If wholemeal bread is a hard sell at home and you’d like to try a blend, choose an organic loaf made with both white flour and wholemeal flour. If a clear wholemeal base is your priority, look for bread explicitly labelled wholemeal: ‘multigrain’ and organic certification alone tell you nothing about the proportion of wholemeal flour. Whichever you choose, check the organic label, ingredients, nutritional information and any allergens.
Organic bread made with both white flour and wholemeal flour could be an option if you’d like to try a blend. Check the ingredients and fibre per 100 g rather than relying on the name ‘multigrain’; taste and texture will still depend on the loaf.
For this choice, two things need to be clear on the label: the organic details and an explicitly wholemeal base. Then compare the nutritional information of the loaves you’re considering.
If you have an allergy or want to check the salt or iodised salt content, the current packaging is the best source of information. Ingredients and allergens vary by recipe, even between loaves that are both organic.
First decide whether a blended loaf or one explicitly labelled wholemeal is more likely to suit your household’s taste preferences. Then check the organic and wholemeal details separately on the packaging.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and fibre | Look for an explicit wholemeal claim and compare fibre per 100 g in the nutritional information. | If the wholemeal content matters most to me, I don’t want to infer it from a dark colour or the name ‘multigrain’. For around 36% of consumers, this wholemeal choice is the top priority. |
| Ingredients and taste | Check which types of flour are listed in the ingredients; don’t assume a particular taste or texture from the name of a loaf. | Wholemeal bread with a pronounced taste isn’t always popular at home, so I’d like to try a loaf made with both white flour and wholemeal flour first. Around 29% of consumers put this taste consideration first. |
| Organic labelling | Look for the EU organic logo, the code of the control body and the indication of agricultural origin. | I want to buy organic bread without trying to judge how it was produced from its colour or an artisan-sounding name. This organic choice is the top priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Allergens and salt | Read the allergen information, compare salt per 100 g and, if needed, check whether iodised salt is listed among the ingredients. | If an ingredient or salt content is important to my household, I need to be able to assess the specific loaf. For around 14% of consumers, checking the label is the deciding factor. |
Organic describes how a product is made; it doesn’t mean that it’s made entirely with wholemeal flour. Organic bread can also contain wheat flour.
Check the organic details, then separately read the product name, ingredients and fibre per 100 g.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain refers to bread containing at least three types of grain, not bread made entirely with wholemeal flour. A blended loaf may be just what you’re looking for, as long as you know what’s in it.
Choose deliberately between bread explicitly labelled wholemeal and a loaf whose ingredients list both white flour and wholemeal flour.
A range of organic products or wholemeal bread doesn’t tell you what’s in the particular loaf you want to buy. Check the current packaging and availability of the product you choose.
Assess the organic status, ingredients and nutritional information for each product, rather than relying on the shop category.
Bread recipes vary. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the conditions under which iodine compounds may be present in bread through bakers’ salt; this doesn’t mean that every loaf contains iodised salt.
Read the current allergen information and, if it matters to your choice, check the ingredients specifically for iodised salt.
Albert Heijn’s product information offers examples of two different organic bread options.
Jumbo has product pages for organic wholemeal multigrain bread and organic wholemeal sourdough rolls.
ALDI offers fine wholemeal bread, as well as a separate organic range.
Lidl describes both an organic range and its focus on bread made with some or all wholemeal flour.
PLUS has an online category for wholemeal bread.
Dirk has online categories for bread and for organic products across bread, spreads and biscuits.
Look for the EU organic logo, the code of the control body and the indication of agricultural origin. According to the European Commission, the EU organic logo is compulsory for most pre-packed organic foods produced in the EU; check the details on the loaf you buy.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain means that a loaf contains at least three types of grain; it doesn’t mean that it’s entirely wholemeal. Read the wholemeal claim and ingredients to tell a blended loaf apart from one explicitly labelled wholemeal.
No, you can’t draw that conclusion from the organic label. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that, in general, organic food has not been shown to be healthier than conventional food. Compare the ingredients and nutritional information separately when choosing bread.
Don’t assume it does. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the conditions under which iodine compounds may be present in bread through bakers’ salt, but that doesn’t mean every loaf contains iodised salt. If it matters to your choice, check the ingredients list for the specific bread.
Check the current packaging for allergens relevant to your household; ingredients vary from loaf to loaf. As well as wheat and other gluten-containing grains, recipes may contain sesame or soya, for example. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre notes that common allergens must be clearly listed on the label.
