Only choose a croissant for Mother’s Day as wholegrain if the product is labelled as such and the ingredients back this up; seeds or a darker colour are not proof. If you want a breakfast with a clearly identifiable wholegrain option, choose a croissant you like and serve a separate roll labelled as wholegrain alongside it. Check the current label on both products, especially if any guests have allergies.
You want to serve something demonstrably wholegrain for Mother’s Day, rather than relying on visible seeds or the name ‘multiseed’. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre describes wholegrain products as being made from the entire grain; the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority distinguishes this label from other product names.
For you, the croissant itself is the main choice: perhaps one made with butter, a plant-based option or a variety you bake at home. That preference alone says nothing about whether it is wholegrain.
If ingredients, allergens or preparation matter to your guests, you’ll want to be able to check the details of the exact product before putting breakfast together.
First decide whether the croissant itself needs to be wholegrain, or whether a separate wholegrain roll will do. Then choose your type of croissant and check the packaging of the products you actually buy.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Wholegrain and fibre | Look for the ‘wholegrain’ label and read the ingredients. Only compare fibre values on the same basis, for example per 100 g. | I want breakfast to include something demonstrably wholegrain and don’t want to mistake seeds for wholegrain. This is the top priority for around 42% of consumers. |
| Type of croissant | Check whether you’re choosing one made with butter, a plant-based option or a bake-at-home variety. For bake-at-home products, read the instructions for that exact product. | If the croissant is the centrepiece of the occasion, I mainly want to choose a variety that suits the breakfast. Around 33% of consumers give this choice priority. |
| Guests and preparation | Check the latest ingredients and allergen information, and allow time to defrost and bake a bake-at-home variety. | I’m shopping for others and want to know what they can eat and how much preparation is needed before serving. This practical concern comes first for around 25% of consumers. |
The name ‘multiseed’, visible seeds and a dark colour don’t tell you whether the grain ingredient is wholegrain. The AH Multiseed Croissant contains seeds, but its ingredients list starts with wheat flour and the product isn’t labelled as wholegrain.
Look for an explicit wholegrain label and read the ingredients. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that, for a product to be labelled ‘wholegrain’, its grain ingredient must consist entirely of wholemeal flour.
Choosing a croissant for its taste and choosing a wholegrain product are two different decisions. A plain or multiseed croissant doesn’t become wholegrain just because its nutrition table lists fibre.
If wholegrain matters to you, pair your chosen croissant with a separate roll labelled as wholegrain.
Ingredients and allergens vary by product. This is especially important when someone has an allergy, as the product page you viewed earlier may differ from the packaging you receive.
Check the label on the exact product again before serving it, including the allergens and any warnings about traces.
A bake-at-home variety may need to defrost before baking. PLUS gives both defrosting and baking instructions for its small butter croissant; these timings aren’t general instructions for other croissants.
Read the packaging in advance and plan when to defrost, preheat the oven and bake, so breakfast is ready when you want to serve it.
Compare specific products from each brand: a seeded croissant, a butter croissant and a separate wholegrain roll are different types of product.
A useful option if you want to assess a seeded croissant by its ingredients and nutritional value.
Worth considering if you want to choose a type of croissant and look at a separate wholegrain bread product too.
An option if a butter croissant suits your breakfast plans.
Worth considering if you’re thinking of serving a croissant and a separate wholegrain loaf at the same breakfast.
Useful if you want to plan how to prepare a specific bake-at-home croissant.
Worth considering if you want to compare croissants and wholegrain rolls as separate parts of breakfast.
No. ‘Multiseed’ doesn’t mean the grain ingredient is wholegrain. The AH Multiseed Croissant contains wheat flour and seeds, among other ingredients, but isn’t labelled as wholegrain. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, a product’s grain ingredient must consist entirely of wholemeal flour for it to be labelled as wholegrain.
Don’t assume so; check the ingredients list on the croissant you buy. The AH Multiseed Croissant lists iodised salt. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority describes the addition of iodine through bakers’ salt in bakery products, but that doesn’t make it a standard ingredient in every croissant.
Follow the instructions on the exact product packaging and allow for any defrosting time. For its small butter croissant, PLUS recommends defrosting for 20 minutes at room temperature and baking for 14 ± 2 minutes at 170 ± 10 °C. Don’t automatically use these settings for another product.
Read the allergen information for every product you choose, even if you’re pairing a croissant with a wholegrain roll. The AH Multiseed Croissant contains relevant allergens including cereals containing gluten and milk; also check the current packaging for warnings about other allergens.
