If you want to cut down on sugar with your coffee, start by comparing the sugar content per 100 g and the portion you actually eat. A biscuit with no added sugar is not automatically sugar-free, so check the ingredients, any polyols and the energy content too.
You don’t want to rely on a term like ‘zero’ alone, so you compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g and per biscuit. For example, Albert Heijn lists 0.3 g of sugars per 100 g for AH Digestive 0% suiker, while the packaging also lists polyols.
You’re looking for a familiar biscuit to enjoy with coffee or tea, but you also want to check its sugar content. A biscuit with no added sugar and a classic speculoos have different ingredients and nutritional values, so compare the specific varieties rather than just the front of the pack.
You want to know which sweeteners a biscuit contains and which allergens are listed on the packaging before you buy. If a product contains polyols, the warning about excessive consumption is also worth noting.
First decide whether you’re mainly looking for a low sugar content, want to avoid added sugar, or prefer a familiar biscuit with a relative reduction in sugar. These descriptions don’t mean the same thing.
When: The amount of sugars per 100 g is your main consideration; Albert Heijn lists 0.3 g for AH Digestive 0% suiker and 0.4 g for Céréal Speculoos stukjes amandel zonder suikers.
The trade-off: Both varieties contain polyols. A low sugar content doesn’t, by itself, tell you anything about the energy content.
When: You want to avoid added sugar without requiring the biscuit to contain no sugars at all. Verkade describes San Francisco zero as a biscuit with 0% added sugar.
The trade-off: Voedingscentrum explains that ‘no added sugar’ doesn’t mean a product is sugar-free or low in calories.
When: You’re looking for a standard biscuit with a stated reduction in sugar. Jumbo compares its Ontbijtkoek Minder Suiker with Jumbo ontbijtkoekreep naturel; however, a ontbijtkoekreep is a different type of product from a biscuit.
The trade-off: A relative reduction doesn’t tell you how much sugar the product itself contains per 100 g.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who is it most relevant to? |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar content | Compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g and check the weight of one biscuit. | If I want to limit my sugar intake, I want to know how much sugar is in the biscuit I eat. Around 36% of consumers would therefore make sugar content their main priority. |
| Flavour and type of biscuit | Compare like-for-like biscuits and check which ingredients provide the flavour. | With coffee or tea, I want a biscuit I enjoy, even if that means the lowest sugar content isn’t my top priority. For around 29% of consumers, flavour would be the main consideration. |
| Portion and packaging | Check the number of biscuits, the weight of each one and whether they’re individually wrapped. | If I have one biscuit with my coffee, I want to relate the nutritional information to that portion. The portion would be the main priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Ingredients | Check which polyols or other sweeteners are used and review the allergen information. | If I need to watch out for certain ingredients, the current packaging matters more to me than a sugar claim on the front. Around 14% of consumers would put checking the ingredients first. |
Jumbo states that Ontbijtkoek Minder Suiker contains 30% less sugar than Jumbo ontbijtkoekreep naturel. The same product information lists 22.7 g of sugars per 100 g: the percentage describes the difference compared with a reference product, not the absolute amount.
Use the reduction claim as extra information and compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g too.
Voedingscentrum makes it clear that a product with no added sugar can still contain sugars and isn’t automatically low in calories. The claim alone doesn’t tell you what you’ll get in one portion.
Read the nutritional information per 100 g and relate it to the weight of the portion you eat.
Some varieties from Céréal, AH and Verkade contain polyols. For Verkade San Francisco zero, Albert Heijn lists a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. Ingredients and allergens can also vary between varieties.
Check the ingredients list, allergens and warnings on the packaging of the biscuit you’re buying.
Céréal offers, among other products, speculoos biscuits with almond pieces and coconut biscuits marketed as ‘without sugars’.
AH Digestive 0% suiker is a digestive biscuit made with sweeteners.
Verkade markets San Francisco zero as a biscuit with 0% added sugar.
As well as Céréal coconut biscuits, Jumbo has its own ontbijtkoekreep labelled ‘less sugar’.
Goud Gebakken is the brand behind ALDI’s Koekhappers variety labelled ‘less sugar’.
Lotus Biscoff Original is a classic speculoos to enjoy with coffee or tea, not a biscuit marketed as having reduced sugar.
First compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g, then look at the portion you eat. Voedingscentrum explains that ‘low sugar’ and ‘no added sugars’ are different claims; a claim on the front of the pack is no substitute for the nutritional information.
No. According to Voedingscentrum, sugars can occur naturally in a product without any sugar being added. So remember to check the ‘of which sugars’ figure on the packaging too.
Some of these biscuits contain polyols, and the product information for products including Verkade San Francisco zero states that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. Check which sweeteners and warnings are listed on the packaging of the variety you choose.
