Don’t assume chocolate sprinkles are a natural addition to a fish dish: the uses described are as a sweet bread topping and as a topping for things such as yoghurt and cakes. If you’d like to serve a separate sweet dessert after your meal, compare the sugars per 100 g. Céréal lists 7,7 g sugars per 100 g, but contains maltitol and polyols; the Albert Heijn and Jumbo varieties list around 43 g sugars per 100 g.
A claim about less sugar doesn’t tell you how much sugar the product contains. Product information from Albert Heijn and Jumbo lists 7,7 g sugars per 100 g for Céréal, and 42,6 to 43 g per 100 g for the Jumbo and AH varieties compared here.
As well as the nutritional values, the exact ingredients list matters. According to the product information, Céréal contains maltitols and soya and may contain milk; AH lists milk and lactose, while Jumbo lists milk and says the product may contain gluten and wheat.
Albert Heijn and Jumbo describe their chocolate sprinkles on their product pages as a topping for bread or as a sweet topping for things such as yoghurt and desserts, not as an addition to a savoury fish dish. So the choice here is about a separate dessert or another sweet occasion.
First decide whether you want to use chocolate sprinkles in a separate sweet dish. Then compare the nutritional information and ingredients of the exact variety you’re considering.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who does this matter to? |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars per 100 g | Compare the ‘of which sugars’ value per 100 g and check which product a claim about less sugar is comparing it with. | I mainly want to know how much sugar the chocolate sprinkles themselves contain, not just what the front of the pack promises. For around 46% of consumers, the sugar content comes first. |
| Polyols and allergens | Check the ingredients, the polyols line and the allergen information on the current packaging. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients or am sensitive to polyols, the ingredients determine which variety I can consider. Around 27% of consumers give this the highest priority. |
| When you’ll use them | Decide whether you want to use chocolate sprinkles in a separate dessert or another sweet dish, rather than on the fish itself. | After a fish dinner, I might look for a topping for something sweet, not for the fish on my plate. This matters most to around 18% of consumers. |
| Availability | Check that the exact variety and pack size are available before you count on buying them. | I want to know whether I can actually buy the variety with the ingredients I’m looking for. For around 9% of consumers, availability is the main concern. |
A comparison with standard chocolate sprinkles doesn’t mean that the sugar content is low. Albert Heijn lists 43 g sugars per 100 g for AH Hagelslag Puur Minder Suiker; Jumbo lists 42,6 g per 100 g for its lower-sugar milk chocolate sprinkles. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that, for solid foods, the ‘low sugar’ claim means no more than 5 g sugars per 100 g.
Check the ‘of which sugars’ value per 100 g, and treat the comparison claim as additional information only.
Céréal’s product information lists 40 g polyols per 100 g as well as 7,7 g sugars, and includes maltitols as an ingredient. The label warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
If polyols are a concern for you, check the ingredients and warning on the exact pack.
The uses described by Albert Heijn and Jumbo are as a sweet bread topping or as a topping for things such as yoghurt, desserts and cakes. This doesn’t mean they’re suitable for a savoury fish dish.
Use chocolate sprinkles only in a separate sweet dish, if they suit your recipe.
Jumbo’s product page says that Jumbo Hagelslag Melk Minder Suiker 200 g is no longer part of its online range. That doesn’t in itself tell you whether individual shops have it in stock.
Check the current availability, pack size and nutritional information for the exact variety before choosing.
The Céréal dark chocolate sprinkles compared here list 7,7 g sugars per 100 g.
AH Hagelslag Puur Minder Suiker compares its sugar content with that of AH Chocoladehagel Puur.
Jumbo Hagelslag Melk Minder Suiker is the milk chocolate sprinkles compared here.
The De Ruijter dark chocolate sprinkles compared here are a standard variety, with no stated claim about less sugar.
No, these are different nutrition claims. For solid foods, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre sets a limit of no more than 5 g sugars per 100 g for ‘low sugar’; the Céréal, Albert Heijn and Jumbo varieties compared here list 7,7 g, 43 g and 42,6 g sugars per 100 g respectively.
Pay particular attention to the ingredients and label warning on Céréal Hagelslag Puur Minder Suikers. The product information lists maltitols, 40 g polyols per 100 g and a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect; how much someone can tolerate varies from person to person and depends on the amount consumed.
According to the product information, Céréal contains soya and may contain milk; AH Hagelslag Puur Minder Suiker lists milk and lactose; Jumbo Hagelslag Melk Minder Suiker contains milk and may contain gluten and wheat. Always check the label on the pack you buy.
A claim about less sugar describes a comparison with another product, so you should also check the amount of sugars per 100 g. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, voluntary food information must not be misleading, confusing or ambiguous. The product pages compared here name the standard variety that AH or Jumbo uses as the basis for its comparison.
