A half wholemeal loaf is a good choice for a small Sunday breakfast if you won’t get through a whole loaf in time. Just check that the packaging says ‘wholemeal’. Then compare the ingredients and allergens. If you want to keep any slices, follow the freezing instructions for the loaf you choose.
If you only need a few slices for Sunday and the days that follow, half a loaf lets you buy an amount that better suits how much you eat. Before you buy, think about what you’ll eat and what you might freeze.
A dark colour or the words ‘multigrain’ aren’t enough to identify wholemeal bread. According to the Voedingscentrum, packaged wholemeal bread must say ‘wholemeal’ on the label.
If certain grains or allergens matter to your choice, read the ingredients and allergen information for the specific loaf. Albert Heijn and PLUS point out that product information can change, so check the packaging too.
Start with how much bread you need. Then compare only loaves whose packaging clearly states that they’re wholemeal.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity and storage | Check that it’s half a loaf and read the storage and freezing instructions. | I don’t want to be left with more slices than I can eat or freeze after Sunday breakfast. For around 45% of consumers, avoiding leftover bread would be the main reason to buy. |
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check for the ‘wholemeal’ label and compare the fibre per 100 g across different loaves. | I want to be sure my half loaf is wholemeal, and I also check the nutritional information when comparing several options. Clear proof that a loaf is wholemeal would be the most important factor for around 33% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen list on the packaging. Check the salt information too if it matters to your choice. | If a loaf contains different grains or seeds, I want to know which ingredients and allergens it contains. Checking ingredients would be the main priority for around 22% of consumers. |
The colour and visible seeds don’t tell you whether packaged bread meets your requirements for wholemeal bread. According to the Voedingscentrum, packaged bread that is wholemeal will say ‘wholemeal’ on the label.
Check the product description on the packaging before comparing nutritional values or varieties.
You can still have slices left over from half a loaf if you only eat bread on Sundays.
Work out how much you expect to use. Albert Heijn and PLUS say that the half loaves mentioned can be frozen on the day of purchase; follow the instructions on the packaging for your loaf.
A variety containing several grains or seeds may list different ingredients and allergens from a loaf you’re familiar with.
Read the current packaging for the variety you choose, including any warnings about traces of allergens.
The type of bread alone doesn’t tell you which kind of salt was used in that product.
Check the ingredients list for a mention of ‘iodised salt’ if that information matters to your choice.
These examples show what product information you can compare when choosing half wholemeal loaves. Check the packaging of the loaf you actually choose.
Albert Heijn stocks products including AH Extra lang lekker waldkorn volkoren half.
Lidl stocks Halfje extra volkorenbrood, 400 g.
ALDI stocks products including Boeren volkoren meergranen half and Extra vezelrijk volkorenbrood half.
PLUS stocks products including PLUS Boeren volkoren half and PLUS Korenlanders Extra donker volkoren vloer half.
Dirk stocks Bakker van der Akker Boeren volkoren half.
Check that the packaging says ‘wholemeal’: according to the Voedingscentrum, packaged wholemeal bread must have this wording on the label. A dark colour or the word ‘multigrain’ isn’t enough on its own.
According to the product information, you can freeze the half loaves mentioned from Albert Heijn and PLUS on the day you buy them. PLUS recommends using the loaf reviewed within one month; always follow the storage and defrosting instructions on the packaging you buy.
Read the ingredients and allergen list for the specific loaf on the packaging. PLUS lists wheat, rye, barley, oats and sesame, among other ingredients, in one extra-dark wholemeal variety. Don’t assume another variety has the same ingredients.
No. Don’t assume which type of salt has been used just because the bread is labelled ‘wholemeal’. Check the ingredients list for a mention of ‘iodised salt’; for example, Albert Heijn lists it for AH Extra lang lekker waldkorn volkoren half.
