Choose plain cereal flakes if you want to make your own sweet breakfast, or crunchy muesli if you’re looking for a ready-made mix. For the latter, compare the ingredients and added sugars. If you mean chocolate sprinkles for bread, that’s a different type of product. To check that a product is organic, look for the EU organic logo on the pack and read the ingredients and allergen information too.
With plain cereal flakes, you can choose whether to add fruit, cinnamon, raisins or nuts. Jumbo describes its organic wholegrain oat flakes as containing no other added ingredients; check the ingredients on the pack you choose.
Crunchy muesli is different from plain flakes: the flavour and texture are already in the mix. Be sure to check the ingredients and nutritional information. Albert Heijn’s organic plain crunchy muesli lists 9 g of added sugars per 100 g.
An organic label doesn’t tell you which grains or allergens a product contains. Look for the EU organic logo and check the current pack for the ingredients list, highlighted allergens and any separate dietary labels.
First, decide whether you mean cereal for a breakfast bowl or chocolate sprinkles for bread. Then, for breakfast cereal, choose between a base you can flavour yourself and a ready-made mix.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing your own level of sweetness | Check the EU organic logo and the ingredients in plain cereal flakes. | I want to add fruit or cinnamon to taste rather than choose a ready-made mix. This personal choice comes first for around 44% of consumers. |
| Quick and crunchy | Compare the ingredients and added sugars per 100 g, and check the serving size too. | If I want to add something crunchy straight to yoghurt or milk, minimal preparation matters to me. Around 33% of consumers put convenience first. |
| Label and product type | Check whether it’s a bread topping or breakfast cereal, then read the ingredients and highlighted allergens. | If I need to take ingredients or allergens into account, I want to know exactly which product I’m picking up. Checking the label comes first for around 23% of consumers. |
Albert Heijn and Jumbo also use ‘flakes’ to refer to chocolate sprinkles for bread. These aren’t the same type of product as oat flakes for porridge or a breakfast bowl.
If you mean breakfast cereal, search specifically for oat flakes, spelt flakes or muesli, and check the product type before choosing.
An organic crunchy mix can contain sugar. Albert Heijn lists 9 g of added sugars per 100 g for its organic plain crunchy muesli; this figure doesn’t apply to all muesli.
Compare the ingredients and nutritional information for each product to find out what gives it its sweet flavour.
The EU organic logo relates to organic production, not to the absence of gluten or other allergens.
Read the highlighted allergens in the ingredients list. If you need a gluten-free label, check for it separately on the exact product.
Ingredients and nutritional information can change. PLUS advises customers to check the packaging as well as its product information.
Check the current pack when you buy and use the product, especially if the organic label, an ingredient or an allergen is important to your choice.
Compare specific products, not just brand names: plain flakes and a crunchy mix can vary considerably, even within the same range.
The range includes organic oat flakes, wholegrain muesli and crunchy muesli.
Jumbo sells organic wholegrain oat and spelt flakes that can be used as the base for a breakfast you put together yourself.
Smaakt products listed by Dutch supermarkets include organic oat, buckwheat and barley flakes.
PLUS lists BIO+ fine porridge oats and Smaakt organic oat flakes as separate products.
This option is suited to making your own sweet breakfast. Before choosing this product as organic cereal flakes, check the grain type and organic label on the pack.
No image available
An option if you want to flavour a cereal base yourself. The product name includes both ‘Whole Wheat’ and ‘Oatmeal’, so check the pack to see which grain it contains. If they’re important to your choice, also check for the EU organic logo and read the ingredients and allergen information.
Check the organic label and EU organic logo on the packaging. According to the Dutch government, ‘organic’ is a protected term for certified organic food. The European Commission says the EU organic logo is compulsory on pre-packaged food produced in the EU and sold there as organic; different rules apply to imported products.
No. With plain oat flakes, you decide what to add, whereas crunchy muesli is already a ready-made mix. Jumbo describes its organic wholegrain oat flakes as containing no other added ingredients; Albert Heijn’s organic plain crunchy muesli lists 9 g of added sugars per 100 g. Always compare the products and serving sizes you’re actually considering.
Yes, if the product information says the flakes you’ve chosen are suitable for porridge. Jumbo gives instructions for making porridge with its organic wholegrain spelt flakes, using 40 g of flakes and 200 ml of water or milk. For the quantities and method for another product, follow the instructions on its pack.
No, an organic label doesn’t mean a product is gluten-free. Check the exact pack for an explicit gluten-free label and read the allergen information. For example, PLUS lists Consenza Gluten-Free Wholegrain Oat Flakes as a separate product; that product name says nothing about other oat flakes.
