If you’re looking for soft toast bread with medium-sliced pieces, don’t choose the melba toast reviewed here as a substitute: Van der Meulen describes its melba toast as thinly sliced and toasted again. If you want to stock up on crisp melba toast, compare the pack formats and check the best-before date, storage instructions, nutritional information and allergens on the label before buying in larger quantities.
You buy several packs for drinks and nibbles, lunch or regular use, and want to know how much each pack contains and how much storage space your supplies will take up. Albert Heijn and ALDI list 240 g packs of melba toast; for the Van der Meulen plain variety reviewed here, Albert Heijn lists 120 g. Also check whether you’ll be able to use the packs before their best-before dates.
You eat melba toast regularly and want to compare plain and wholemeal varieties for their nutritional information. Albert Heijn lists 9.7 g of fibre per 100 g for Van der Meulen Melba Toast Wholemeal. Also check the salt content and ingredients of the specific pack.
You want to be able to check which grains and other allergens a product contains before buying in larger quantities. The varieties reviewed have different ingredients, so check the current ingredients list and any ‘may contain’ information for each product, even if you’ve bought another variety from the same brand before.
First, decide whether you’re looking for soft toast bread or crisp melba toast. Then, if you’re buying melba toast, compare the pack format and the information that matters most for how you’ll use it.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Pack size | Compare the net weight, the number of inner packs and the date on each pack. Albert Heijn lists AH Melba Toast Plain as 240 g, divided into 12 packs of 6 toasts. | I want to store several packs without having to keep an unnecessary number of loose packages. For around 31% of consumers, the pack format is the main consideration. |
| Storage after opening | Check the best-before date and storage instructions on the pack. For AH Melba Toast Plain, Albert Heijn advises storing it in a sealed container after opening. | If I don’t use a pack all at once, I want to be able to store the opened toast properly. Keeping it crisp and usable is the main concern for around 31% of consumers. |
| Fibre and salt | Compare the nutritional information per 100 g for the varieties you’re considering. Albert Heijn lists 3.9 g of fibre and 1.3 g of salt per 100 g for Van der Meulen Plain, and 9.7 g of fibre and 1.9 g of salt per 100 g for the wholemeal variety. | I want to understand how the plain and wholemeal varieties differ in nutritional composition if I eat them regularly, rather than judging by the name alone. This comparison matters most to around 23% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list, highlighted allergens and any ‘may contain’ information. Check whether the specific product contains baker’s salt if that’s relevant to your choice. | When I buy several packs of the same product, the ingredient information needs to match what I want to avoid or check. This is the main purchase consideration for around 15% of consumers. |
Van der Meulen describes its melba toast as thinly sliced bread that’s toasted again. That doesn’t mean you’ll get soft, medium-sliced pieces for sandwiches or the toaster.
Decide which type of product you need before buying. If you’re looking for soft toast bread, check the stated slice thickness for that specific loaf.
It’s important that a larger stock-up remains usable after you open it. The date on an unopened pack doesn’t tell you how to store the melba toast afterwards.
Check the best-before date on each pack and follow the storage instructions after opening. For AH Melba Toast Plain, Albert Heijn recommends storing it in a sealed container.
These names don’t replace the ingredients list. The products reviewed list ingredients including wheat, barley and soya; Albert Heijn also lists sesame in Van der Meulen Melba Toast Wholemeal.
Check the ingredients, allergens and any ‘may contain’ information on the pack you’re buying. According to the Voedingscentrum, bread doesn’t have to be baked with baker’s salt, so don’t assume it contains baker’s salt without checking the label.
These brands offer the melba toast varieties reviewed here; their inclusion says nothing about the slice thickness of soft toast bread.
Plain and wholemeal melba toast in the 120 g packs reviewed here.
Own-brand AH Melba Toast Plain in a 240 g pack.
Melba Toast Plain in the 240 g pack listed by ALDI.
No, don’t assume that’s the case for the melba toast reviewed here: Van der Meulen describes its melba toast as thinly sliced bread that’s toasted again. If you’re looking for soft slices of a particular thickness, check the description of the specific toast bread.
Follow the instructions on the pack. For AH Melba Toast Plain, Albert Heijn advises storing it in a sealed container after opening. Use the best-before dates on unopened packs to organise your supplies.
According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, ‘best before’ is a minimum durability date and differs from ‘use by’. Check the date and product instructions on each pack before buying enough to last for a longer period.
No, you can’t assume this for every toast product. The Voedingscentrum states that bread doesn’t have to be baked with baker’s salt, so check the ingredients of the product you want to buy.
Read the allergen information for the specific variety, even if you’ve bought melba toast from the same brand before. The plain varieties reviewed list ingredients including wheat, barley and soya; Albert Heijn also lists sesame for Van der Meulen Melba Toast Wholemeal.
