When choosing sourdough bread with a food allergy, don’t rely on the name alone: check the ingredients and allergen information for the exact variety, and ask about possible cross-contamination if necessary. If you have coeliac disease, ordinary sourdough made with wheat, spelt or rye is not a substitute for bread labelled gluten-free. Only once the bread meets your allergen requirements should you consider options such as wholemeal bread and the use of iodised baker’s salt.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, coeliac disease requires a gluten-free diet. Ordinary sourdough made with wheat, spelt, rye or barley is therefore not a suitable choice. Check that the specific loaf is labelled gluten-free and read its ingredients.
If you need to avoid ingredients such as milk, eggs, soya, sesame, lupin or nuts, you’ll need information about the exact variety of bread. Read the ingredients and allergen information, and ask about possible cross-contamination if it’s relevant to your allergy.
If gluten and other relevant allergens aren’t a concern, you can check whether the bread is wholemeal and whether iodised baker’s salt has been used. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt.
Start with the allergens you need to avoid. Then check the information about possible cross-contamination. Only compare wholemeal options and iodised salt if the bread otherwise meets your needs.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Avoiding gluten | Check for a ‘gluten-free’ label and see which types of grain are listed in the ingredients. The word ‘sourdough’ on its own isn’t enough. | If I have coeliac disease, I want to know whether this specific bread is labelled gluten-free, not just how it was proved. Avoiding gluten would be the main concern when shopping for around 36% of consumers. |
| Other allergens | Read the full ingredients list and check for any allergens relevant to you, such as milk, eggs, soya or sesame. | If I’m allergic to sesame or milk, I want to know exactly what’s in this particular variety of bread. Other allergens would be the main concern for around 29% of consumers. |
| Possible cross-contamination | Check any relevant ‘may contain’ information and, for fresh or unpackaged bread, ask specifically about your allergen. | When buying fresh bread, I want to know whether it could have come into contact with my allergen, even if it isn’t part of the recipe. Cross-contamination would be the main concern for around 21% of consumers. |
| Wholemeal and iodine | Check whether the bread is wholemeal and whether iodised salt or baker’s salt is listed in the ingredients. Ask about this for unpackaged bread. | If relevant allergens aren’t a concern, I want to compare wholemeal options and find out which salt has been used. Fibre and iodine would be the main concern when shopping for around 14% of consumers. |
A long proving time doesn’t make bread made with wheat, spelt, rye or barley gluten-free. If you have coeliac disease, the type of grain used remains key to your choice.
Look for bread labelled gluten-free and check the ingredients of the variety you’re buying.
A bread’s name doesn’t tell you which additional ingredients or allergens are in the variety you’ve chosen.
Check the up-to-date ingredients and any relevant information about allergens and possible cross-contamination on the packaging.
Information about allergens in the recipe doesn’t necessarily tell you whether the bread could come into contact with other allergens during preparation or sale. Jumbo, for example, says it can’t rule out cross-contamination for certain fresh products sold in store.
Before buying, ask about your specific allergen and how the bread you’ve chosen is prepared.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. It notes that organic bread is a category often baked without baker’s salt.
Check which salt has been used on the packaging, or ask about it if the bread is unpackaged, especially if you eat little bread or bread without iodised salt.
Albert Heijn’s online range includes AH Liefde & Passie Nederlands desem volkoren, among other products.
Jumbo describes a range of freshly baked sourdough breads available in store, as well as packaged sourdough products.
PLUS lists Korenlanders sourdough bread and also has a separate gluten-free bread category.
Lidl offers freshly baked bread and includes a rustic wholemeal sourdough in its range.
Aldi offers fresh daily, freshly baked and pre-packed bread, and provides allergen information for its bread range.
Dirk lists sourdough alongside wholemeal, spelt and rye bread in its range.
Ordinary sourdough bread made with wheat, spelt, rye or barley isn’t suitable for people with coeliac disease. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, coeliac disease requires a gluten-free diet. Choose bread based on its gluten-free label and ingredients, not on how it was proved.
Yes. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that information about allergens present in unpackaged products must also be available before purchase. Ask specifically about the bread you’ve chosen and the allergen you need to avoid.
No. Listing allergens in the recipe doesn’t rule out contact with other allergens. Jumbo, for example, says it can’t rule out cross-contamination for certain fresh products sold in store. Ask separately about possible cross-contamination for the bread you’re thinking of buying.
No. Baker’s salt contains iodine, but according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use it. For packaged bread, check the ingredients list for iodised salt or baker’s salt; for unpackaged bread, ask the staff.
