Choose multigrain Melba toast if you’re looking for a product that combines wholemeal flour and white flour to serve with split pea soup. Check the ingredients, as ‘multigrain’ doesn’t guarantee this combination. If you’re prioritising fibre and a wholegrain ingredient, compare wholemeal options. If you’d prefer toast made with wheat flour, look at plain options and check the salt and allergens whichever you choose.
You don’t want Melba toast with your split pea soup that’s made only with white flour, but you’re not necessarily looking for a fully wholemeal product either. A multigrain option containing both wholemeal flour and white flour is worth comparing; you can decide for yourself whether you like the taste.
You compare the fibre content per 100 g and check whether the grain ingredient is wholegrain. Jumbo lists Melba Wholemeal Toast as containing 9.7 g of fibre per 100 g. This figure applies to that particular option, not to all wholemeal toast.
You need to know which allergens a product contains, or you want to compare salt levels. If baker’s salt is also relevant to your choice, check the ingredients list rather than relying on the product name.
Start by deciding whether you’re looking for a mix of wholemeal and white flour, a wholegrain ingredient or toast made with wheat flour. Then compare the nutritional information for the options that suit you.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Mix of wholemeal and white flour | Check whether both wholemeal flour and white flour are listed in the ingredients, and compare fibre per 100 g. For Melba Multigrain, Jumbo lists 45% wholemeal wheat flour, as well as wheat flour, and 7.5 g of fibre per 100 g. | I’m looking for toast with clearly listed wholemeal flour for fussy eaters, without requiring it to be entirely wholemeal. For around 36% of consumers, this middle ground comes first. |
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check the ‘wholemeal’ description, the ingredients and the fibre per 100 g. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, the grain ingredient in a product labelled wholemeal must consist entirely of wholemeal flour. | If I’m choosing mainly for fibre, I want to know whether the grain ingredient is entirely wholemeal. This is the top priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Allergens and salt | Read the current allergen information and compare salt per 100 g, taking the soup and any toppings into account too. | I want to check whether the toast suits my dietary requirements and how much salt I’ll be eating with it. Around 21% of consumers prioritise checking the label. |
| Product range | Check which plain, multigrain or wholemeal options are available and whether their ingredients meet your needs. | When I’m shopping for split pea soup, I want to be able to choose a suitable option from the available types of toast. This choice matters most to around 14% of consumers. |
Multigrain Melba toast can contain white flour as well as wholemeal flour. The name alone doesn’t tell you how much of the grain ingredient is wholemeal or how much fibre the product contains.
Read the ingredients list and compare fibre per 100 g. If you specifically want a wholegrain ingredient, look for the ‘wholemeal’ description.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, using baker’s salt to make bread isn’t compulsory. So you can’t tell whether toast contains it just from its bread-like appearance.
Check the ingredients for baker’s salt or iodised salt if this matters to you. If the label isn’t clear, ask the retailer or manufacturer.
Split pea soup and toppings can also contribute salt. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s food composition database, a 250 g bowl of split pea soup contains 1.74 g of salt. The amount can vary depending on which soup you choose.
Compare the salt per 100 g on the toast packaging, and consider it alongside the nutritional information for your soup and toppings.
The Melba options reviewed contain gluten-containing grains. A light colour or the description ‘wholemeal’ doesn’t mean a product is gluten-free.
If you need to avoid gluten, only choose toast explicitly labelled as gluten-free, and check the current packaging.
The plain, multigrain and wholemeal options have three different ingredient and nutritional profiles to compare with split pea soup.
The toast range includes Melba products and other types of toast.
ALDI Netherlands lists plain toast, wholemeal toast and seeded toast among its different product types.
The retailer lists Melba toast products, including options made with different grains.
Bolletje is worth considering if you’d like to look at crispbread as well as toast; it’s a different type of product.
At Lidl, check the packaging of the toast option you choose.
No. ‘Multigrain’ doesn’t mean that the grain ingredient is entirely wholemeal. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, this must be the case for a product labelled wholemeal. Read the ingredients if you’re specifically looking for a mix of wholemeal and white flour.
No, you can’t tell from the type of product. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says it isn’t compulsory to use baker’s salt when making bread. Check whether baker’s salt or iodised salt is listed in the ingredients of the toast you choose.
Read the allergen information on the current packaging of the specific option. The Melba toast options reviewed contain gluten-containing grains, so don’t rely on names such as ‘plain’ or ‘wholemeal’ if you need to avoid gluten. In that case, check that the toast you choose is explicitly labelled as gluten-free.
Compare the salt per 100 g on the toast packaging, and check the soup and toppings you’re having with it too. For the Melba options reviewed, Jumbo lists 1.3 to 1.9 g of salt per 100 g; figures may differ for other options.
