If you want to take a biscuit with as few declared sugars as possible to your night shift, compare sugars per 100 g and per serving. If you’re considering varieties with sweeteners, check the polyols and energy content too. Prefer a soft snack that’s already portioned? Compare wholegrain Dutch breakfast cake separately for fibre and sugars. A claim such as ‘less sugar’ doesn’t tell you how much sugar there is in one serving.
Want to choose a biscuit for a short break based on its declared sugar content? Check the serving size, energy and any polyols too. Products containing polyols may carry a warning about excessive consumption on the packaging.
If a softer snack would suit your break better, you could compare Dutch wholegrain breakfast cake with biscuits. Compare fibre and sugars per serving, and remember that breakfast cake is a different product category from a biscuit.
If you need to avoid certain ingredients or allergens, check the packaging for the exact variety you’ve chosen. Wheat, rye, milk, egg and soya don’t appear in the same way across all the products mentioned.
First decide what matters most to you during your night shift: the lowest declared sugar content, fibre, a convenient portion or suitable ingredients. Then compare the nutritional information for products that meet your needs.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is it mainly for? |
|---|---|---|
| Declared sugars | Compare sugars per 100 g and per serving. For biscuits with sweeteners, check the polyols and energy content too. | If you want a biscuit for a short break and your main priority is keeping declared sugars down, start by comparing this figure. Around 40% of consumers say this is their priority. |
| Fibre and type of snack | Check fibre and sugars per serving, and make sure you know whether you’re choosing a biscuit or a slice of breakfast cake. | During a longer shift, you might prefer a soft, portioned snack and value fibre more than a zero-sugar claim. Around 30% of consumers put this first. |
| Portion for your break | Check the size of one piece, the number of individual portions and the sugars per serving. | If you want to take one piece for a short break, a practical serving size matters more than the claim on the packaging. Around 20% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Ingredients and warnings | Read the current allergen information and check whether the product contains polyols and carries a warning about excessive consumption. | If your chosen variety needs to meet specific ingredient requirements, the label matters more than the sugar content. This is the first consideration for around 10% of consumers. |
‘Less sugar’ compares a product with a reference product; ‘no added sugars’ doesn’t mean there are no naturally occurring sugars. Jumbo says its Ontbijtkoek Minder Suiker contains 30% less sugar than the plain variety, but it also contains 11.4 g of sugars per 50 g serving.
For a relative claim, check which product is used for comparison, then look at the sugars per 100 g and per serving.
According to Albert Heijn’s product information, AH Digestive 0% suiker contains 0.3 g of sugars and 465 kcal per 100 g. Albert Heijn states that Verkade San Francisco zero contains 1.7 g of sugars and 401 kcal per 100 g.
Compare energy, fat and the amount you plan to eat during each break too.
The products with sweeteners mentioned here carry a warning about excessive consumption. This is worth bearing in mind when choosing a snack to eat at work.
Read the ingredients and warnings for the variety you’ve chosen, especially if you plan to take several servings with you.
The ingredients listed vary by product. According to the product information at Jumbo, Céréal Choco Delight Puur contains egg, milk, oats, soya and wheat, among other ingredients; the Peijnenburg breakfast cake mentioned here contains rye.
Before buying, check the allergen information on the current packaging for the exact variety.
These examples cover different types of biscuits and breakfast cake. Compare their nutritional information within the relevant product category and pack size.
AH Digestive 0% suiker is a biscuit for anyone whose main priority is comparing declared sugars.
Choco Delight Puur is a chocolate biscuit with sweetener for anyone looking for this type of snack.
The wholegrain breakfast cake with no added sugars is a soft snack rather than a crunchy biscuit.
San Francisco zero is a tea biscuit labelled ‘0% added sugar’.
ALDI lists Koekhappers in a variety labelled ‘30% less sugar’.
No, it may contain naturally occurring sugars. The product information at Jumbo states that Peijnenburg Volkoren zonder toegevoegde suikers contains 4.9 g of sugars per 100 g, so check the ‘of which sugars’ line in the nutrition table.
The claim compares the product with a reference; it doesn’t tell you how much sugar you’ll eat on its own. Jumbo compares its Ontbijtkoek Minder Suiker with the plain variety and states that it contains 11.4 g of sugars per 50 g serving. So check both the basis for comparison and the nutritional information.
The warning may be linked to added polyols. Voedingscentrum states that foods containing more than 10% added polyols carry the warning ‘excessive consumption may have a laxative effect’. Check the packaging if you plan to take several servings with you for your shift.
No, allergens vary by variety. According to the product information at Jumbo, Céréal Choco Delight Puur contains egg, milk, oats, soya and wheat, among other ingredients, while the Peijnenburg breakfast cake mentioned here contains rye. Always check the current allergen information for the product you’re buying.
