For a visit to the Christmas market, choose half a multigrain loaf if the quantity suits what your household will eat over the next few days; otherwise, freeze any leftover slices in portions straight away. If you specifically want wholemeal bread, check the product name and ingredients: according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, ‘multigrain’ means that the bread contains at least three types of grain, not that it is wholemeal. Check the allergens and whether iodised salt is listed for each product.
If you’re visiting the Christmas market with one or two other people and don’t eat bread every day, half a loaf may fit your plans better. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says you can also freeze bread in portions straight after buying it.
The label ‘multigrain’ isn’t enough for you: you want to know whether the bread is wholemeal too. Check the product name and ingredients rather than judging by its colour or the seeds on top.
For packaged bread, check the latest ingredients and allergen information. If you’re buying unpackaged bread from a stall, ask about any allergens relevant to you before buying.
Work out how much bread you’ll actually eat, then compare whether it’s wholemeal, check the label and see whether a suitable size is available.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Portions and storage | Compare the weight or number of portions with how much you’ll eat. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends freezing any unused slices in portions straight after buying them. | If we’re eating breakfast at home less often around the Christmas market, I don’t want a whole loaf left over. A suitable quantity matters most to around 36% of consumers. |
| Wholemeal status | Look for ‘wholemeal’ in the product name and read the ingredients list; ‘multigrain’ doesn’t confirm that it’s wholemeal. | I want to choose wholemeal bread, and won’t be guided by a dark colour or seeds alone. Wholemeal is the priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the latest label. For unpackaged bread, ask about relevant allergens before buying; check whether iodised salt is listed for each product if that matters to your choice. | When I buy bread from a stall, I need to be able to find out what ingredients or allergens it contains. For around 21% of consumers, checking this comes first. |
| Availability straight away | Check shortly before your visit whether the variety and size you want are available. Lidl lists its Halfje donker meergranenbrood as an in-store product. | If I need bread before I set off, I want to know where I can buy a suitable quantity. Availability makes the difference for around 14% of consumers. |
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, ‘multigrain’ refers to the number of types of grain used, not whether the bread is wholemeal. Bread can also contain white flour.
If you want wholemeal bread, look specifically for ‘wholemeal’ and read the ingredients list.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that iodine compounds may be present in bread through baker’s salt. This doesn’t confirm the ingredients of every multigrain loaf.
Check the latest ingredients list or, for unpackaged bread, ask which salt has been used if it matters to your choice.
At a Christmas market stall, you may not have packaging to check later at home. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says information about allergens present in unpackaged foods must be available where they are sold.
Before buying, ask about the allergens you need to check and, for cereals containing gluten, which specific type of grain is used.
Even a smaller quantity can be left over if you eat less bread than expected around your visit to the Christmas market.
Buy it closer to when you plan to eat it or, following the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice, freeze the slices you’ll use later straight after buying them.
Albert Heijn describes AH Vloerbrood meergranen half as a half brown multigrain loaf.
Jumbo lists Boeren Donker Volkoren Meergranen - Half as a half wholemeal multigrain option.
Lidl lists Halfje donker meergranenbrood, weighing 400 g, as an in-store product.
Aldi lists Boeren volkoren meergranen Half as a sliced half loaf.
Plus lists multigrain bread in its bread range.
Dirk lists Bakker van der Akker Bakkers meergranen half as a half multigrain option.
These Joybuy products are multigrain breads to consider if you haven’t decided when you’ll eat around your visit to the Christmas market. The baguettes and round loaf aren’t described as half loaves; compare their size with the quantity you need and check the storage and preparation instructions.
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The four individual baguettes may suit you if you want to plan the quantity for each mealtime; this isn’t half a loaf.
Before buying, check the latest ingredients and allergen information, and follow the storage and baking instructions on the packaging.
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This 550 g round loaf may suit you if you want to plan one loaf for a later mealtime; its size doesn’t mean it’s half a loaf.
Compare the weight with how much you’ll eat, and check the packaging for the ingredients, allergens and storage and baking instructions.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain bread contains at least three types of grain, but it can also be made with white flour. If wholemeal is important to you, look for ‘wholemeal’ in the product name and read the ingredients.
Match the quantity to the days when you’ll actually eat the bread, and freeze the rest in portions straight after buying it. Following the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s storage advice, you can then defrost only what you need each time.
You can’t assume that it does. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that iodine compounds may be present in bread through baker’s salt; Albert Heijn lists iodised salt for AH Vloerbrood meergranen half. Check the ingredients of the bread you want to buy.
Before buying, ask the seller which allergens the bread contains. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says information about allergens present in unpackaged foods must be available where they are sold; for cereals containing gluten, ask which specific type of grain is used too.
