly replaces regular bread with gluten-free bread can also check whether iodised salt or baker’s salt is listed in the ingredients.
For a guest with coeliac disease, start by looking for a ‘gluten-free’ label and making sure the bread is prepared and served separately. The occasion, any other allergies and the nutritional information will then help you choose the right product.
When to choose it: Choose ready-to-eat bread if you want to serve slices without baking them yourself.
Things to consider: Check the allergens on the exact pack; Albert Heijn and Jumbo product information lists other allergens, or the possibility of their presence, as well as gluten.
When to choose them: Small rolls, mini baguettes or ciabatta are a good fit if you want to serve an individual portion to each guest.
Things to consider: Check the gluten-free label, ingredients and allergens for the variety you choose; a range listing doesn’t provide all the details for each pack.
When to choose it: Choose a mix if you want to bake your own bread and can fit it into your preparations before dinner.
Things to consider: According to the product information, Jumbo’s white bread mix needs around 60 minutes to prove and 35–40 minutes to bake, plus cooling time.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling and separate serving | Look for ‘gluten-free’ on the pack and use clean, separate equipment for cutting and serving if regular bread is also being served. | If I’m serving bread to a guest with coeliac disease, I want to prevent crumbs from regular bread getting onto it. Around 36% of consumers put this gluten-free requirement first. |
| Shape and preparation | Compare the number of rolls or slices and the preparation steps; if you’re using a mix, allow time for proving and cooling too. | For a starter, I might want one roll per place setting, while slices may be more convenient for a bread basket. Around 29% of consumers prioritise how the bread is served. |
| Other allergens | Check both the ingredients and the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements on the exact pack. | If my guest has a food allergy as well as coeliac disease, the bread I choose needs to suit that too. For around 21% of consumers, these other ingredients matter most. |
| Nutritional information and salt | Compare fibre and salt per 100 g and check whether iodised salt or baker’s salt is listed in the ingredients. | If gluten-free bread is served more often, I want to be able to compare its nutritional information with what we usually eat. Around 14% of consumers give this comparison their highest priority. |
According to the Voedingscentrum, even a bread crumb can cause symptoms for someone with coeliac disease. Crumbs on a chopping board, in a bread basket or on shared toppings can end up on gluten-free bread too.
Set the gluten-free bread aside and use clean, separate equipment for cutting and serving. Take care with crumbs when everyone is helping themselves to toppings too.
A gluten-free label doesn’t tell you whether a product contains soya, egg, milk or nuts. Jumbo lists soya in its ready-to-eat gluten-free white bread and says it may contain egg, milk and nuts.
If a guest has an additional allergy, check the ingredients and allergen information on the pack you’re actually serving.
A white bread mix needs more than just time in the oven. Jumbo’s product information also gives a proving time of around 60 minutes.
Plan to bake and cool the bread before putting other dishes in the oven, or choose ready-to-eat bread if the oven will be in use on the day.
This mix also requires oil, egg or an egg substitute, and yeast.
The Voedingscentrum describes bread as an important source of iodine in the Netherlands. That doesn’t mean every gluten-free bread or bread mix contains iodised salt.
Check the ingredients for iodised salt or baker’s salt, especially if gluten-free bread regularly replaces regular bread.
Albert Heijn lists a 480 g half loaf of gluten-free white bread, which, according to the product page, can be eaten straight away or frozen.
Jumbo lists a 500 g ready-to-eat gluten-free white loaf and a 450 g gluten-free white bread mix.
Jumbo’s bread range includes gluten-free options such as Schär Meesterbakker Classic, Mini Baguette and Ciabatta Rustica.
Jumbo lists gluten-free oval white rolls from Odenwald Bakery in a pack of 2 × 90 g.
No. Choose bread explicitly labelled ‘gluten-free’ rather than relying on a ‘wheat-free’ label alone. Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 828/2014, ‘gluten-free’ may be used on food sold to the final consumer if it contains no more than 20 mg/kg of gluten.
Keep the gluten-free bread separate and use clean, separate equipment for cutting and serving. The Voedingscentrum warns that even a stray bread crumb can cause symptoms for someone with coeliac disease, so take care with shared toppings and bread baskets too.
No. Check the ingredients list for each loaf or bread mix to see whether it contains iodised salt or baker’s salt. The Voedingscentrum describes bread as an important source of iodine in the Netherlands, but that doesn’t mean iodised salt is a standard ingredient in every gluten-free product.
Yes, it varies by product. Jumbo lists soya in its ready-to-eat gluten-free white bread and says it may contain egg, milk and nuts; Albert Heijn also says its gluten-free white half loaf may contain other allergens. So check the current packaging for the guest you’re buying it for.
