Choose a spritz biscuit if you’re after a crisp, buttery biscuit for Sunday breakfast; choose a wholemeal digestive if you want to compare fibre content within the biscuit category. Check the sugars, ingredients and allergens for the exact variety, too, and treat a biscuit as an addition to breakfast, not a replacement for it.
You’re looking for a crisp, sweet biscuit to enjoy with coffee or tea, and taste is your main priority. Albert Heijn Allerhande describes a spritz biscuit as being made with ingredients including butter, flour and sugar; the recipe varies from one product to another.
You want to compare ingredients and nutritional values within the biscuit category. Albert Heijn states that AH Digestive wholemeal contains 37% wholemeal wheat flour and 6 g of fibre per 100 g. Compare these figures with the spritz biscuit or digestive you’re actually considering.
You read the label before choosing, perhaps because of wheat, milk or sweeteners. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority highlights the importance of allergen information; check the current packaging for ‘may contain’ statements, too.
First decide whether you’re after a classic spritz biscuit or want to compare the nutritional values of digestives. Then check the label of the exact variety.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Taste and texture | Choose between a plain spritz biscuit and a chocolate variety; check the portion size, too. | If I mainly want a familiar, crisp biscuit with coffee or tea, taste matters most. Around 31% of consumers prioritise that classic biscuit experience. |
| Fibre and wholemeal flour | Compare the fibre per 100 g and the proportion of wholemeal flour in the ingredients of the exact variety. | If I’m having a biscuit with breakfast, I want to be able to weigh up its fibre content. For around 31% of consumers, this is the main reason to compare varieties. |
| Sugars and sweeteners | Check the sugars per 100 g and per portion. For varieties with sweeteners, check the polyols and any warning on the pack, too. | I’m only interested in a variety with less sugar if I also know which sweeteners it contains. This is the main consideration for around 23% of consumers. |
| Packaging and where to shop | Check the pack size in grams and compare the same type and variety of biscuit; check the nutritional information on the pack again. | I want to know which pack suits what I’m planning to serve on Sunday and where I can buy it. Around 15% of consumers give this practical choice top priority. |
Even a digestive made with wholemeal flour and containing fibre is still a biscuit. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends options such as wholemeal bread or yoghurt with wholegrain breakfast cereals and fruit as the basis of a breakfast.
If you’d like a biscuit with breakfast, choose a spritz biscuit or digestive as an addition, not as a replacement for the rest of your breakfast.
Albert Heijn states that AH Digestive 0% sugar contains 0.3 g of sugars, 14 g of polyols and 465 kcal per 100 g. The product information warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
As well as sugars, compare the energy, polyols and portion size of this specific variety.
Ingredients vary between spritz biscuits and digestives: wheat is present in the products reviewed, and milk may be an ingredient or listed as a possible trace.
For every purchase, check the ingredients, highlighted allergens and ‘may contain’ statements on the current packaging.
Verkade offers Nobo Sprits in a plain variety and a milk chocolate variety. Choose the exact variety based on both taste and label.
Digestives Original is an option if you’re after a traditional digestive rather than a spritz biscuit.
Albert Heijn offers, among other products, a wholemeal digestive and a variety labelled 0% sugar; their ingredients differ.
At Jumbo, you can compare the information for a digestive with that for a spritz variety, as long as you compare the products individually.
ALDI lists both digestive biscuits and butter spritz biscuits under Biscotto. This means you can look at both types of biscuit within the same own-brand range.
Sondey Digestives are a Lidl option if you’re specifically looking for a digestive.
PLUS Digestive biscuit is an own-brand variety whose nutritional information you can compare with that of other digestives.
These two products represent different choices for Sunday breakfast: an original digestive and a spritz variety with milk chocolate. Compare them as separate varieties, not as interchangeable biscuits.
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A digestive to consider if you’d prefer this type of biscuit with breakfast rather than a spritz biscuit.
For the Digestives Original reviewed, Albert Heijn states that it contains 3.7 g of fibre per 100 g and 16% wholemeal wheat flour. If you have allergies, check the current packaging for wheat, gluten and possible traces of milk.
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An option if you’re specifically after a spritz biscuit with milk chocolate to enjoy with coffee or tea, rather than a plain spritz biscuit.
The pack contains 150 g. Before buying, check the current ingredients and allergens on the label, especially if milk, soya, wheat, nuts or sesame are a concern for you.
A biscuit isn’t a replacement for the other parts of a varied breakfast. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists options such as wholemeal bread or yoghurt with wholegrain breakfast cereals and fruit as breakfast choices; you can have a spritz biscuit or digestive as an addition if you like.
You can’t tell from the name of the biscuit alone. Albert Heijn states that AH Digestive wholemeal contains 6 g of fibre per 100 g, while Verkade states that Nobo Sprits Original contains 1.1 g per 100 g. Check the labels of other varieties individually.
For AH Digestive 0% sugar, Albert Heijn states that it contains 0.3 g of sugars per 100 g and uses sweeteners. The product information also lists 14 g of polyols per 100 g and warns of a possible laxative effect if consumed in excess. So, look beyond the claim on the front of the pack.
Check the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging for the exact variety. Wheat is present in the products reviewed; milk may be an ingredient or a possible trace. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority highlights the importance of allergen information on food labels.
Seal the pack well after opening and follow the storage instructions on the packaging. Jumbo recommends storing the digestive reviewed in a dark place in a tightly sealed container; the product information for McVitie's Digestives Original recommends keeping them somewhere dry and preferably cool.
