A kano is not the most obvious choice for an everyday snack for a young child or toddler: the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends fruit, vegetables or wholegrain products instead. If you want to offer a small biscuit as an occasional treat, check the portion size and the label on the exact pack. If a product is called Kano's Dark, don’t assume the word ‘dark’ tells you how much cocoa it contains or which allergens it includes.
For a typical day of eating with a young child or toddler, they’re looking for something other than a biscuit treat. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends fruit, vegetables and wholegrain products as snacks for this age group.
They want to distinguish an occasional biscuit treat from everyday snacks, and consider the portion size and other eating occasions.
If they’re packing food for childcare, nursery or school, they need to check the allergens on the exact pack and ask in advance about the setting’s rules.
First, decide whether you’re looking for an everyday snack or an occasional biscuit treat. Then check the packaging and, if you’re packing something to take along, the setting’s rules.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday snack | For everyday use, choose fruit, vegetables or wholegrain products, as the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends for young children and toddlers. | If I give my child a snack every day, I don’t want biscuits to become my default choice. For around 50% of consumers, this everyday choice comes first. |
| Allergens and setting rules | Read the label on the exact pack and ask what’s allowed at the childcare setting, nursery or school. | When I pack something for my child, it needs to suit their allergies as well as the setting’s rules. Around 30% of consumers put these checks first. |
| Dark flavour | Check the specific product’s name and ingredients, and whether it mentions cocoa. Don’t infer these details from a different chocolate bar. | For an occasional treat, I’m mainly looking for a dark flavour, but I want to know exactly which product I’m buying. This flavour is the top consideration for around 20% of consumers. |
For a young child or toddler’s everyday diet, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends fruit, vegetables and wholegrain products as snacks, rather than making biscuits a regular choice.
Save a kano for a small, occasional biscuit treat and choose from the recommended snacks for everyday use.
Allergens vary by product. For example, G'woon Kano's product information on Joybuy lists wheat, milk, soya and egg; that list doesn’t automatically apply to other kano biscuits.
Read the allergen information on the exact pack and, if you’re packing the biscuit to take along, check that it complies with the setting’s rules.
Verkade states that its Reep Puur contains at least 52% cocoa, but it’s a chocolate bar, not a kano. That percentage therefore tells you nothing about a kano sold as ‘dark’.
Check the kano’s own product name and label before choosing based on its cocoa content, ingredients or allergens.
Albert Heijn lists AH Roomboter kano's as a kano product.
Lidl describes Sondey Kano's as butter biscuits filled with almond paste, in a 325 g pack.
Verkade Reep Puur is a 90 g chocolate bar, which Verkade states contains at least 52% cocoa.
This fruit snack is a different kind of snack for a toddler from the kano you’re looking for. Assess it based on its own packaging, not on the name Kano's Dark.
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An option if you’re considering fruit pieces instead of a kano for a snack. The pack contains 20 g; check the ingredients and allergens on the label before serving.
Don’t make a kano a regular everyday snack for a young child or toddler. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends fruit, vegetables and wholegrain products for snacks. If you want to offer a biscuit occasionally, keep it to a small treat.
Don’t assume that a whole kano is a small portion. Check the weight per biscuit and the nutritional information on the specific pack when deciding how much to serve as a treat.
Read the ingredients and allergen information for the kano you’re actually buying. G'woon Kano's product page on Joybuy lists wheat, milk, soya and egg, but another version may have a different recipe.
Ask in advance about the rules for food brought in and treats at the childcare setting, nursery or school. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that a setting may specify what can and can’t be brought in as a treat. Also check the label for allergens in the biscuit you’ve chosen.
No. Verkade Reep Puur is a chocolate bar, not a kano. Verkade states that the bar contains at least 52% cocoa; don’t assume the same percentage applies to a product called Kano's Dark.
