Who is this choice relevant to?

Shoppers looking for two certifications

You want to be able to check both an organic label and a Fairtrade statement on the same product variety. A general claim about the shop or a single ingredient isn’t enough.

Canoe pastry fans who check claims

You’re specifically looking for a butter canoe pastry with almond paste filling. The pastries described by Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS are a different type of product from the separate chocolate bars with organic and Fairtrade information.

Consumers who check allergens

You’re considering a canoe pastry or chocolate bar and need to read the ingredients and warnings for the exact variety. An organic or Fairtrade certification doesn’t tell you which allergens the product contains or may contain.

What should you look for when choosing?

First decide whether you’re mainly after a canoe pastry with almond paste filling or a chocolate product with both certifications. Then check the claims and allergen information for the variety you’ve chosen.

What to consider What to check when buying Who it matters to
Both organic and Fairtrade Look for the EU organic logo and a Fairtrade statement on the same variety. Check which ingredients the Fairtrade claim applies to. I want chocolate where I can check both claims on the variety I choose, not just one of them. That combination comes first for around 40% of consumers.
A canoe pastry as the product type Read the product description and ingredients for the pastry; don’t infer its certifications from the shop’s other products. If you’re mainly looking for a butter biscuit with almond paste filling, you won’t want to choose a chocolate bar instead. A preference for a canoe pastry is the deciding factor for around 40% of consumers.
Allergens Read the current ingredients list and the ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements for the exact variety. If I need to take allergens into account, a certification isn’t a substitute for the information on the packaging. This check is the top priority for around 20% of consumers.

Common pitfalls

  • Assuming a claim about a shop applies to every canoe pastry

    PLUS communicates that its own-brand products contain Fairtrade cocoa, but a range-wide claim like this says nothing by itself about the organic or Fairtrade status of a specific canoe pastry.

    Look for both statements on the packaging of the exact variety you want to buy.

  • Mistaking a canoe pastry for a chocolate product

    Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS describe their canoe pastries as butter biscuits with almond paste filling. They’re not the same type of product as a chocolate bar.

    Choose the product type you want first, then check that product’s certifications.

  • Assuming a Fairtrade statement applies to every ingredient

    The Fairtrade and mass balance information for the organic chocolate bars from Albert Heijn and Jumbo needs to be read carefully: the statement may apply to certain ingredients and purchasing volumes.

    Check which ingredients the claim applies to and what the packaging says about mass balance.

  • Skipping the allergen information because of a certification

    An organic or Fairtrade label says nothing about whether a product contains allergens. Even a bar labelled vegan may carry a warning about possible traces of other ingredients.

    For the variety you choose, check both the ingredients list and any warnings about the possible presence of allergens.

Brands and relevant products

A certification on a chocolate bar doesn’t automatically apply to a canoe pastry from the same shop or brand.

Albert Heijn

Albert Heijn offers both AH butter canoe pastries and a separate AH Organic Extra Dark Chocolate Bar.

  • The chocolate bar is labelled organic and Fairtrade and carries the EU organic logo.
  • The canoe pastry mentioned is a butter biscuit with almond paste filling; don’t assume the bar’s certifications apply to the pastry.

Jumbo

Jumbo offers canoe pastries made with butter and almond paste filling, as well as a separate organic extra dark chocolate bar with caramel and sea salt.

  • Jumbo states that the chocolate bar’s cocoa and vanilla are Fairtrade.
  • The bar’s Fairtrade information doesn’t automatically apply to Jumbo’s canoe pastries; also read the information about mass balance on the bar.

PLUS

PLUS sells butter canoe pastries with almond paste filling and separately communicates that its own-brand products contain Fairtrade cocoa.

  • The information about Fairtrade cocoa can help you know what claims to look for on individual products.
  • General information about its own-brand products doesn’t confirm that PLUS butter canoe pastries are organic or Fairtrade.

Lidl

Lidl sells Sondey Kano's and describes its separate Way To Go chocolate products as Fairtrade certified.

  • Lidl explicitly highlights Fairtrade for Way To Go.
  • That claim doesn’t confirm that the chocolate is organic, and it doesn’t automatically apply to Sondey Kano's.

ALDI

ALDI sells Heerlijck Banket Kano's. In May 2023, Fairtrade Nederland also mentioned chocolate bars in ALDI’s Fairtrade range.

  • The reference to chocolate bars gives you a separate product type to check on the current packaging.
  • Information about that range doesn’t confirm the organic or Fairtrade status of the canoe pastries mentioned.

Verkade

Verkade says that all the cocoa in its chocolate bars and chocolate letters is Fairtrade.

  • This brand claim tells you which types of Verkade products the Fairtrade information applies to.
  • The claim doesn’t confirm that a product you choose is organic and says nothing about canoe pastries.

Joybuy products related to this topic

Related products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

Are the canoe pastries from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS organic Fairtrade chocolate products?

You can’t choose the canoe pastries mentioned on that basis: Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS describe them as butter biscuits with almond paste filling, and don’t list both certifications for these varieties. That doesn’t rule out another canoe pastry carrying such claims; always check the specific product.

Does Fairtrade on chocolate also mean it’s organic?

No. Fairtrade and organic are separate labels. Look for both on the same variety. According to the European Commission, the EU organic logo may only be used on products certified as organic by an approved control authority or control body.

What should I look for when a chocolate bar mentions Fairtrade and mass balance?

Check which ingredients the Fairtrade statement applies to and how the packaging describes the sourcing. For its organic bar, Jumbo states that the cocoa and vanilla are Fairtrade and gives a mass balance share of 96% for Fairtrade sourcing; don’t apply this information to other varieties.

Do I need to check allergens in organic or Fairtrade chocolate?

Yes. Read the ingredients and allergen warnings for the variety you choose. Albert Heijn labels its Organic Extra Dark Chocolate Bar as vegan, but also warns that it may contain milk, gluten and nuts, among other things. Jumbo lists milk in its organic bar with caramel and sea salt and warns that it may contain nuts.