For your Easter brunch, choose speculaas with a demonstrably reduced sugar content only if reducing sugar is your main priority: compare like-for-like products per 100 g and check both the sugar and energy values. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, the claim ‘reduced sugars’ requires at least 30% less sugar and an equal or lower energy value than the product used for comparison. Also check the ingredients and allergens to suit your guests; being gluten-free or having a smaller portion does not, in itself, prove that the sugar content is lower.
You want to choose speculaas whose lower sugar content can be checked against a similar product. Comparing products per 100 g and checking the conditions of the claim matter more than the way the packaging looks.
You’re looking for speculaas made with ingredients your guests can eat. Even if you choose a gluten-free variety, check the allergens and sugar content separately.
You want to serve familiar speculaas and decide how much to put out for each guest. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing products per 100 g first; portion information can then help you plan what to serve.
Start by checking which ingredients and allergens matter to your guests. Then compare the nutritional information per 100 g of suitable products, and assess any claim about lower sugar separately.
| What to look for | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Demonstrably less sugar | Compare the sugar and energy values per 100 g with a similar product. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, the claim ‘reduced sugars’ requires at least 30% less sugar and an equal or lower energy value. | I want to serve less sugar without relying on vague packaging claims; for around 36% of consumers, verifiable sugar reduction is the top priority. |
| Dietary needs and allergens | Read the allergen information on the pack you choose, even if the speculaas is labelled gluten-free. | If a guest needs to avoid certain ingredients, the product you choose must be suitable. Around 29% of consumers prioritise finding a match for dietary needs or allergies. |
| Flavour and how to serve it | Choose between biscuits and chunks, for example, depending on how you want to serve them; don’t compare nutritional values solely per portion. | I want to serve familiar speculaas in a form that’s easy to share; this is the main consideration for around 21% of consumers. |
| Sweeteners and ingredients | Check the ingredients list for sweeteners and any ingredients your guests would prefer to avoid. | If a guest is keeping an eye on specific ingredients, I want to know what’s in the biscuits. For around 14% of consumers, checking the ingredients is the most important consideration. |
Vague wording on the packaging doesn’t tell you how much less sugar a product contains than similar speculaas.
Check any explicit claim about reduced sugar against the product used for comparison. Also compare the sugar and energy values per 100 g; the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority sets requirements for both sugar and energy for this claim.
Different portion sizes make it difficult to compare two packs directly. A small stated portion doesn’t tell you how the products compare per 100 g.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing the nutritional information per 100 g first. Then use the per-portion value to decide how much to serve.
A dietary claim or product format doesn’t prove that the sugar content is lower. Jumbo lists 26.9 g of sugars per 100 g for its Lekker Vrij van Gluten Speculaas, 29.0 g for Bakkers Speculaas and 34.0 g for Speculaasbrokken.
Check suitability for dietary needs and sugar content separately. If reducing sugar is your main priority, compare similar products and assess any claim against its own criteria.
If you’re choosing based on sugar content, the ingredients used may also matter to guests who avoid certain substances.
Read the ingredients list for the product you’ve chosen before buying. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that the use of a sweetener is shown on the label.
Albert Heijn’s speculaas range includes own-brand products, Lotus Biscoff and BioToday spelt speculoos biscuits.
Jumbo offers regular speculaas as well as a gluten-free variety.
Albert Heijn lists Lotus Biscoff speculoos in several pack sizes.
According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, this claim requires at least 30% less sugar than a similar product, while the energy value must be equal to or lower than that of the other product. A vague term such as ‘sugar-conscious’ doesn’t show that these conditions have been met.
No. A product with no added sugars may still contain sugars. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing the nutrition table per 100 g; look for the ‘of which sugars’ row.
Compare similar products per 100 g first, rather than looking only at the value per biscuit or portion. Check the sugar and energy values, and read the ingredients and allergen information; use portion sizes afterwards to plan how much to serve.
No, gluten-free isn’t a claim about reduced sugar. Jumbo lists 26.9 g of sugars per 100 g for Lekker Vrij van Gluten Speculaas; check the nutritional and allergen information for the exact variety you plan to serve.
Check the ingredients list on the label of the product you choose. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that the use of a sweetener is shown on the label, so you can check it against your guests’ ingredient preferences.
