Choose a half multigrain loaf if you expect to serve only a small amount of bread at a small Christmas dinner. If a wholegrain base is important to you, look beyond the word ‘multigrain’ and compare the ingredients and fibre per 100 g. Check the current label for allergens and baker’s salt before serving your guests, and freeze any slices you won’t use soon in portions.
If you’re serving bread only as a side or don’t expect your guests to eat much of it, a half loaf lets you buy an amount that better suits the meal. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends freezing bread you won’t use straight away in portions.
If you want to know whether the multigrain variety also has a wholegrain base, read the product name and ingredients list, and compare the fibre per 100 g. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, ‘multigrain’ does not automatically mean ‘wholegrain’.
If certain ingredients or allergens matter to your guests, check the packaging of the exact loaf you’re buying. Check separately for baker’s salt if you want to know whether it has been used.
First decide how much bread you want to serve with dinner. Then compare the wholegrain content and the label, and check that the half loaf you choose fits your shopping plans.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity and leftovers | Compare the pack size and consider how many slices you’ll serve and can freeze. | If bread is only a side, I don’t want to be left with a whole loaf; getting the quantity right is the top priority for around 40% of consumers. |
| Wholegrain content | Read the product name and ingredients; compare fibre on the same basis, per 100 g. | When I choose wholegrain, I want to see how much wholemeal flour the loaf contains. This is the most important consideration for around 30% of consumers. |
| Allergens and baker’s salt | Read the current ingredients and allergen information, and check whether baker’s salt is listed. | If the ingredients matter to my guests, I want to be able to check the label on the loaf I buy. Clear information is the deciding factor for around 20% of consumers. |
| Shopping plans | Check whether your chosen shop stocks a half loaf and whether it will be available when you plan to buy it. | When I’m planning all the food for Christmas dinner, I want to know whether I can get the bread I want in time; this comes first for around 10% of consumers. |
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, ‘multigrain’ means that a loaf contains several types of grain, not that it is made entirely from wholemeal flour. For example, Albert Heijn lists both 30% wholemeal wheat flour and 30% wheat flour for AH Vloerbrood meergranen half.
Look for the word ‘wholegrain’, read the ingredients and compare the fibre per 100 g if that matters to your choice.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bread does not have to be baked with baker’s salt. So the type of bread alone won’t tell you whether this ingredient has been used.
Check the ingredients for ‘baker’s salt’ or ‘iodised salt’, and ask the baker about unpackaged bread.
A smaller loaf means you buy less, but you may still have slices left over if your guests don’t eat much bread.
Choose an amount that suits the meal, and freeze any unused slices in portions straight away, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
The ingredients and allergen information differs between the half loaves we looked at. Seeds on the packaging are no substitute for checking the full allergen information.
Check the label on the exact variety when you buy it, especially if a guest needs to avoid certain ingredients.
These product examples show the differences you might find on a label. Check the current variety and availability at the shop you’ve chosen.
AH Vloerbrood meergranen half is a half brown multigrain loaf.
Jumbo lists a half Boeren Donker Volkoren Meergranenbrood.
Dirk lists Bakker van der Akker Bakkers meergranen half as a half loaf.
ALDI lists Boeren volkoren meergranen Half as a sliced half loaf.
PLUS Korenlanders Rond licht meerzaden half is a 400 g half loaf containing seeds and kernels.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain bread contains at least three different types of grain, but the name alone doesn’t mean the loaf is wholegrain. Check the product description and ingredients if you specifically want a wholegrain variety.
No. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bread does not have to be baked with baker’s salt. If you want to know whether your chosen loaf contains this ingredient, read the current label or ask about unpackaged bread.
Freeze any slices you won’t use soon in portions, and take out what you need. This follows the storage advice from the Netherlands Nutrition Centre and helps you plan the right amount for future meals.
Check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of the exact variety. The product information we looked at from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS shows that listed ingredients and possible allergens vary between loaves.
Use the online information to compare loaves in advance, but also read the packaging of the loaf you buy. Albert Heijn notes in its product information that ingredients, nutritional values and allergens can change.
