Serve kano pastries as almond-paste-filled biscuits, rather than assuming they contain Fairtrade chocolate: Albert Heijn and Jumbo describe their kano pastries as butter biscuits filled with almond paste. If you want Fairtrade cocoa on your Boxing Day buffet, choose a separate chocolate product that carries a Fairtrade claim for that specific variety. Check the current packaging of both products for allergen information, and read the Fairtrade label details to see which ingredients the claim applies to.
You want to be able to identify which chocolate item contains Fairtrade cocoa. A kano pastry and a Fairtrade chocolate product are two separate choices, so check the claim on the exact chocolate variety.
You want guests to be able to check the ingredients and allergens for each product before serving themselves. Albert Heijn and Jumbo list several allergens in their kano pastries, including milk, egg and almond.
You want to put these familiar almond-paste-filled pastries on the table and assess any Fairtrade chocolate separately. That way, a claim on a chocolate wrapper won’t mistakenly be attributed to the kano pastry.
A kano pastry and a chocolate product serve different purposes here: the first is a filled biscuit, while Fairtrade cocoa requires a claim on the chocolate product you choose.
Choose this if: you want to serve a traditional filled biscuit on the buffet.
Bear in mind: the butter kano pastries described by Albert Heijn and Jumbo don’t, by themselves, support a Fairtrade chocolate claim.
Choose this if: verified Fairtrade cocoa is one of your buffet priorities; for example, Verkade labels its Extra Puur bar as containing Fairtrade Cocoa.
Bear in mind: a chocolate bar or chocolate biscuit won’t replace a kano pastry as an almond-paste-filled biscuit, and the details of the certification vary by pack.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade cocoa | Check the claim on the exact chocolate variety. If there’s an arrow next to the Fairtrade logo, Fairtrade Netherlands advises reading the explanation on the back of the pack too. | If I want to serve Fairtrade cocoa, it needs to be clear which product and ingredients the claim applies to. Around 50% of consumers prioritise this verifiable Fairtrade choice. |
| Allergens | Read the label on each product and keep the information available at the buffet. | If guests need to avoid certain ingredients, I want to be able to show what’s in each dish. Around 30% of consumers put this allergen information first. |
| Traditional biscuit | Check that you’re choosing a kano pastry with almond paste, and compare the pack weights when working out how much to serve. | I mainly want to know how many filled biscuits I can put out, without presenting them as chocolate. This is the main priority for around 20% of consumers. |
Albert Heijn and Jumbo describe their kano pastries as butter biscuits filled with almond paste. These product descriptions don’t make them Fairtrade chocolate.
If you want both on the buffet, choose the kano pastry as a biscuit and assess a separate chocolate product on the basis of its own Fairtrade claim.
A claim on a Verkade bar doesn’t tell you what’s on the packaging of a kano pastry or another Verkade variety.
Check the exact variety, and if there’s an arrow next to the Fairtrade logo, read the explanation on the back, as Fairtrade Netherlands advises.
Once different biscuits and chocolates are unwrapped and placed side by side, guests can no longer easily check the ingredients of each item.
Keep the label with the product or clearly note the information for each dish. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that allergen information for pre-packed products is shown on the label.
Fairtrade Netherlands explains that mass balance may be used for cocoa, so a Fairtrade claim doesn’t necessarily mean the cocoa has been kept completely separate physically.
If physical traceability is important to you, read the information about the certification on the packaging you choose.
Worth considering for a separate chocolate item, but not as proof of a Fairtrade kano pastry.
Worth considering for a butter kano pastry as a separate buffet biscuit.
Worth considering for a butter kano pastry and its product information.
This Joybuy option is a chocolate bar for a separate chocolate item on the buffet, not a kano pastry. Before serving it to guests, check the Fairtrade claim and allergen information on the packaging for this variety.
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A separate chocolate bar for the buffet, not a kano pastry. The product description identifies this variety as Fairtrade milk chocolate; check the current packaging to see exactly what the certification claim covers. If any guests have allergies, check the ingredients and warnings on the pack too.
No. Albert Heijn and Jumbo describe the kano pastries mentioned as butter biscuits filled with almond paste, not chocolate products. Only use a Fairtrade claim for a kano pastry if it appears on the packaging for that exact variety.
The arrow points to an explanation on the back of the pack. Fairtrade Netherlands recommends reading it to find out which ingredients and sourcing method the claim relates to.
No, not necessarily. Fairtrade Netherlands explains that mass balance is an accepted method for cocoa. If physical separation matters to you, read the information on the packaging you choose.
Keep the information for each product clearly linked to the right dish, for example by displaying the packaging or a clear ingredients card. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information for pre-packed products is shown on the label, so check the current labels for both the kano pastries and the chocolate.
