Choose nuts with verifiable organic certification, and check the ingredients, allergen information and product format too. Shelled nuts save you the effort of cracking them, while nuts in their shells need more preparation and some of the pack weight is made up of shells. For children under 4, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends nut butter with no added sugar or salt instead of whole nuts; check the allergen information for everyone taking part, too.
You want to choose a format that’s suitable for the ages of everyone at the table, and check the ingredients and allergen information in advance. For children under 4, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends nut butter with no added sugar or salt instead of whole nuts.
You’re looking for nuts with verifiable organic certification and don’t want to confuse this with terms such as ‘natural’, ‘unroasted’ or ‘unsalted’. Check the ingredients and how you’ll use them at breakfast, too. The European Commission explains when the EU organic logo can be used.
You want to work out in advance how much preparation and how many supplies you’ll need for breakfast: use shelled nuts, crack walnuts yourself or finish a larger pack later. The product pages from Jumbo, PLUS and Albert Heijn show examples of different product formats and pack sizes.
| What to consider | What to look for when buying | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Organic certification | Check the organic product labelling and, where applicable, the EU organic logo, inspection code and country of origin. According to the European Commission, the logo can only be used for products certified under organic rules. | If I want consciously to choose organically certified nuts for Easter breakfast, I check the certification mark and the accompanying information. Around 25% of consumers put verifiable organic certification at the top of their purchasing priorities. |
| Age and allergens | Check whether the product format is suitable for everyone taking part, and read the allergen information and any warnings about cross-contamination. For children under 4, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends nut butter with no added sugar or salt instead of whole nuts. | If young children or people with food allergies will be at the table, I want to check both the format and the allergen information. For around 25% of consumers, suitability for everyone taking part comes first. |
| Ingredients for breakfast | Read the ingredients and check separately whether salt or sugar has been added and how the nuts have been prepared. Organic certification on its own tells you nothing about these characteristics. | If you want to serve nuts at breakfast, look for a simple ingredient list and consider how they’ve been prepared. Around 20% of consumers give the ingredients for breakfast the highest priority. |
| Preparation | Check whether the nuts are shelled or still in their shells, and read any warnings about possible shell fragments. If you’re using a separate dish or a plastic Easter egg, check that it’s suitable for the intended food contact. | If I want to spend as little time as possible cracking nuts and getting things ready around breakfast, I look at the product format and packaging. This practical preparation is the top priority for around 15% of consumers. |
| Quantity and edible weight | Compare like with like, using the same product format and weight basis: the weight of walnuts in their shells isn’t the same as their edible weight. Also think about how much you’ll use after breakfast and follow the storage instructions on the pack. | If I want to match the quantity to breakfast and what I’ll have left over, I compare packs on an equal basis. Around 15% of consumers put finding the right quantity and comparing costs at the top of their priorities. |
Organic certification tells you about the production method, but it doesn’t remove the choking risk that whole nuts pose to young children.
For children under 4, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends nut butter with no added sugar or salt instead of whole nuts. Check the allergen information separately for everyone eating with you.
Preparation method and certification are two different product characteristics. An unsalted or unroasted nut isn’t automatically organically certified.
First check the organic product labelling and relevant certification information. Then check the ingredients, any added ingredients and the preparation method separately.
A pack of walnuts in their shells also contains the shells. So gross weight isn’t a like-for-like comparison with the same weight of shelled nuts.
Compare the same product format or use a clearly equivalent edible weight. Choose walnuts in their shells if you want to crack them yourself, not just because of the pack weight.
Remember to allow for shell waste and, if needed, a nutcracker.
A plastic item isn’t automatically designed for direct contact with food.
Check the instructions for use and whether the item is suitable for the intended food contact. If that isn’t clear, use a suitable inner wrapper.
Using a separate food-safe inner wrapper may mean extra preparation.
Albert Heijn’s product page describes organic, unroasted almonds in a 400 g pack, with the EU organic logo and inspection code NL-BIO-01.
Jumbo’s product pages distinguish between organic shelled walnuts and organic walnuts in their shells.
PLUS’s product page describes shelled organic walnuts in a 110 g tub and lists EU Organic Farming as a product feature.
No, not in every situation. According to the European Commission, the logo is compulsory for certain pre-packaged organic foods produced in the EU and sold as organic; it may be optional for imported and non-pre-packaged organic products. So check the organic labelling and the accompanying inspection information, too.
Because of the risk of choking, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends nut butter with no added sugar or salt instead of whole nuts for children under 4. Organic certification doesn’t change this advice.
Read the allergen information on the packaging and check for warnings about possible cross-contamination, too. Tree nuts and peanuts are separate allergen categories; a product containing one type of nut may also carry a warning about other allergens.
Only if the Easter egg or an inner wrapper is suitable for the intended food contact. Check the instructions for use, for example for the glass-and-fork symbol. Don’t give whole nuts to children under 4 as an Easter egg hunt treat; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends nut butter with no added sugar or salt instead of whole nuts for them.
Store nuts in a tightly sealed container in a dry place, preferably somewhere cool, and follow the instructions on the packaging. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends storing them at between 10 and 15 °C if possible; the product pages we reviewed advise keeping them in a cool, dry, dark place.
