For the Sinterklaas procession, choose multigrain bread labelled ‘sliced’ or ‘pre-sliced’. If you’re looking for medium-thick slices, check the bread itself: those terms don’t specify the thickness. If you also want to choose based on wholemeal status, fibre, salt or allergens, check the product description and current label. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain doesn’t automatically mean wholemeal.
Pre-sliced bread saves you the trouble of cutting it before adding fillings and packing it to take with you. Make sure the slices suit the fillings you plan to use, though: ‘sliced’ says nothing about their thickness.
The word multigrain alone isn’t enough. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain bread isn’t automatically wholemeal; the product description and nutritional information can help you decide.
Ingredients and nutritional values vary from one loaf to another. Check the current allergen information and salt content per 100 g for the product you choose.
Start with how you want to take the bread with you, then check the product description, nutritional information and ingredients that matter to your household.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who is this important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Sliced and easy to take with you | Look for ‘sliced’ or ‘pre-sliced’ and check the slice thickness before buying several loaves. | If I’m making sandwiches just before the procession, I don’t want to have to slice the bread first, and the slices need to suit my fillings. Around 40% of consumers say this practical convenience is their top priority. |
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check for an explicit wholemeal description and compare fibre on the same basis: per 100 g. | I want to know whether the bread is actually wholemeal, rather than assume that it is from the word multigrain alone. Around 40% of consumers say this is their priority. |
| Allergens, salt and ingredients | Read the current allergen information and salt content per 100 g, and check whether bakers’ salt is mentioned if that’s relevant to you. | If someone sharing the food needs to avoid certain ingredients, I need to check the specific loaf I’ve chosen. For around 20% of consumers, checking the label is the main reason for their purchase. |
Bread made with several grains isn’t necessarily wholemeal. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain bread can also be made with refined flour.
Look for an explicit wholemeal description and compare the fibre per 100 g in the breads you’re choosing between.
A label saying that bread is sliced or pre-sliced doesn’t specify how thick the slices are.
Check the bread or its packaging before buying several loaves for a group.
Multigrain breads can contain different grains and other allergens, depending on the recipe. A dark colour doesn’t tell you whether a loaf is gluten-free either.
Check the current label every time you buy, including any warnings about cross-contamination. If you need gluten-free bread, only choose a product that is explicitly labelled gluten-free.
Albert Heijn lists AH Liefde & Passie Meergranen as a 550 g sliced loaf.
Jumbo provides product information for multigrain and wholemeal multigrain breads.
Lidl describes a multigrain bread containing, among other things, wheat, barley and buckwheat.
ALDI lists a pre-sliced luxury multigrain hearth loaf and a sliced farmhouse wholemeal multigrain loaf.
PLUS describes Korenlanders donker meergranen as a whole wholemeal multigrain loaf.
Dirk’s search results show multigrain bread in half and full loaf sizes.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain bread can also be made with refined flour. If you want to choose wholemeal bread, look for an explicit wholemeal description and check the ingredient information.
Yes, if the storage instructions for your chosen bread fit your plans. Some Albert Heijn and PLUS product pages include freezing advice. Follow the instructions on the current packaging for storing and defrosting your loaf.
It depends on the recipe. Product information from Jumbo and PLUS lists ingredients in different breads including grains, sesame, soya or lupin. If you have an allergy, check the current allergen information and any cross-contamination warnings on the product you’re buying.
That isn’t what the rule described by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says. It covers the conditions under which iodine compounds may be present in bread through bakers’ salt; it doesn’t require every loaf to contain it. If the type of salt used matters to your choice, check the ingredients list on the product you’ve chosen.
