Choose sliced multigrain sourdough if you want to make sandwiches before you set off. Part-baked bread is better for a later meal if you have somewhere to bake it and can follow the storage instructions. Compare the ingredients, fibre and salt per 100 g: ‘multigrain’ doesn’t automatically mean the bread is wholemeal. If you need to avoid gluten, choose bread explicitly labelled gluten-free and check for other allergens too.
If you’re taking bread for several meals, the ingredients, nutritional information and a suitable size all matter. According to the Voedingscentrum, multigrain bread is made from at least three types of grain; the name alone doesn’t tell you whether it’s wholemeal.
A part-baked baguette or smaller loaf works for a planned meal, not for a snack you want to eat straight away in the car. Check the baking and storage instructions in advance, especially for after opening.
Labels such as ‘sourdough’ or ‘multigrain’ don’t replace allergen information. The regular products described from Jumbo and PLUS contain cereals containing gluten. Even with a product explicitly labelled gluten-free, check which other allergens it may contain.
First, check whether allergens limit your choice. Then decide when you want to eat the bread: bread you can use for sandwiches straight away needs different planning from a loaf you still have to bake.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who does this matter to? |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients and nutritional value | Check which types of flour are used and compare fibre and salt per 100 g. | If I’m taking bread for several snacks, I want to know what’s in it rather than rely on the word ‘multigrain’. This is the most important consideration for around 36% of consumers. |
| Preparation and quantity | Check whether the bread is sliced or part-baked, as well as the pack size and storage instructions. | If I want to make sandwiches straight away while travelling, part-baked bread isn’t right for my plans if there’s no oven. Around 29% of consumers put this convenience first. |
| Sourdough flavour and texture | Read how the bread and proving process are described; consider flavour separately from nutritional value. | If I want to take only a small amount of filling, the flavour of the bread itself could be the deciding factor. This comes first for around 21% of consumers. |
| Allergens | Read the allergen information and, if necessary, check for an explicit gluten-free label. | If I need to avoid gluten or another allergen, the product information determines which bread I can choose. This is the first consideration for around 14% of consumers. |
According to the Voedingscentrum, multigrain means that different types of grain are used; it doesn’t automatically mean the bread is made entirely from wholemeal flour.
Read the ingredients list and compare the fibre per 100 g if the ingredients matter to your choice.
The regular multigrain sourdough products described from Jumbo and PLUS contain cereals containing gluten. The way they’re made doesn’t make them gluten-free.
Before buying, check for a gluten-free label and read the information about other allergens and possible cross-contamination.
Part-baked bread needs to be baked before you eat it. Jumbo also gives specific storage instructions for its Desem Baguette Meergranen after opening.
Choose sliced bread if you want to eat it straight away, or plan ahead for an oven and storage if you’re taking part-baked bread.
Albert Heijn and PLUS warn that product information, including ingredients and allergens, can change. This is especially important if you need to avoid an ingredient.
When you buy the bread, check the packaging of the loaf you’re actually taking with you.
An example of sliced dark multigrain sourdough bread for sandwiches you prepare before setting off.
Offers described rustic sourdough loaves in store, as well as a part-baked multigrain sourdough baguette.
Offers described part-baked multigrain sourdough loaves in various sizes.
An in-store option if you want to buy a whole multigrain hearth-baked loaf before setting off.
These Lekhaven Bakkerij multigrain baguettes are suited to a planned meal when you have time to defrost and bake them. If you want to eat sandwiches during the journey, choose bread you can prepare in advance.
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For planned snack breaks when you can defrost and bake the baguettes before eating them.
Two packs of four 135 g baguettes. Check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information on the packaging if they affect your choice.
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For a later meal when you have time to defrost and bake them, rather than eating them straight from the pack while travelling.
Four 135 g baguettes. Before buying, check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information that are relevant to your choice.
No. According to the Voedingscentrum, multigrain bread is made from at least three different types of grain; that doesn’t tell you whether all the flours used are wholemeal. Check the ingredients list and, if useful, compare the fibre per 100 g.
No. The regular multigrain sourdough products described from Jumbo and PLUS contain cereals containing gluten. If you need to avoid gluten, check that the bread you choose is explicitly labelled gluten-free and read the other allergen information too.
Ask before you buy, or check what information is provided with the bread. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, consumers must be able to get information about allergens present in unpackaged products too, for example on a shelf label or from a member of staff.
It depends on the bread. For AH OerDesem donker meergranen heel gesneden, Albert Heijn says you can freeze it on the day you buy it and should use it within one month. Follow the storage and use instructions for any other bread.
You can’t tell from the name of the bread. Jumbo lists iodised salt in its Desem Baguette Meergranen, while PLUS mentions bakers’ salt in a multigrain sourdough bread it describes. If the type of salt matters to your choice, check the ingredients list of the bread you buy.
