If you want less sugar in a quick breakfast, first decide whether you’re looking for chocolate flakes for bread, are happy with chocolate sprinkles as an alternative, or mean breakfast cereal for a bowl. A claim that chocolate sprinkles contain less sugar doesn’t make them chocolate flakes; compare the sugars per 100 g within the category you’ve chosen, and check which product is used as the comparison for any comparative claim. Sweet toppings are also a spread or topping, not the basis of your breakfast.
You want to quickly top a slice of bread or a rusk, and be able to check a claim about less sugar. Decide whether chocolate sprinkles are an alternative for you, or whether you’re specifically looking for the texture of chocolate flakes.
You’re looking for more than just a sweet topping. The first decision is whether bread will be the base, or whether you’d rather have breakfast cereal with, for example, yoghurt or milk.
You’re looking for cereal for a breakfast bowl and want to check the information on added sugars. This is a different product category from chocolate flakes for bread.
Choose these: if you prefer flakes on bread or rusks, or as a topping.
Bear in mind: a flavour name such as dark chocolate doesn’t, by itself, tell you anything about a reduction in sugar.
Choose these: if you’re happy with chocolate sprinkles as a spread for bread and the comparative claim applies to the product.
Bear in mind: chocolate sprinkles have a different shape from chocolate flakes and may still contain sugars.
Choose this: if you’d like a bowl with, for example, yoghurt or milk, rather than something to spread on bread.
Bear in mind: information about added sugars is not the same as a comparison with another product.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars and product category | Check whether you’re looking at flakes, chocolate sprinkles or breakfast cereal. Read the sugars per 100 g and check the basis of comparison for any claim about less sugar. | If I’m specifically looking for less sugar, I want to know whether the claim applies to the product I actually want to eat. For around 36% of consumers, this check comes first. |
| Putting breakfast together | First choose between a spread for bread and cereal for a bowl; for breakfast cereal, also check the stated serving size. | On a busy morning, I want to quickly decide what the base of my breakfast will be, rather than just choosing a topping. Around 29% of consumers prioritise this choice. |
| Flavour and texture | Compare the nutritional information for the flavour and product form you want to buy; don’t infer the sugar content from words such as “dark”. | If I specifically want the texture of chocolate flakes, chocolate sprinkles aren’t an automatic substitute. This preference comes first for around 21% of consumers. |
| Availability | Before setting off, check whether your chosen variety is available from your shop. | When I need breakfast shopping straight away, what matters most is whether I can take home the product I’ve chosen. This is the main concern for around 14% of consumers. |
These products serve different purposes: a spread for bread, a topping, or cereal for a bowl. A claim for one product form doesn’t automatically apply to another.
Before comparing products, decide which form you actually want to eat, then compare products within that category.
According to the product information at PLUS, De Ruijter Chocoladevlokken Puur contains 63 g of sugars per 100 g. The flavour name alone therefore doesn’t substantiate a sugar reduction.
Read the nutritional information per 100 g and, for a claim about less sugar, check what the manufacturer is comparing it with.
Ingredients vary by type and flavour. For example, the dark and milk varieties of Céréal described here contain maltitol; the allergen information also differs between varieties.
Check the current ingredients and allergen label on the exact pack you’re buying.
Flakes and chocolate sprinkles are a spread or topping. Voedingscentrum lists wholemeal bread and yoghurt with cereal among possible breakfast bases.
Choose the base of your breakfast first, then decide whether a topping would go with it and which one to use.
AH offers chocolate sprinkle varieties as part of its range of spreads for people watching their sugar intake.
Céréal offers dark and milk chocolate sprinkles with claims about containing less sugar.
De Ruijter offers chocolate flakes for anyone specifically looking for this type of spread for bread.
Venz offers, among other things, flakes in combined flavours.
Choca Vlokken is a cocoa-flavoured novelty flake for anyone looking for flakes as a spread for bread.
These products suit the breakfast-bowl option for anyone who means breakfast cereal when they say flakes. They aren’t chocolate flakes or chocolate sprinkles for bread; assess any claim about sugar reduction using the nutritional information and the stated comparison.
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A breakfast cereal option if you’d like a bowl rather than something to spread on bread.
400 g pack. Check the label to see what the Zero Sugar claim means for this variety, and read the sugars per 100 g.
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A breakfast cereal option if you’d like a bowl and are looking for a variety with nuts.
400 g pack. Given the variety you’ve chosen, read the current allergen label and check the sugars per 100 g.
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A breakfast cereal option if you’d like a bowl and are looking for the Nuts & Seeds variety.
400 g pack. Check the ingredients, allergen information and nutritional details for this specific variety.
No. According to Albert Heijn, AH Hagelslag puur minder suiker contains 30% less sugar than AH Chocolade hagel puur, but the variety reviewed still lists 43 g of sugars per 100 g. So, as well as checking the comparison, read the nutritional information for the product itself.
Yes, if you’re happy with chocolate sprinkles as a different type of spread for bread. If you specifically want the texture of chocolate flakes, a sugar claim on chocolate sprinkles doesn’t meet that particular need.
Breakfast cereal is suited to a bowl with, for example, yoghurt or milk, not to the same use as chocolate flakes on bread. First decide how you’d like to eat breakfast, then compare nutritional information within the right product category.
Check the current label for the exact flavour and pack. The Céréal varieties reviewed list soya; the information for milk differs between the dark and milk varieties. For flakes and breakfast cereal too, don’t assume the information for one variety applies to another.
