If you want to avoid added sugars, choose breakfast cake labelled ‘no added sugars’, but still check how much sugar each slice contains. Then compare the fibre, ingredients and portion size: a pre-sliced loaf and individually wrapped slices suit different ways of carrying and eating your snack.
You’re looking for a slice of breakfast cake for mid-morning and want to know what ‘zero’ or ‘no added sugars’ on the packaging actually means. The sugar content on the label helps you compare products properly.
As well as the sugar content, you want to check the amount of fibre and whether wholegrain rye flour is used. These details can vary between products, even when the front of the pack makes a similar claim about sugar.
Whether you’re out and about, at work or packing a lunchbox, you may not want to slice and wrap a whole loaf yourself. Individually wrapped slices are a different option from a pre-sliced loaf in a single pack.
Start by checking ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g and per slice. Then decide whether fibre and ingredients, individual portions or availability at your usual shop matter most to you.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is it important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars per slice | Compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g and per portion. Check whether the pack says ‘no added sugars’ or ‘less sugar’. | I want to know how much sugar is in my mid-morning slice, whatever the wording on the front of the pack. Sugar content is the main priority for around 39% of consumers. |
| Fibre and type of grain | Check the fibre per 100 g and look at the ingredients list to see whether wholegrain rye flour is used. | When choosing between two loaves with a similar sugar content, I also want to compare the fibre and type of grain. These features take priority for around 23% of consumers. |
| Portion convenience | Check the weight of each slice and whether the slices are individually wrapped. | I want to take a slice with me without having to cut or repackage it first. This convenience matters most to around 23% of consumers. |
| Availability | Check the current range at your usual shop and make sure the pack on offer suits the occasion when you’ll be having a snack. | I want to be able to find a suitable breakfast cake during my usual shop. Availability is the main consideration for around 15% of consumers. |
According to product information from Albert Heijn and Peijnenburg, the zero and no-added-sugars varieties reviewed still contain 4.9 g of sugars per 100 g. So the wording on the front of the pack doesn’t tell you how much sugar you’ll eat per slice.
Compare ‘of which sugars’ in the nutrition table per 100 g, and take the weight of your chosen slice into account.
A ‘less sugar’ claim compares a product with another product. PLUS lists 22.9 g of sugars per 100 g for its Less Sugar breakfast cake bars; product information for the Snelle Jelle Less Sugar bar lists 24 g per 100 g.
If you want to avoid added sugars, check the exact claim on the packaging rather than relying on the word ‘less’.
The Peijnenburg and Albert Heijn zero varieties described contain xylitol or other polyols. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that large amounts of polyols can cause digestive problems; the product information in question warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Check the ingredients and warnings for the variety you choose, and keep products containing xylitol out of reach of pets.
These brand names will help you tell the breakfast cakes and bars described apart; check the details of the specific variety you buy.
Peijnenburg describes pre-sliced plain and wholemeal breakfast cakes with no added sugars, as well as individually wrapped plain slices.
AH Zero Breakfast Cake is a pre-sliced breakfast cake from Albert Heijn’s own-label range.
ALDI describes Koek & Bakker Zero Breakfast Cake as a pre-sliced breakfast cake with no added sugars, in a 485 g pack.
PLUS describes both pre-sliced Zero Breakfast Cake and individually wrapped breakfast cake bars labelled Less Sugar.
Snelle Jelle makes spiced cake bars in several varieties, including Less Sugar.
No, those claims don’t automatically mean that a breakfast cake contains no sugars. Albert Heijn and Peijnenburg list 4.9 g of sugars per 100 g for the varieties described; check ‘of which sugars’ and the portion weight to see how much is in your slice.
‘Less sugar’ describes a comparison with another product; ‘no added sugars’ refers to whether sugars have been added, not whether the product is completely sugar-free. So compare both the claim and ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g when choosing between a bar and a pre-sliced loaf.
Read the portion information and the warning about excessive consumption. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that large amounts of polyols can cause digestive problems; the zero products containing xylitol described here carry a warning that they may have a laxative effect.
No, the Peijnenburg and Albert Heijn varieties described contain rye and gluten. For other varieties, don’t rely on the ‘zero’ claim: check the current allergen information on the packaging.
You can’t tell from the product name. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority lists baker’s salt as a possible source of iodine in baked goods; check the ingredients list for the specific breakfast cake if the type of salt used matters to you.
