Choose medium-sliced white bread if you want soft slices for your weekend breakfast, whether you’re adding a topping or making toast. Check the packaging or shelf label for the slice thickness: the shape of the loaf or a label saying ‘whole’ tells you nothing about how thickly it’s sliced. If fibre is more important to you, compare the nutritional information for white bread with added fibre and consider brown or wholemeal bread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends replacing white bread with these types of bread as often as possible.
You want white bread for toppings or toast and are looking for slices that are easy to handle. Check that the bread you choose is actually medium-sliced; a name such as casino or farmhouse white doesn’t confirm this.
You’re considering white bread but also want to compare the fibre per 100 g. Check the nutritional information for each specific loaf: Jumbo, for example, offers a white bread variant with added fibre, while PLUS lists 2,4 g of fibre per 100 g for Boeren wit heel.
You need to know which ingredients and allergens are listed for the bread you’ve chosen. For packaged bread, read the current label; for unpackaged bread, ask the retailer for allergen information before you buy.
Start by checking the slice thickness and how much bread you’ll need for the weekend. Then compare the nutritional information and check the allergens for the bread you’re actually buying.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is it important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Slice thickness and toppings | Check the packaging or shelf label for an indication that the bread is medium-sliced. If you’re buying fresh bread, ask what slice thickness is available. | If I’m having toppings or making toast, I want slices of a suitable thickness. An estimated 40% of consumers prioritise slice thickness. |
| Quantity and storage | Choose an appropriate quantity and read the storage and freezing advice for the bread you’ve chosen. | If I have bread left over after the weekend, I want to know how to store it. For an estimated 30% of consumers, planning is the main consideration. |
| Label and nutritional information | Compare fibre and salt per 100 g; read the ingredients and allergen information for the specific bread. | If I have an allergy or want to compare fibre, I need product information before choosing. This is estimated to be the top priority for 30% of consumers. |
‘Casino’, ‘farmhouse white’ and ‘whole’ don’t tell you whether the bread is medium-sliced. As a result, the bread may not be right for the toppings or toast you had planned.
Check the packaging or shelf label. If you’re buying fresh bread, ask whether it can be sliced and what thickness is available.
A variant with added fibre isn’t automatically wholemeal bread. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour.
Compare the fibre per 100 g and read the product name. Look specifically for the term ‘wholemeal’ if you want bread made from 100% wholemeal flour.
The name ‘white bread’ doesn’t tell you which allergens a particular variant contains. Ingredients and information about possible allergen cross-contamination can vary between products.
For packaged bread, read the current label. For unpackaged bread, ask for the available allergen information before you buy.
Albert Heijn provides online product information for white bread, including AH Wit heel.
Jumbo offers several types of white bread, including a variant with added fibre.
PLUS provides ingredient, allergen and nutritional information, as well as freezing advice, for Boeren wit heel.
Lidl provides information about its oven-fresh bread, along with a list of ingredients and allergens.
Dirk sells products under this bread brand, including Casino wit heel.
No. Don’t assume that a particular bread contains a confirmed amount of iodine based on the type of bread or the term baker’s salt. Check the current product information or ask the retailer if this is important to your choice.
Before buying, ask the retailer for allergen information about the bread you want. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that information about relevant allergens must also be available for unpackaged foods. For packaged bread, check the label.
Yes, if the storage advice for the bread you’ve chosen says you can. PLUS says that Boeren wit heel can be frozen at home on the day of purchase and should be used within one month. For other bread, follow the advice on its own label.
Compare brown and wholemeal bread too, rather than looking only at white varieties. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends replacing white bread with brown or wholemeal bread as often as possible. If you still want white bread, compare the fibre per 100 g in the specific products.
