Who is this comparison relevant to?

Online grocery shopper keeping an eye on sugar

You want to order speculaas or speculoos and use the stated sugar content per 100 g as your main point of comparison. The nutrition table helps you look beyond the claim on the front of the pack.

Coffee or tea drinker who watches portion sizes

You’re looking for an individually wrapped biscuit to enjoy with a hot drink, and want to check the ingredients, nutritional values and availability through your chosen ordering channel, as well as the sugar content.

Shopper checking ingredients and allergens

You need to know which grains, nuts, milk, eggs, soya or sweeteners a product contains. A low sugar content says nothing about whether it’s suitable for someone with an allergy.

What should you look for when choosing?

When ordering online, first compare the sugars on the same per-100 g basis. Then check the ingredients and allergens, and finally see whether you can order the pack you want from your online supermarket.

What to consider What to look for Who it matters to
Sugars per 100 g Check the ‘of which sugars’ line per 100 g and look at exactly what any claim says. Don’t compare only the figures per biscuit or pack. I want to compare the sugar content of different biscuits, even when the pack sizes differ. For around 50% of consumers, this would be the main reason for choosing between these products.
Sweeteners and allergens Read the ingredients and allergen information. For biscuits containing maltitol, also check the polyol information and any warnings. If I need to avoid certain ingredients, that matters more than the sugar claim on the front of the pack. For around 30% of consumers, ingredients and allergens would therefore come first.
Availability and packaging Check the pack size and whether you can add the product to your online supermarket basket. A suitable biscuit needs to fit into my usual grocery order; a brand or foodservice page alone won’t help. For around 20% of consumers, being able to order it directly would be the main concern.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming less sugar means fewer calories

    A lower sugar content doesn’t tell you how much energy, fat or saturated fat a biscuit contains. Jumbo lists 20 g of fat and 12 g of saturated fat per 100 g for Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces.

    Alongside sugars, compare the energy, fat and saturated fat per 100 g.

  • Overlooking polyols

    Jumbo lists 29 g of polyols per 100 g for Céréal. For Rabeko Zero Speculoos, the retailer lists 30.9 g of polyols per 100 g and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.

    For biscuits containing sweeteners, read both the ingredients list and the nutritional information and warnings on the pack.

  • Relying on a sugar claim to check for allergens

    A product that’s low in sugars can still contain allergens. For Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces, Jumbo lists wheat, almonds, soya, egg, barley and milk, among other ingredients.

    If you have an allergy, check the current allergen information on the pack separately from the sugar claim.

  • Assuming a brand page means the product is available from a supermarket

    Hoppe markets Speculows as a foodservice biscuit. That doesn’t mean you can add it to your online supermarket basket.

    Before checking out, open the product page for your chosen retailer and check the pack size and availability.

Brands and retailers to explore

These product ranges and retailer selections give you an idea of the differences you may come across; a mention here doesn’t mean that a product is available through Joybuy.

Céréal

Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces, listed by Jumbo, contains 0.4 g of sugars and 29 g of polyols per 100 g.

  • A specific sugar figure makes it possible to compare with regular speculaas per 100 g.
  • Also check the sweetener, other nutritional values and allergens; the sugar information doesn’t cover these.

Hoppe

According to Hoppe’s own product information, the individually wrapped Speculows biscuit for coffee contains 30% less sugar than a comparable coffee biscuit. Hoppe targets the foodservice sector with this product.

  • The individual wrapping may suit a coffee or tea break.
  • Check whether you can order Speculows through your chosen online grocery channel.

Jumbo

The online supermarket lists both Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces and Jumbo Bakkers Speculaas.

  • Jumbo lists 0.4 g and 29.0 g of sugars per 100 g respectively for these two products.
  • Jumbo Bakkers Speculaas is a regular product for comparison here, not a product with a stated sugar-reduction claim.

Albert Heijn

The online supermarket has a range of speculaas. The product page for AH Bakkers Speculaas lists 33 g of sugars per 100 g.

  • The nutritional information provides a point of comparison for regular speculaas.
  • Don’t use this figure as the sugar content for other speculaas products in the range.

Rabeko

For Zero Speculoos, the specialist retailer lists 0.3 g of sugars and 30.9 g of polyols per 100 g.

  • The figures provide a specific starting point for comparison per 100 g.
  • The product page warns of a possible laxative effect if consumed in excess; also check current availability.

Joybuy products

Related products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

Does ‘sugar-free’ mean a biscuit contains no sweeteners?

No. Jumbo lists 0.4 g of sugars and 29 g of polyols per 100 g for Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces; the product uses maltitols as sweeteners. So check both ‘of which sugars’ and the ingredients list, including the polyol information.

Does lower-sugar speculaas also have fewer calories?

Not necessarily: compare the energy values of the products you want to order. Per 100 g, Jumbo lists 404 kcal for Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces and 500 kcal for Jumbo Bakkers Speculaas. This difference between these two products doesn’t automatically apply to other biscuits.

Which allergens should I check in low-sugar speculoos?

Check the allergens for the specific product, not just the sugar claim. For Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces, Jumbo lists almonds, barley, egg, milk, soya and wheat, among other ingredients; for Speculows, Hoppe lists wheat and gluten and says that it may contain nuts. If you have an allergy, always check the current packaging.

Is the nutritional information on an online product page enough?

Use the product page to compare biscuits before ordering, but also check the packaging you receive. Albert Heijn warns that ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information may change.