Choose bite-sized cookies in a resealable pack if you want the flexibility to control how many you give out with each order. If fixed portions and minimal handling at the stall matter more, look for a product with small individual packs; check how many cookies each portion contains. If you’re serving cookies loose, protect them from contamination and, in line with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), make allergen information available before purchase.
If you’d like to offer a small extra alongside a Dutch doughnut, loose, bite-sized cookies let you choose the quantity. Once a pack is open, make sure the cookies are protected and served hygienically. For unpackaged sales, the NVWA requires customers to be able to find out about any allergens present before purchase.
If you don’t want to count out loose cookies with every order, consider small individual packs. For example, ALDI lists six small packs for Biscotto Mini Biscuits; also check how many cookies each pack contains.
If you add a cookie product to your stall’s range, you need to know which allergens the exact product contains and how you’ll share that information with customers. The NVWA says this information must be available before purchase for unpackaged sales.
First decide whether you want to portion out loose cookies or serve them in fixed portions. Then check the product type, packaging and how you’ll handle sales at the stall.
Choose these if: you want to decide how many cookies to include with each order. Albert Heijn and Jumbo describe Milka Mini Cookies as bite-sized and sold in resealable packaging.
Bear in mind: once opened, the cookies need to be stored safely and served hygienically.
Choose these if: having a set portion to serve matters more than flexible portioning. ALDI lists six small packs for Biscotto Mini Biscuits.
Bear in mind: the contents of an individual pack may not match the portion you want to offer.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Flexible portioning | Check whether the cookies are bite-sized and how you can protect them when serving from an opened pack. | I want to decide how many cookies to offer alongside a Dutch doughnut with each order. For around 33% of consumers buying supplies for a stall, this flexibility matters most. |
| Fixed portions | Check the number of individual packs and how many cookies each one contains. | If I want to serve the same amount with every order, I don’t want to keep counting out loose cookies. Around 27% of these consumers give fixed portions top priority. |
| Allergens and serving | Read the latest allergen information and decide how you’ll make it available before purchase when selling unpackaged products. | When serving from an opened pack, I want to be able to answer questions about allergens and keep the contents protected. This way of working is the top priority for around 20% of consumers. |
| Product type | Compare whether you’re buying a cookie, a biscuit ball, a filled biscuit or a wafer, and check how it’s packaged. | I want the extra item to match the chocolate cookie I’m offering at the stall, rather than simply having ‘mini’ in its name. The exact product type is the deciding factor for around 20% of consumers. |
A resealable bag of small cookies is not the same as a pack containing individual portions. This affects whether you’ll need to portion the cookies out yourself.
Before deciding on a serving size, check how the product is packaged and how many pieces are in each individual pack, if applicable.
When selling cookies loose, customers may not be able to see the original packaging. The NVWA says information about any allergens in unpackaged foods must be available before purchase.
Use the current packaging as the source for your product information and make allergen information available in writing. Alternatively, organise verbal information and display a clear sign telling customers they can ask for it.
A biscuit ball, a filled biscuit and a mini wafer are different products. Size alone doesn’t tell customers what you’re offering.
Choose the type of product you want first, then compare the chocolate variety, packaging and ingredients of the exact product.
Jumbo said that one mini chocolate chip product was no longer available online, even though its product page still contained information.
When ordering again, check that the same variety and pack are available before planning your serving method around them.
Verkade Bites Koekballetjes met Melkchocolade are small biscuit balls coated in milk chocolate; Jumbo lists them in a 120 g pack.
Lotus Bakeries lists both Mini Biscuits and a Mini Suzy Liège waffle with chocolate.
Albert Heijn describes Milka Mini Cookies, 110 g, as bite-sized and sold in resealable packaging.
Jumbo lists Milka Mini Cookies in resealable packaging and has product information for its own-brand mini chocolate chip cookies.
Lidl lists, among other products in the Sondey range, Choco biscuits melk, 125 g.
ALDI describes Biscotto Mini Biscuits as filled cookies with milk and white chocolate, in a 225 g pack containing six small individual packs.
These products offer two ways to serve a chocolate cookie alongside Dutch doughnuts: Milka Mini Cookies for flexible portioning, and Lu Scholiertje biscuits if you want to plan a fixed serving size. Check the packaging for both before deciding how many cookies to offer with each order.
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A mini cookie to consider if you want to choose how many cookies to serve with each order.
The pack contains 110 g. Before opening it at your stall, check how many cookies it contains, the portion size you want to serve and the latest allergen information.
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A chocolate biscuit to compare if you want to put together a fixed serving size for your stall.
The pack contains 150 g. Check the size of each biscuit and how the pack is arranged: the product name doesn’t confirm a mini size or the number of portions. Also read the latest allergen information.
Yes. For unpackaged sales, the NVWA says information about any allergens present must be available before purchase. You can provide it in writing or verbally. If you provide it verbally, display a clear sign telling customers they can ask for it.
Check the current packaging for each exact product, including any information about cross-contact. For Milka Mini Cookies, Jumbo lists milk, soya and wheat; for one Jumbo mini chocolate chip product, it also mentions possible traces of almond. These examples aren’t an allergen list for other cookies.
Not without protecting the cookies from contamination. The NVWA checklist for markets and events highlights the need to protect food from things such as blowing dirt and contamination from bystanders or during serving. Keep the cookies covered and use a hygienic serving method.
Start with the packaging: check the net weight, any portion information and the number of cookies or individual packs. Albert Heijn lists four portions in a 110 g pack of Milka Mini Cookies; ALDI lists six small packs in a 225 g pack of Biscotto Mini Biscuits. Neither tells you automatically how many cookies to offer with each order.
