If you’re looking for a basis for a school-holiday lunch, choose a wholegrain lunch option with a suitable topping rather than a digestive: the latter is a biscuit for a different occasion. According to the Voedingscentrum, a lunch for primary-school children should ideally consist mainly of foods from the Wheel of Five, with room for vegetables and fruit. If you want something crunchy to top, compare the nutritional information and allergens on the packaging. Don’t assume toast contains iodised baker’s salt without checking the label.
You’re looking for something that can be part of lunch, not just a crunchy snack. The Voedingscentrum advises choosing mainly foods from the Wheel of Five for primary-school children, and offering vegetables and fruit too.
You want a crunchy base for toppings, so you compare the size, fibre and salt per 100 g. Also read the allergen information on the packaging you buy.
You’re looking for something for lunch, but you’ve also spotted digestives among the options. The McVitie's Digestives Original reviewed here is a wheat biscuit; the Melba toast and Cracotte reviewed are products to top. So first decide which eating occasion you have in mind.
First decide whether you’re looking for a lunch base, something to top or a biscuit for a separate occasion. Then compare the current packaging of products that suit your needs.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it’s most relevant to |
|---|---|---|
| Lunch base | Check whether a wholegrain product with a suitable topping can be part of the lunch, and what else you’ll serve alongside it. | When I put lunch together, I want to avoid a single piece of toast or a biscuit becoming the whole meal. For around 50% of consumers, this lunch base comes first. |
| Suitable size for toppings | Compare the size of the pieces of toast or crackers, and the portion information on the packaging. | For lunch on the go, I want something crunchy that I can take with me and top, without it being an awkward size. Around 33% of consumers prioritise this practical use. |
| Biscuit for a separate occasion | Check whether you’re looking for a snack; if you’re choosing a digestive, look at the sugars and fat per 100 g, among other things. | When I want to take a biscuit with me, I’m looking for something for a separate eating occasion, not a replacement for a topped lunch. This is the main consideration for around 17% of consumers. |
The McVitie's Digestives Original reviewed here is a wheat biscuit, not toast to top. According to Albert Heijn’s product information, this variety contains 15 g of sugars and 10 g of saturated fat per 100 g. The Voedingscentrum advises that lunches for primary-school children should consist mainly of foods from the Wheel of Five.
Before buying, decide whether you need something for lunch or a biscuit for a separate snack.
The wholegrain toast products reviewed also differ in their salt content and allergens. According to product information from Albert Heijn and Jumbo, Van der Meulen Melba Toast Volkoren lists 1.9 g of salt per 100 g, while Jos Poell Volkoren Toast lists 1.64 g per 100 g.
Always compare nutritional values on the same 100 g basis, and read the current ingredients and allergen list.
According to the Voedingscentrum, using baker’s salt in baking is not compulsory. So you can’t tell from the product category whether iodised baker’s salt has been used in a particular toast.
If baker’s salt is relevant to your family’s diet, check the ingredients on the packaging.
The Jos Poell Volkoren Toast reviewed here was listed as discontinued at Albert Heijn and was no longer available online from Jumbo. Ingredients and nutritional values shown on a product page may also differ from those on the packaging you have in front of you.
Before buying, check current availability. If you have allergies, always read the packaging of the specific product.
If a variety is unavailable, you may need to find another suitable lunch option.
Worth considering if you’re specifically looking for small, crunchy wholegrain Melba toast to top.
Worth considering if you’re looking for larger cereal toast to top with something sweet or savoury.
Worth considering if you’re looking for compact wholegrain toast; first check that the variety you want is available.
Relevant when you’re looking for a digestive for a separate biscuit occasion, rather than toast to top.
These products offer a range of crunchy options for lunch: crackers you can top yourself and one ready-made sandwich cracker with cheese filling. Digestives for a separate biscuit occasion aren’t included in this selection. Whatever you choose, consider what else you’ll serve for lunch.
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A cracker to consider if you want to choose the lunch topping yourself. Compare the fibre and salt on the current packaging, and check the allergens if they’re relevant to your child.
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A multiseed cracker for anyone looking for a crunchy option to top for lunch. Check the nutritional values per 100 g, portion information and allergens on the packaging.
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A multigrain cracker for anyone who wants to add their own topping. Check the ingredients if you’re specifically looking for a wholegrain base, and also review the nutritional values and allergens on the current packaging.
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A ready-made sandwich cracker with cheese filling for anyone who doesn’t want to add their own topping. The filling isn’t customisable, so check the allergens and decide what else to include in the lunch.
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A corn cracker to consider as a crunchy base for toppings. If you’re comparing it with wholegrain toast, check the current ingredients, nutritional values per 100 g and allergen information.
Not if you’re looking for something to build a topped lunch around: the McVitie's Digestives Original reviewed here is a wheat biscuit. The Voedingscentrum advises that lunches for primary-school children should consist mainly of foods from the Wheel of Five, including a wholegrain option and vegetables or fruit. Treat a digestive as a biscuit for a separate eating occasion.
Read the allergen information on the current packaging of the variety you choose. According to the product information reviewed, Van der Meulen Melba Toast Volkoren contains wheat, gluten, sesame and soya, among other things; Liga Cracotte vezelrijk contains milk and cereals containing gluten. The McVitie's Digestives Original reviewed here contains wheat and gluten and may contain milk.
No, you can’t tell from the name toast. According to the Voedingscentrum, using baker’s salt in baking is not compulsory. So check the ingredients of the specific product if using iodised baker’s salt is relevant to your family’s diet.
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging and protect crunchy products from moisture and breakage while you’re carrying them. The product information reviewed advises storing McVitie's Digestives Original in a cool, dry place, and Jos Poell Volkoren Toast in a cool, dry, dark place. Also check the use-by or best-before date on the pack you’re taking with you.
