For your New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day breakfast, start by choosing breakfast flakes whose organic certification you can verify, then match the grain and texture to your recipe. BIO+ says its fine oats can be eaten hot or cold; Smaakt gives cooking instructions for its jumbo oat flakes, and spelt contains gluten. If you have coeliac disease, the Voedingscentrum recommends checking the packaging of oat products for the official Crossed Grain symbol.
You’re looking for a breakfast or brunch staple for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, and want to be able to verify its organic status. According to the European Commission, the EU organic logo may only be used on products certified as organic by an authorised body.
You’re making porridge, overnight oats, muesli or a baking recipe, so you’re choosing carefully between fine oats, jumbo oats, spelt and quinoa. Product information from retailers including PLUS and Jumbo lists different uses and preparation methods for each product.
You’re checking whether oats are suitable for someone with coeliac disease. Standard oat flakes aren’t automatically suitable: the Voedingscentrum recommends checking the packaging of oat products for the official Crossed Grain symbol.
First decide what you’ll be serving and check the requirements for organic certification and allergens. Then compare the texture, preparation method and availability of the specific pack.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Organic certification | Check the EU organic logo, the control body’s code number and the origin statement on the packaging. | If I’m deliberately buying organic breakfast flakes, I want to be able to verify the label on the packaging. For around 31% of consumers, being able to check this is the top priority. |
| Texture and preparation | Check whether the flakes are fine or jumbo, and which hot or cold uses are listed in the product information. | For porridge, I want to know which texture and preparation method suit my plans; for muesli, I might choose something different. Around 25% of consumers prioritise matching the flakes to the recipe. |
| Gluten and allergens | If you have coeliac disease, check for the Crossed Grain symbol on oat products and read the latest allergen information. Spelt contains gluten. | If I’m buying oats for someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on the organic label. For around 19% of consumers, checking gluten-free suitability is the main concern. |
| Availability | Check shortly before buying whether the pack you want is available online or in store. | If I’m planning a New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day breakfast, I want to know exactly where I can buy the flakes I’ve chosen. For around 25% of consumers, practical availability matters most. |
Albert Heijn categorises De Ruijter sprinkles as sweet sandwich toppings. They’re a different product category from oat flakes for porridge or overnight oats.
When searching for flakes, check the product category and ingredients.
Organic certification says nothing about whether a product is suitable for a gluten-free diet. Spelt contains gluten, and according to the Voedingscentrum, standard oat products aren’t automatically suitable for people with coeliac disease.
If you have coeliac disease, check oat products for the official Crossed Grain symbol and read the allergen information on the current packaging.
BIO+ says its fine oats can be eaten hot or cold. For porridge made with its jumbo oat flakes, Smaakt gives cooking instructions using 50 g of flakes and 200 ml of milk for 10 minutes.
Choose the texture only once you’ve decided whether you’re making a cold breakfast, porridge, muesli or something to bake.
A product may only be available in store or may no longer be listed online. Lidl lists the Crownfield oats covered in this article as an in-store product.
Shortly before your New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day breakfast, check where the specific pack is available.
Jumbo lists organic wholegrain oat and spelt flakes in 500 g packs.
BIO+ offers 500 g of organic fine oats, which PLUS says can be eaten hot or cold.
Smaakt offers organic jumbo oat flakes and lists organic quinoa flakes as a separate product.
PLUS lists Consenza jumbo organic wholegrain oat flakes with a gluten-free label.
Lidl lists 500 g of Crownfield organic oats.
De Ruijter is included here to highlight the difference between two meanings of the word ‘flakes’.
Check the packaging for the EU organic logo. According to the European Commission, this logo may only be used on products certified as organic by an authorised control body. Also check the body’s code number and the origin statement.
No. Organic certification says nothing about whether a product is suitable for a gluten-free diet. If you have coeliac disease, the Voedingscentrum recommends only using oat products with the official Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging, and checking the latest allergen information.
Choose according to the texture you want and the preparation method listed for the specific product. BIO+ says its fine oats can be eaten hot or cold; for porridge made with its jumbo oat flakes, Smaakt recommends cooking 50 g of flakes with 200 ml of milk for 10 minutes.
Check whether the specific pack is available shortly before you buy, and see if it’s sold online or in store. Lidl lists the Crownfield organic oats covered in this article as an in-store-only product.
