If keeping sugar as low as possible is your priority, compare Céréal and Rabeko: their product information lists 0.4 g and 0.3 g of sugars per 100 g respectively, but also significant amounts of polyols. For a pre-portioned snack to take with you, Hoppe Speculows is more practical, as each biscuit is individually wrapped. Hoppe says it contains 30% less sugar than a comparable biscuit to have with coffee, but it still contains 23.9 g per 100 g. Don’t assume a biscuit is a complete breakfast, and check the ingredients and allergen information before choosing.
A biscuit for your bag or to have at work takes very little preparation. Hoppe says Speculows is individually wrapped and contains 1.4 g of sugars per stated serving. Compare this serving size with the nutritional information per 100 g too.
Start with the nutrition table per 100 g. Céréal lists 0.4 g of sugars per 100 g for its almond speculoos; Rabeko’s product information on Lowcarbcenter.nl lists 0.3 g per 100 g. Both products also contain polyols.
If you want your biscuit to be more than a small snack on the go, the other parts of your breakfast matter too. The Diabetes Fund recommends considering protein-rich foods and high-fibre sources of carbohydrates at breakfast, and advises eating sugary foods such as biscuits as little as possible.
Start with the sugar content per 100 g, then consider whether the portion size, ingredients and the rest of your breakfast suit your needs.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| As little sugar as possible | Compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g. For sweetened alternatives, check ‘of which polyols’ too. | If a low sugar content is my first requirement, I don’t want to mistake a small portion for a product that is low in sugars per 100 g. Around 33% of consumers put this sugar priority first. |
| Portion size and packaging | Check whether the biscuits are individually wrapped and how much sugar the stated serving contains. | When I’m out and about, I want to be able to take a biscuit with me without measuring out a portion. For around 27% of consumers, a practical portion comes first. |
| The rest of breakfast | As well as the biscuit, consider which foods containing fibre and protein you have at breakfast. | If the biscuit is part of my breakfast, I don’t want my choice to revolve solely around a sugar claim. For around 27% of consumers, the overall make-up of breakfast matters most. |
| Ingredients and dietary requirements | Check the current label for polyols, allergens and any gluten-free claim. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients or don’t tolerate polyols well, the product must meet that requirement first. For around 13% of consumers, this comes first. |
Hoppe compares Speculows with a comparable biscuit to have with coffee and says it contains 30% less sugar. The stated amount is 23.9 g of sugars per 100 g; Céréal lists 0.4 g per 100 g for its almond speculoos, while Rabeko’s product information lists 0.3 g per 100 g.
First compare the same unit in the nutrition table. Then use the serving size to decide how much you actually want to take with you.
A low sugar content doesn’t tell you which sweeteners a biscuit contains. Céréal lists 29 g of polyols per 100 g and Rabeko’s product information lists 30.9 g per 100 g; excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Check the ingredients list and nutrition information if you want to limit polyols or don’t tolerate them well.
A lower sugar content doesn’t make a biscuit a complete breakfast in itself. For breakfast, the Diabetes Fund recommends protein-rich foods and high-fibre sources of carbohydrates.
If the biscuit is part of your breakfast, think about what else you’d like to include rather than choosing based only on the sugar claim.
These claims answer different questions. Jumbo lists 26.9 g of sugars per 100 g for Lekker Vrij van Gluten Speculaas.
Check the gluten-free claim, the full allergen information and the sugar content separately on the packaging.
Speculows is an individually wrapped biscuit to have with coffee, for anyone who wants to take a small portion with them.
Almond speculoos for anyone mainly comparing the stated sugar content.
Zero Speculoos Biscuits are another option to compare by sugar content per 100 g.
The Jumbo products mentioned here let you compare standard speculoos biscuits with an explicitly gluten-free option.
AH Bakkers Speculaas is included here as a reference for standard supermarket speculoos biscuits.
No, the claims don’t mean the same thing. Hoppe compares Speculows with a comparable biscuit to have with coffee and says it contains 30% less sugar, while Céréal describes its almond speculoos as ‘sugar-free’ and lists 0.4 g of sugars per 100 g. Before choosing, check the exact claim and the nutrition table.
A low sugar content doesn’t tell you what else your breakfast provides. For breakfast, the Diabetes Fund recommends protein-rich foods and high-fibre sources of carbohydrates, and advises eating sugary foods such as biscuits as little as possible. So consider the biscuit as part of everything else you eat.
As well as the sugar content, check the amount of polyols and any warnings on the packaging. Céréal and Rabeko’s product information list significant amounts of polyols per 100 g and warn that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. If you don’t tolerate polyols well, this may matter more than the low sugar content.
No, gluten-free and lower in sugar are separate product characteristics. Jumbo lists 26.9 g of sugars per 100 g for Lekker Vrij van Gluten Speculaas. If you need to avoid gluten, check the gluten-free claim and allergen information as well as the sugar content on the current label.
