Choose a half loaf of white bread if you’ll finish it within a few days. If that doesn’t fit your breakfast routine, freeze the bread in portions after buying it. If you’d like white bread with more fibre, compare the nutritional information per 100 g and check the ingredients and allergens for the variety you’re buying.
If you live with one other person and don’t eat bread every morning, a half loaf means you’ll have fewer slices open at once. If you still won’t finish it in time, you can freeze it in portions after buying it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends taking only the slices you need out of the freezer.
If you want to keep eating white bread, check the fibre content per 100 g rather than relying on the product name alone. The figures listed vary between the breads reviewed from Jumbo and Albert Heijn. Check the ingredients and allergens for the variety you choose, too.
If you usually make sandwiches or toasties on weekdays, the shape of the loaf may be a factor. Dirk describes its Casino wit half loaf as bread for a quick sandwich or toastie. Check the nutritional information and ingredients separately as well.
Work out how many slices you use on weekdays and whether you want to freeze the rest. Then compare the nutritional information and the shape of the loaf. Finally, check whether your preferred variety is available from your retailer.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Portions and storage | Count how many breakfasts you’ll get from the loaf and read the storage and freezing advice on the packaging. | If I don’t eat bread every weekday, I don’t want to throw slices away because they’ve been left too long. For around 33% of consumers, reducing waste is the top priority. |
| Fibre | Compare the fibre per 100 g on the label and check the ingredients of the variety you’ve chosen. | I want white bread, but the fibre content is the deciding factor for me. Around 27% of consumers put this comparison first. |
| Loaf shape and how you’ll use it | Decide whether you’ll mainly make sandwiches, toast or toasties, and choose a suitable loaf shape. | On a weekday morning, I want bread that suits the sandwiches or toasties I usually make. This convenience is the top priority for around 20% of consumers. |
| Availability | Check the size and current range at your local shop or in your delivery area. | I want to be able to do my usual shopping without having to go to another shop for a half loaf. Local availability is the main concern for around 20% of consumers. |
Jumbo lists 2,3 g of fibre per 100 g for Casino Wit Brood Half, while Albert Heijn lists 4,3 g per 100 g for AH Extra lang lekker Zaans wit half. Jumbo lists 7,3 g per 100 g for its Wit Brood met Extra Vezels Half. These figures apply to individual products, not to white bread as a category.
Compare the fibre per 100 g on the packaging of the variety you’re buying.
Even a half loaf can be too much if you only eat bread for breakfast occasionally. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says white bread with added fibre can be kept in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days. Follow the storage instructions for your loaf on the packaging.
If you won’t finish the bread in time, divide it into breakfast portions and freeze them after buying it.
Similar names don’t mean two breads have the same ingredients. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says common allergens must be clearly shown on the label.
Read the ingredients and allergen information for the exact variety, even if you switch shop or product range.
The ingredient list for one particular loaf doesn’t automatically describe the ingredients of another.
If you want to know what kind of salt a loaf contains, check the label for that exact variety or ask the manufacturer for product information.
Albert Heijn lists 4,3 g of fibre per 100 g for AH Extra lang lekker Zaans wit half and says the bread can be frozen at home on the day you buy it.
Jumbo lists 2,3 g of fibre per 100 g for Casino Wit Brood Half and 7,3 g per 100 g for Wit Brood met Extra Vezels Half.
PLUS sells Boeren wit half, a 400 g half loaf of white wheat bread.
ALDI lists half and whole loaves in its bakery range and shows a product called Wit brood Half.
Dirk describes Bakker van der Akker Casino wit half as a soft loaf for sandwiches or toasties.
Lidl lists an 800 g white loaf which, according to the product page, is available in store only.
No. If you won’t finish a half loaf in time either, you can freeze it in portions after buying it and take out only the slices you need for each breakfast. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says white bread with added fibre keeps for 2–4 days in a kitchen cupboard and 1–3 months in the freezer. Follow the storage instructions for your loaf on the packaging.
No, they’re different types of bread. Compare the fibre per 100 g on the label and consider whether you want to keep buying white bread or would prefer to choose a half loaf of wholemeal bread.
Read the allergen information on the packaging for the exact variety you’re buying. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists wheat as a gluten-containing cereal and says common allergens must be clearly shown on the label. Don’t rely on the ingredients of a different loaf.
No. An ingredient list applies to the specific product it appears on. If the use of baker’s salt or iodised salt matters to you, check the label on the bread you want to buy.
