If you have coeliac disease, choose white bread or rolls for your Christmas market shopping that are clearly labelled gluten-free, and watch out for possible cross-contamination. Before buying unwrapped rolls, ask about the ingredients and how they are prepared. For packaged products, you can also compare other allergens, pack size and nutritional information.
You’ll want to check the gluten-free label and allergen information before buying. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, even a stray bread crumb can cause symptoms if you have coeliac disease, so it’s important to consider how food is prepared at the Christmas market too.
You’re looking for bread or rolls whose ingredients and allergens guests can check before eating. For unwrapped products, allergen information must be made available in another way, according to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.
You need a gluten-free option, but you also want to compare fibre, salt and other allergens for each product. Check the ingredients list to see whether baker’s salt or iodised salt has been used. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt.
First, make sure the bread meets your gluten-free requirements. Then compare the pack size and nutritional information to see whether they suit how you plan to use it at the Christmas market.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free status and allergens | Look for the gluten-free label and read the allergen information. If you’re buying unwrapped rolls, also ask how they’re prepared and whether they may have come into contact with other bread. | If I have coeliac disease, I want to know what I can eat without ordinary bread crumbs getting onto my roll. For around 50% of consumers, checking for gluten comes first. |
| Pack size and use | Check the number of rolls, storage instructions and whether they need to be baked at home. Check availability before you shop. | When serving rolls at the Christmas market, I want to know how many I can serve and whether I need to prepare them in advance. For around 30% of consumers, practical considerations take priority. |
| Nutritional information | Compare fibre and salt per 100 g, and check the ingredients list for baker’s salt or iodised salt. | Once I’ve confirmed it’s gluten-free, I want to compare the nutritional information for different white breads. For around 20% of consumers, this is the main follow-up question. |
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, even small amounts of gluten, such as bread crumbs, can cause symptoms if you have coeliac disease. A roll’s appearance tells you nothing about whether it’s labelled gluten-free or how it was prepared.
Check the label on packaged products. Before buying an unwrapped roll, ask about allergens, ingredients and possible contact with other bread.
A gluten-free label doesn’t mean that bread is free from soya, egg, milk or nuts. The product information for the gluten-free white breads listed by Albert Heijn and Jumbo also mentions other allergens or possible traces.
Read all the allergen information on the current packaging, even if you’ve bought the same bread before.
Nutritional values vary from one loaf to another. What’s more, according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt.
Compare fibre and salt per 100 g, and check the ingredients list for the bread you’ve chosen to see whether it contains baker’s salt or iodised salt.
An online product range or a limited-time offer doesn’t tell you whether the bread you want will be in your local shop when you go to buy it.
Check that the specific product is available shortly before the Christmas market, and follow the storage instructions if you buy it in advance.
A wasted trip to the shop could mean an extra journey.
Albert Heijn lists AH Gluten-free White Bread Half, 480 g.
Jumbo lists Lekker Vrij van Gluten Wit, 500 g.
PLUS’s gluten-free range includes both white bread and white rolls.
Dirk lists Schär Meisterbackers Classic gluten-free bread, 300 g.
Lidl describes a gluten-free range, along with extra products available for a limited time.
Aldi lists a range that includes standard white bread.
These mini baguettes are a handy size for serving as individual rolls at the Christmas market. If you need a strictly gluten-free option, check the current packaging and bear in mind that they may need to be prepared.
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Mini baguettes for serving as individual rolls. Bear in mind that they need to be baked at home, and check the current packaging for the gluten-free label, ingredients, allergens, preparation instructions and pack contents.
Choose bread with a clear gluten-free label and check the current ingredients and allergen information. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, even a stray bread crumb can cause symptoms if you have coeliac disease, so watch out for possible contact with standard bread when serving it.
Before buying, ask which ingredients have been used and how the roll is prepared. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information must also be available for unwrapped products. If you have coeliac disease, possible contact with other bread is a separate point to check.
No, don’t assume it does. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. Check the ingredients list for the specific bread to see whether it contains baker’s salt or iodised salt.
Follow the storage instructions for the specific bread. Albert Heijn says that AH Gluten-free White Bread Half can be frozen at home on the day of purchase. Don’t assume the same instructions apply to other breads or rolls.
