Shoppers who require Fairtrade
You’re looking for spiced breakfast cake with a product-specific Fairtrade chocolate or cocoa claim. A general sustainability claim from a retailer or brand isn’t enough for you.
Who is this choice relevant to?
Consumers who check nutritional information
If you’re having a late-night snack, you want to know what’s in the portion you eat. So you compare the sugars, salt, fibre and energy shown on the label.
Consumers looking for a defined portion
A single slice or individually wrapped bar makes it easier to choose a portion in advance. The packaging alone says nothing about Fairtrade status or nutritional value.
What should you look for when choosing?
First, check for a Fairtrade claim on the specific spiced breakfast cake. Then compare similar products per 100 g and consider how much you’ll actually eat as an evening snack.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Fairtrade chocolate or cocoa | Look for a relevant Fairtrade mark or an explicit claim about the chocolate or cocoa on the current packaging or product page. | I don’t want to assume what’s in my spiced breakfast cake based on the retailer’s general policy; demonstrable Fairtrade chocolate or cocoa matters most to around 40% of consumers. |
| Nutritional value | Compare sugars, salt, fibre and energy per 100 g, then check the nutritional values for the portion you eat. | If I eat something late at night, I want to take the amount on my plate into account; nutritional value is the priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Portion and packaging | Check the number of slices or bars, the weight of each one and any warnings on the packaging. | A pre-portioned snack fits better with my evening routine; portion convenience is the priority for around 30% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
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Confusing a retailer’s policy with a claim on the spiced breakfast cake
Albert Heijn says that cocoa in its own-brand products is Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade certified. That doesn’t establish which claim applies to an individual spiced breakfast cake.
Check the mark and the wording about chocolate or cocoa on the specific product before choosing it to meet your Fairtrade requirement.
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Treating an old product page as a current buying option
The page for AH Bio Ontbijtkoek chocolade mentions fair trade chocolate, but also says that the product has been discontinued.
Check whether it’s currently available and, if you can buy it, read the packaging again.
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Relying only on a claim on the front of the pack
A claim about sugars doesn’t tell you how much you’ll eat per portion or which product-specific warnings apply. Peijnenburg says that excessive consumption of Tussendoor+ Choco may have a laxative effect.
Read the ingredients, allergens, nutritional information per 100 g and per portion, and any warnings.
Brands to consider
Albert Heijn
AH Bio Ontbijtkoek chocolade is a specific example of a product page that mentions fair trade chocolate.
- The claim relates to the chocolate in this particular spiced breakfast cake.
- The product page says that this variant has been discontinued. Albert Heijn’s wider policy on own-brand cocoa also doesn’t prove that every spiced breakfast cake contains Fairtrade cocoa.
PLUS
PLUS says that its own-brand products containing cocoa use Fairtrade cocoa.
- This statement can be a reason to check the cocoa claim on a specific own-brand product.
- The statement doesn’t identify a chocolate or cocoa spiced breakfast cake; check the specific product before choosing it to meet this Fairtrade requirement.
Peijnenburg
Peijnenburg offers sliced spiced breakfast cake, among other products, as well as individually wrapped Tussendoor+ Choco bars.
- According to Peijnenburg, the Tussendoor+ Choco pack contains four individually wrapped bars weighing 36,7 g each.
- To check whether it meets the Fairtrade requirement, look at the claim on the specific product. For this bar, also read the warning about excessive consumption.
Jumbo
Jumbo Ontbijtkoek Naturel 280 g provides a reference point for comparing the nutritional information of plain spiced breakfast cake.
- Jumbo lists 39,4 g of sugars per 100 g for this variant.
- Plain spiced breakfast cake isn’t necessarily an alternative if you’re specifically looking for Fairtrade chocolate or cocoa.
Related Joybuy products
Related products coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
Is chocolate spiced breakfast cake automatically Fairtrade if the supermarket has a sustainable cocoa policy?
No, check the claim on the specific spiced breakfast cake. For example, Albert Heijn says its own-brand cocoa is Rainforest Alliance or Fairtrade certified; that distinction doesn’t tell you which certification applies to an individual product.
How do I compare spiced breakfast cake for a late-night snack?
First compare similar products per 100 g for sugars, salt, fibre and energy, then check the portion you plan to eat. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing the nutritional information tables of similar products side by side.
Can I rely only on the wording about sugars on a chocolate spiced breakfast cake bar?
No, also check the portion size, ingredients and warnings. Peijnenburg’s Tussendoor+ Choco carries a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.