Choose speculaas biscuits for your Dutch doughnut stall as a Fairtrade option only if the current packaging or product information supports that claim for the exact variant. If cocoa or chocolate is the ingredient you have in mind, assess it as a separate purchasing choice: a Fairtrade claim on cocoa does not automatically make speculaas biscuits Fairtrade. If you sell food unwrapped, the allergen information must also reflect the final preparation.
You want to know which purchased product the claim applies to. If you use cocoa, it is also important to understand what any Mass Balance statement says about its origin in the supply chain. FLOCERT describes this as a system of equivalent quantities, not the physical separation of every cocoa input.
You sell Dutch doughnuts or toppings loose and need to be able to tell customers about the allergens present before they buy. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that this information must be available for non-prepacked food.
You mainly need a recognisable speculaas product whose packaging, ingredients and allergens you can assess. Albert Heijn, for example, lists AH Bakkers speculaas biscuits in a 600 g pack. Without product-specific Fairtrade information, do not treat those product details as proof of a Fairtrade claim.
First decide whether you want to use speculaas biscuits or add cocoa or chocolate to your recipe. Then check the claim for the exact product and prepare the information for loose sales based on the full recipe.
When to choose them: Choose a packaged speculaas variant if you want to use the biscuits themselves and need ingredient and allergen information for your recipe.
Bear in mind: Information about standard speculaas biscuits does not, by itself, substantiate a Fairtrade claim. The claim must be confirmed separately for the variant you choose.
When to choose them: Assess these ingredients separately if you are looking for a cocoa or chocolate element for your Dutch doughnut concept and want to make a Fairtrade claim.
Bear in mind: Cocoa and chocolate are not ready-made speculaas biscuits. Mass Balance may apply to Fairtrade cocoa; according to FLOCERT, this does not prove that each individual cocoa input is physically separated.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade claim | Check the claim on the current packaging or product information for the exact speculaas, cocoa or chocolate you have chosen. If you are buying cocoa, ask what any Mass Balance claim means. | If I mention Fairtrade at my stall, I want to be able to link the claim to the ingredient I actually use. For around 50% of consumers making this purchasing choice, substantiating the claim is the priority. |
| Unwrapped sales | Record the allergens in the full recipe and make sure the information is available before purchase. Follow a food safety plan or an applicable approved hygiene code, as described by Business.gov.nl. | When selling loose, I also need to explain what is in the doughnut, topping or sauce, not just what is listed on one ingredient pack. For around 30% of consumers, being able to do this in practice is their main concern. |
| Pack size | Check the product type, pack size and availability of the exact variant when you plan to buy it. | For my stall, I want a product that suits the preparation I have in mind and that I can buy in time. For around 20% of consumers, this practical consideration matters most. |
Jumbo lists Fairtrade Original cocoa powder in its Fairtrade overview. That does not mean a speculaas product in the same shop carries the same claim. Ingredient information for standard speculaas biscuits is not a Fairtrade claim either.
Check the current information and packaging for the exact variant before making a claim about the ingredient at your stall.
Albert Heijn lists Tony's Chocolonely Pepernootletter puur as containing Fairtrade ingredients and speculaas spices, but also marks the product as discontinued. It is also a pepernootletter, not speculaas.
Check availability and the product type for the time you plan to sell it. Do not base your menu on this listing alone.
When you sell food unwrapped, the relevant ingredients are those in the product the customer receives. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority requires information about allergens present to be available to customers.
Prepare information for each finished item using the current ingredients and recipe, so customers can access it before buying.
FLOCERT describes Mass Balance as a supply chain system in which the quantity sold as Fairtrade cannot exceed the equivalent quantity purchased. This is different from proving that every cocoa input in a product can be physically traced separately.
For a cocoa ingredient, use the claim substantiated for that product. Do not make a broader statement about physical origin without separate evidence.
Worth considering if you want to assess AH Bakkers speculaas biscuits as a product in their own right.
Relevant to the separate cocoa ingredient option, but not a confirmed speculaas brand for this choice.
An example of a product combining Fairtrade chocolate with speculaas spices, but it is not speculaas for your stall.
This cocoa powder suits the option of assessing cocoa as a separate ingredient. It is not speculaas: before using it at your stall, check the Fairtrade claim on the exact packaging and assess your full recipe.
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For anyone considering cocoa as a separate ingredient in a recipe, rather than ready-made speculaas biscuits. The pack contains 125 g; check that this quantity suits your recipe. Verify the Fairtrade claim on the exact packaging before using it, and base allergen information for loose sales on the full preparation.
Tell customers about the allergens present in the finished, non-prepacked food before they buy. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority describes written or electronic information, as well as the conditions under which information may be given verbally. Make sure staff can provide accurate information and that it is also available to inspectors.
Yes. If you prepare, process, handle or transport food, you must follow the applicable hygiene rules. Business.gov.nl lists a food safety plan based on HACCP principles or an approved hygiene code as an alternative.
No. Mass Balance does not prove that every cocoa input is physically separated and individually traceable. According to FLOCERT, the quantity sold as Fairtrade cannot exceed the equivalent Fairtrade input in the supply chain, taking yield and loss into account.
