For your Sunday breakfast, first choose a granola whose organic certification you can verify on the specific product; words such as ‘natural’ don’t tell you anything about this. Then compare the ingredients and nutritional information, and read the allergen declaration: an organic, crunchy variety can still contain sugars, gluten-containing cereals or nuts. Check that your chosen pack is available shortly before you do your shopping.
You want organic breakfast cereals and check the pack for the EU organic logo, the inspection body code and the indication of origin. The European Commission explains that the organic logo is intended for certified organic products.
You don’t choose based on the organic label alone; you also compare sugars, fibre and ingredients such as sweeteners or oil. This helps you decide which granola suits the breakfast you want to put together.
You want to serve granola at Sunday breakfast, but first need to check whether the chosen pack lists gluten-containing cereals, nuts, sesame or other relevant allergens.
Start with the organic label on the pack. Then compare what’s in the granola and whether you can buy your chosen variety for Sunday breakfast.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Organic certification | Look for the EU organic logo on the specific product, along with the corresponding inspection body code and indication of origin. | If organic is my first requirement, I want to be able to recognise the certification mark on the pack; around 36% of consumers put this check first. |
| Allergens | Read the ingredients list and allergen declaration, including any warnings about possible traces. | When breakfast is for someone who needs to avoid certain allergens, I want to know what’s in the granola; around 29% of consumers put this check first. |
| Sugars and fibre | Compare sugars and fibre per 100 g, and check the ingredients if you want to know which sweeteners or oil have been used. | I want to compare crunchy varieties without relying only on the flavour description; around 21% of consumers give nutritional information top priority. |
| Availability | Check current in-store or online availability shortly before buying, and check the pack again if you choose an alternative. | For the Sunday shop, I want to be able to take a variety home or order it; availability matters most to around 14% of consumers. |
‘Natural’, ‘vegan’ and ‘high in fibre’ don’t, on their own, prove that a product is organically certified. According to the European Commission, the EU organic logo is intended for products certified as organic.
Check the organic label and certification details on the specific pack before choosing it as an organic option.
Granola with nuts and seeds may also contain gluten-containing cereals or sesame. An appealing flavour description could therefore hide information that’s important to your household.
Read the ingredients list and allergen declaration every time you choose a variety, even if you’ve bought the same product before.
According to Albert Heijn Allerhande, a sweetener and sometimes oil are often added when granola is toasted. So its texture doesn’t tell you how much sugar a particular product contains.
Compare the nutritional information on packs on the same basis, for example per 100 g, and check the ingredients too.
Product information and availability to order aren’t the same thing. Jumbo listed the Zonnatura and Smaakt varieties mentioned as no longer part of its online range; Lidl said its granola was sold in stores.
Check current availability when you do your shopping. If you choose a different pack, check its organic label, ingredients and allergens again.
Albert Heijn also describes its organic wholegrain crunchy muesli with four nuts as granola. The product information lists Skal 001920, the EU organic logo and BE-BIO-02.
The granola with nuts, seeds and coconut described by Jumbo includes an organic certification statement.
Jumbo’s product page for Smaakt Biologisch Granola Granen Noten lists EKO and Skal 026841.
Lidl lists super berry and super nutty varieties of its granola and says they’re only sold in stores.
ALDI includes granola and organic muesli in its breakfast cereal range. Muesli and granola aren’t necessarily the same product.
Look for the EU organic logo on the specific product: the green leaf used for certified organic products. According to information from the European Commission and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, most pre-packed organic foods produced in the EU should also have an inspection body code and an indication of the origin of the agricultural raw materials.
No. ‘Natural’ doesn’t prove organic certification. Check the organic label and accompanying information on the pack you want to buy; ‘vegan’ or ‘high in fibre’ isn’t a substitute either.
Granola is usually toasted to give it a crunchy texture; muesli is generally untoasted. According to Albert Heijn Allerhande, a sweetener and sometimes oil are often used when granola is toasted. Check the ingredients on the pack you choose, as recipes vary.
Organic certification doesn’t mean that granola is free from allergens. The Albert Heijn, Zonnatura and Smaakt products mentioned list gluten-containing cereals or nuts, among other ingredients; some varieties also list sesame or possible traces of other allergens. So check the label on the pack you buy.
Follow the storage instructions on the pack and seal the pack or storage jar tightly after opening. The product information from Albert Heijn and Jumbo mentioned here recommends storing granola in a cool, dry place.
