Don’t automatically make seeded Dutch breakfast cake a regular nursery lunch. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends wholemeal or brown bread with a suitable topping as the starting point for childcare lunches. If you’d still like to pack breakfast cake, first discuss the nursery’s nutrition and allergy policies, then check the current packaging to see which seeds, sugars and allergens your chosen variety contains.
They want to know whether breakfast cake is suitable alongside the lunch foods provided by the nursery. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends wholemeal or brown bread with a suitable topping as the starting point for childcare lunches.
They compare standard breakfast cake with a no-added-sugar variety. Portion size and any polyols matter too; having less added sugar doesn’t, by itself, determine whether breakfast cake is suitable for lunch.
They need to check the ingredients and allergens on the chosen pack against their child’s individual arrangements. Rye or wheat may be relevant in breakfast cake; with a seeded variety, it’s also important to check for sesame.
Start with the nursery’s lunch arrangements. Then compare a specific breakfast cake by its ingredients, allergens and nutritional information, both per 100 g and per portion.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who should consider this? |
|---|---|---|
| Lunch staple | Ask whether breakfast cake is allowed at lunch and what other lunch foods are provided. | If my child eats lunch at nursery every day, I want to know whether a slice of cake would replace their usual lunch staple. For around 36% of consumers, the lunch staple comes first. |
| Allergens and arrangements | Check the current pack for types of grain, gluten, sesame, nuts and any warnings about possible traces; compare this with the nursery’s arrangements. | If specific allergy arrangements apply to my child, the chosen variety must meet them before I pack it. Allergens and nursery arrangements are the main concern for around 29% of consumers. |
| Sugars and polyols | Compare sugars and polyols per 100 g and per portion, and read any warnings on the packaging. | If I want to offer less sugar, I look beyond the word ‘zero’ and check the make-up of the whole portion too. Around 21% of consumers give this their highest priority. |
| Seeds and texture | Check which seeds are listed in the ingredients; don’t treat a nut variety as a seeded variety. | If I’m specifically looking for the texture of seeds, I want to be able to see what’s in a particular pack and whether it fits the nursery’s arrangements. This is the main consideration for around 14% of consumers. |
A nut breakfast cake doesn’t meet the same need. PLUS states that GIJS Ontbijtkoek noten contains 17% nuts, including cashew, walnut and almond.
Read the ingredients for the specific variety, and discuss nuts or sesame separately if the nursery has arrangements in place for them.
A variety with no added sugar may contain polyols. Albert Heijn states that AH Ontbijtkoek zero gesneden contains 22 g of polyols per 100 g and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and per portion, and check the ingredients, allergens and warnings too.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, a 30 g slice of breakfast cake contains 11.2 g of sugar on average. For childcare, the Centre recommends wholemeal or brown bread with a suitable topping as the starting point.
Check with the nursery what a regular lunch consists of, and only pack breakfast cake if it fits the nutrition policy.
Ingredients and nutritional information can change, so an earlier description may not match the pack you’re sending in.
Check the current packaging when you buy it and compare it with the nursery’s arrangements.
These brands offer useful points of comparison for breakfast cake, but a named plain, zero or nut variety is not necessarily a seeded breakfast cake.
Peijnenburg offers, among other products, a plain variety with no added sugar, individually wrapped by the slice.
The supermarket’s own brand offers a no-added-sugar variety, AH Ontbijtkoek zero gesneden.
Jumbo Ontbijtkoek Naturel is a standard breakfast cake, not a variety labelled as seeded.
PLUS offers, among other products, plain, wholemeal and zero breakfast cake.
Lidl lists an Ontbijtkoek zero weighing 485 g.
Not as a matter of course. For childcare, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends wholemeal or brown bread with a suitable topping. Check with the nursery whether breakfast cake fits its nutrition policy, and check the ingredients and allergens on your chosen pack.
No. Albert Heijn states that AH Ontbijtkoek zero gesneden contains 4.9 g of sugars and 22 g of polyols per 100 g, and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. Compare the portion and the full nutritional information, and check your choice with the nursery.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current pack, and compare them with your individual arrangements with the nursery. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains how allergens are labelled; if you’re choosing a seeded variety, check whether sesame is listed too.
Not as a direct substitute: nuts and seeds are different ingredients. PLUS states that GIJS Ontbijtkoek noten contains 17% nuts. Check the full ingredients list, and discuss the variety separately with the nursery if allergy arrangements apply.
