If fibre is your priority
You want to know how much fibre the cereal adds to your breakfast. To compare, look not only at the amount per 100 g, but also at how much you put in your bowl.
Which choice is right for you?
For crunchy muesli lovers keeping an eye on sugars
You’re looking for crunchy muesli and want to assess its sugars and ingredients as well as its fibre. A claim such as ‘no added sugars’ doesn’t replace the nutrition table.
If you want a warm bowl or a quick breakfast
You’d rather have porridge, another warm cereal breakfast or a drinkable option. When comparing, take into account what’s in your serving once it’s prepared.
What should you look for when choosing?
A bran cereal, crunchy muesli and a warm cereal breakfast don’t quite meet the same needs. Decide which suits you first, then compare the nutritional information on a like-for-like basis.
Bran cereal
When to choose it: If fibre from your cereal is your priority, Kellogg's All-Bran Fibre Plus is a useful point of comparison: Albert Heijn lists 26 g of fibre per 100 g.
What to consider: Check the sugars and ingredients too. The variant reviewed lists 15 g of sugars per 100 g and contains wheat and barley.
Crunchy muesli
When to choose it: If you’re mainly after a crunchy texture, you could try a Quaker Zero Sugar Added variant, for example.
What to consider: Albert Heijn states that the Strawberry & Peach variant contains naturally occurring sugars. Don’t compare the nutritional value of a prepared serving directly with that of 100 g of dry product.
Warm cereal breakfast or breakfast drink
When to choose it: If you fancy a warm bowl, Brinta Volkoren graanontbijt is a wheat-based option to consider; Albert Heijn describes it as 100% wholegrain wheat.
What to consider: A breakfast drink is a different type of product. Assess its nutritional value per prepared serving separately, rather than treating it as equivalent to dry cereal.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most relevant to? |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre in your serving | Check the fibre per 100 g and see how many grams of cereal you actually use. | I want the cereal in my bowl to make a meaningful contribution to my fibre intake, not just have an appealing claim on the pack. For around 42% of consumers, fibre content is the top priority. |
| Sugars in crunchy muesli | Check the sugars in the nutrition table and read what the pack says about added sugars. | I want crunchy muesli, but I also want to be able to assess how much sugar my choice contains. This is the top priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Preparation and serving size | Check how to prepare the cereal and whether the nutritional information is for the dry product or the prepared serving. | A warm bowl or a quick-to-prepare breakfast suits my Sunday morning better; I want to know what that preparation method means for my serving. Around 25% of consumers prioritise this convenience. |
Common mistakes
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Going by ‘high in fibre’ alone
The claim on the front doesn’t tell you how much fibre is in your own serving. It also says nothing about the amount of sugars or any allergens.
Read the nutrition table per 100 g, check your serving size, then look at the ingredients and allergens.
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Comparing a prepared bowl with a dry product
Adding milk or yoghurt changes what’s in the bowl. Nutritional information for a prepared serving is therefore based on something different from information per 100 g of dry cereal.
Compare the cereals on the same basis first, then assess your own prepared serving.
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Skipping the label on a familiar product
Allergens vary by product and variant. Even if you already know a cereal, the information on the pack still matters.
When you buy it, check the current ingredients and allergen information for the specific variant you’ve chosen.
Brands to consider
The examples below relate to specific product ranges, not every cereal from each brand.
Kellogg's
All-Bran Fibre Plus is an example to compare if you’re looking for a cereal with wheat bran.
- Albert Heijn lists 26 g of fibre per 100 g for this product.
- The variant reviewed also lists 15 g of sugars per 100 g and contains wheat and barley. Don’t assume the same applies to other Kellogg's products.
Brinta
Brinta Volkoren graanontbijt is an option to consider if you want to make a bowl using wholegrain wheat.
- Albert Heijn describes this variant as 100% wholegrain wheat.
- The variant contains wheat and gluten. A Brinta breakfast drink is a different product, with its own serving size and nutritional information.
Quaker
The Zero Sugar Added variants reviewed are examples of crunchy muesli where the claim about added sugars is worth considering.
- Albert Heijn states that the Strawberry & Peach variant contains no added sugars or sweeteners.
- According to the same product information, that variant contains naturally occurring sugars. Check the allergens for the flavour you choose too.
Albert Heijn
The range includes wholegrain porridge oats, wholegrain muesli and bran flakes, among other options: different types of product to assess individually.
- You can choose a product type that suits the way you want to prepare it.
- Ingredients, nutritional values and allergens can change, so check the current packaging for the product you choose.
Breakfast cereals at Joybuy
These products let you choose between crunchy muesli and cereal for a warm bowl. Compare variants individually: a name or product type doesn’t tell you what’s in each serving.
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Quaker Zs Cruesli Nuts & Seeds, 720 g
Crunchy muesli for anyone who also wants to check the nutritional information about sugars at Sunday breakfast.
Pack size: 720 g. Check the pack for the fibre in the serving you use and the latest allergen information.
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Quaker Zs Cruesli Raisin & Hazelnut, 400 g
Crunchy muesli with raisins and hazelnuts for anyone who likes that combination in their bowl.
Pack size: 400 g. Check sugars and fibre on the same nutritional basis as other muesli, and look at the allergen information.
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Brinta Oatmeal, 450 g
An oat option if you’d rather prepare a bowl of cereal than eat crunchy muesli.
Pack size: 450 g. Check the preparation instructions and assess the nutritional value for your prepared serving; check the allergens too.
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Brinta Whole Wheat Cereal Breakfast, 500 g
A wheat-based cereal for anyone who wants to make a warm bowl.
Pack size: 500 g. Check the preparation instructions and fibre content for the amount you use. Look for the wheat and gluten information on the pack.
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Quaker Cruesli 4 Nuts, 450 g
Crunchy muesli with nuts for anyone who’s mainly looking for this type of cereal.
Pack size: 450 g. Compare the sugars and fibre with other crunchy muesli, and read the latest allergen information.
Frequently asked questions
What does ‘high in fibre’ on a cereal pack tell you?
The claim doesn’t tell you how much fibre you’ll get from your own serving. So check the fibre per 100 g, see how much cereal you use, and consider the sugars and ingredients too.
How do I compare fibre per serving?
Start with the nutritional information per 100 g, then check how much you actually put in your bowl. According to the Voedingscentrum, a 45 g serving in the ‘other breakfast cereals’ category contains 9.5 g of fibre; that figure doesn’t automatically apply to the product or serving you choose.
Does ‘no added sugars’ mean muesli is sugar-free?
No, it may contain naturally occurring sugars. Albert Heijn states this explicitly for Quaker Zero Sugar Added Strawberry & Peach. Check the sugars in the nutrition table for the variant you’re buying.
What should I look out for if I want to avoid gluten?
Check the allergen information for the specific cereal. The All-Bran and Brinta wheat products discussed here, as well as the Quaker variant reviewed, contain ingredients that make information about gluten-containing cereals relevant. Don’t rely on the brand name or the general term ‘breakfast cereals’.