If you like to vary your toppings for a working-from-home lunch, plain Melba toast makes a sensible base. Compare the nutritional information for wholemeal and multigrain varieties if fibre matters to you. Choose organic sesame toast if provenance and sesame flavour are your priorities, or a tomato and herb cracker if you want the base itself to add flavour. For every variety, check the current label for allergens and salt, including the type of salt used if that’s relevant to your choice.
A crisp, fairly neutral base lets the flavour of savoury or sweet toppings take centre stage. Van der Meulen Holland describes its wholemeal Melba toast as thin and crisp; for this particular variety, Jumbo lists 9.7 g of fibre and 15 g of protein per 100 g.
If you don’t want to add much to your toppings during a short work break, a flavoured cracker could be a good fit. Bolletje describes its Ciabatta Crackers Tomato & Herbs as crackers made with tomato, herbs and extra virgin olive oil, packed in pairs.
If you’re choosing based on ingredients, allergens or salt, the packaging is more useful than the word ‘toast’. The varieties we looked at list different allergens. Don’t assume a product contains iodised salt just because it’s labelled ‘organic’ or ‘bakery’ either: check the ingredients list if that’s relevant to your choice.
First decide whether the toast should mainly hold your toppings or add flavour itself. Then compare the packaging and nutritional information for varieties suited to how you plan to use it.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Base for toppings | Check whether ‘wholemeal’ appears in the product name and ingredients list. Compare fibre and protein per 100 g; multigrain doesn’t automatically mean wholemeal. | If I often switch between savoury and sweet toppings, I want a fairly neutral base and nutritional information I can compare. For around 40% of consumers considering toast for a working-from-home lunch, a base that works with toppings comes first. |
| Flavour of the base | Check the ingredients and flavour variety. For a tomato and herb cracker, also check the salt and allergen information on the label. | Between work calls, I want a lunch where the cracker itself adds flavour, even with simple toppings. For around 30% of consumers, flavour is the top priority. |
| Packaging and how much you need | Compare the pack sizes and check the packaging for storage instructions after opening. | When I regularly have lunch at home, I want to choose a pack that suits how much I use, so the toast doesn’t sit around unnecessarily long after opening. That’s the main consideration for around 30% of consumers. |
Organic sesame toast, wholemeal Melba toast and tomato and herb crackers differ in their ingredients and how you might use them. A product’s presentation won’t tell you how much fibre, protein or salt it contains.
First choose between a neutral base for toppings and a cracker with its own flavour. Then compare the nutritional information for the specific varieties on the same basis, such as per 100 g.
A mix of grains and seeds isn’t the same as a product labelled wholemeal. Van der Meulen Holland says its Melba Toast Wholemeal is made from 100% wholemeal bread.
Look for ‘wholemeal’ in the product name and check the ingredients. Use the nutrition table if you want to compare the fibre content of two varieties.
The Dutch 2008 agreement on baker’s salt says that the use of iodised salt in bread and bread substitutes is encouraged. It doesn’t tell you which salt is used in a particular variety of toast.
Check the ingredients list on the packaging or ask the manufacturer which salt is used if that information matters to your purchase.
Van der Meulen Holland makes Melba toast in plain, wholemeal, multigrain and sesame varieties, among others. This gives you a choice of flavours and ingredients within one product range.
Ciabatta Crackers Tomato & Herbs are an option if you want the cracker itself to add flavour to your lunch.
AH Organic Melba toast with sesame seeds is worth considering if you’re specifically looking for an organic sesame variety.
Jumbo stocks Van der Meulen Melba Wholemeal Toast in a 120 g pack, among other products, with nutritional information for anyone looking to compare wholemeal varieties.
ALDI lists Sun Snacks Plain Melba Toast in a 240 g pack. It’s a plain variety you can compare with other pack sizes.
Lidl lists Melba toast in a 240 g pack as a store product, for anyone looking for a larger pack as a base for toppings.
These crackers suit two different lunch ideas: sesame crackers as a possible base for toppings, and multigrain triangles as a snack alongside lunch. They aren’t a direct replacement for the Melba toast varieties discussed above.
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A sesame cracker to consider if you want to add toppings to your cracker for a working-from-home lunch and like sesame flavour.
The pack contains 225 g. Compare the nutritional information and, if you have allergies, check the current label before choosing this variety.
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A multigrain snack for a short lunch break, but not necessarily a base for toppings.
The pack contains 180 g. If you specifically want to add toppings to the triangles, check that their shape and intended use are suitable. Also check the current label for ingredients and allergens.
Consider the toast and toppings together rather than treating the toast as a complete lunch. Van der Meulen Holland describes Melba toast as a base for toppings or spreads; what you put on it is also part of your lunch.
It varies by product. The wholemeal variety discussed lists wheat, barley, rye, sesame and soya, among other ingredients; Albert Heijn lists wheat, barley, sesame and soya for its organic sesame toast. Always read the current label for the variety you’re buying.
Store Melba toast in a dry place and follow the instructions on the packaging. Albert Heijn recommends keeping its organic sesame toast in a sealed tin after opening.
No, you can’t assume that for every type of toast. The 2008 Dutch agreement encourages the use of iodised salt in bread and bread substitutes, but it doesn’t confirm the ingredients of an individual product. Read the ingredients list or ask the manufacturer which salt was used in that toast.
