A kano is a ready-filled biscuit, not a direct substitute for ingredients in pepernoten dough. If you want to serve a biscuit alongside homemade pepernoten and keep an eye on sugar, compare the sugars per 100 g in similar products and check exactly what the packaging claim means. A label such as ‘no added sugars’ does not mean the biscuit is sugar-free.
If you want the biscuit served with your pepernoten to contain less sugar, compare the nutritional information per 100 g. If you mean the pepernoten themselves, you’ll need to look at the dough recipe: a ready-made kano is not a direct dough ingredient.
If you’re already baking pepernoten, a separate biscuit to serve alongside them has a different purpose from an ingredient for the dough. Decide which one you’re looking for before you buy.
Check the ingredients and clearly stated allergens on the packaging of the specific biscuit. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises people with food allergies to check the allergen information on the label.
First decide whether you want a biscuit to serve or want to adapt the pepernoten dough. If you’re choosing a biscuit to serve, compare the claim and nutritional information with those of similar products.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Comparing sugars | Compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g in similar biscuits. Check what a reduced-sugar claim is based on. | If you’re looking for a biscuit with demonstrably less sugar to serve alongside pepernoten, you’ll want to know exactly what is being compared; around 40% of consumers prioritise verifiable sugar reduction. |
| Its role in baking | Decide whether you want to serve a ready-made biscuit or need an ingredient for the dough. Don’t treat a kano as a direct substitute for dough ingredients. | When I bake pepernoten, I want to distinguish between a biscuit to serve alongside them and an adjustment to the dough; around 30% of consumers consider this question of use the most important factor. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients list and allergen information. If the product makes a sugar claim, also check which sweeteners or other ingredients it contains. | If I have an allergy or dietary requirement, the biscuit I choose needs to meet my ingredient requirements; around 30% of consumers give this check top priority. |
A reduced-content claim relates to the specific nutrient named, not the overall nutritional value. Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a claim that a nutrient is reduced requires its content to be at least 30% lower than in a similar product.
Compare similar products per 100 g, and also check the rest of the nutritional information and the portion size.
Jumbo describes its kano as a ready-made butter biscuit filled with almond paste. That product description does not make it a direct substitute for sugar, flour or other dough ingredients.
Choose a kano only if you want a separate biscuit to serve. To adapt the dough, use a recipe specifically developed for that purpose.
A claim on the front doesn’t tell you which sugars, ingredients and allergens you’ll find elsewhere on the label. Albert Heijn also points out that product information can change.
Check the nutritional information, ingredients and allergens on the packaging of the product you actually buy.
Jumbo describes its 275 g Butter Kano Biscuits as butter biscuits containing 38% almond paste.
Albert Heijn lists butter kano biscuits and also has a category for sugar-conscious biscuits.
Verkade describes San Francisco Zero as a biscuit with no added sugars.
Jumbo lists a Céréal coconut-flavoured biscuit labelled ‘sugar-free’; Albert Heijn includes a Céréal speculoos variety in its sugar-conscious biscuit category.
Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a reduced-content claim requires the amount of the nutrient in question to be at least 30% lower than in a similar product. When comparing biscuits, also check the amount of ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g, so different portion sizes don’t skew the comparison.
No. A statement about added sugars doesn’t mean a biscuit contains no sugars. Check ‘of which sugars’ in the nutritional information and read the ingredients list for the specific product.
A ready-made kano isn’t a direct substitute for the ingredients in pepernoten dough. If you want to adapt the dough, choose a recipe specifically developed for that purpose rather than assuming you can swap ingredients like for like.
Check the allergen information and ingredients on the current packaging for that biscuit. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that important allergens must be listed on the label; Albert Heijn warns that online product information can change.
Not necessarily. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says sweeteners can replace some or all of the sugar; check the nutritional information to find out how much sugar a specific biscuit contains. If your aim is to buy a biscuit with less sugar, compare similar products per 100 g.
