Who is this choice relevant to?

People with a strict sugar limit

You’re looking for a biscuit with no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g to have with a sweet breakfast, rather than simply a product with less sugar or no added sugar.

People who consider their whole breakfast

You want to have a biscuit for breakfast, so you compare energy, fibre and portion size as well as sugars.

People who check ingredients carefully

You check the sweeteners and polyols in the exact biscuit variant, and read the allergen information before choosing.

What should you look for when choosing?

First, check the sugars per 100 g for the exact biscuit variant. Then compare the other factors that matter most for your breakfast.

What to consider What to check Who it matters most to
Sugars Read the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g on the packaging for the exact variant. For a sugar-free biscuit, use a maximum of 0.5 g per 100 g. I want to choose a biscuit for a sweet breakfast that meets my strict sugar limit; this is the main priority for around 50% of consumers.
Nutritional values and portion size Compare energy and fibre on the same basis, per 100 g, and check the weight of a portion or individual biscuit. I want to have a biscuit alongside other breakfast foods and take into account the energy and fibre in the amount I choose; this is the main consideration for around 30% of consumers.
Ingredients and allergens Check which sweeteners or polyols are used and read the allergen information for the specific variant. If I need to watch out for certain ingredients, I don’t want to rely on the words ‘sugar-free’ alone; this check is the deciding factor for around 20% of consumers.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming sugar-free means low in calories

    AH lists 465 kcal per 100 g for Digestive 0% suiker; the product information for Céréal Zonder Suikers Kokos Smaak lists 427 kcal per 100 g. So a low sugar value doesn’t tell you how much energy the amount of biscuit you choose will provide.

    Compare the nutritional values per 100 g and also decide how many biscuits you want to have with breakfast.

  • Going by the front of the packaging alone

    ‘Reduced sugar’, ‘no added sugar’ and ‘sugar-free’ don’t mean the same thing. For a sugar-free biscuit, the amount of sugars per 100 g is what matters.

    Read the ‘of which sugars’ figure in the nutritional information for the exact variant and use a maximum of 0.5 g per 100 g.

  • Overlooking polyols and allergens

    AH Digestive 0% suiker carries a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. The product information for the AH and Céréal biscuits discussed here lists wheat; the Céréal product may also contain traces of other allergens.

    Check the ingredients, any warnings and the allergen information on the packaging of the product you buy.

  • Treating a brand name as a product specification

    A brand may sell several different biscuit variants. A brand or biscuit-style name doesn’t confirm how many sugars a specific variant contains.

    Check the packaging of the individual product just before you buy, especially if its sugar content or an allergen is a deciding factor for you.

Brands to consider

Assess each biscuit variant individually: not every biscuit from these brands is sugar-free.

Albert Heijn / AH

AH Digestive 0% suiker is a biscuit made with sweeteners. Albert Heijn lists 0.3 g of sugars and 5.7 g of fibre per 100 g.

  • Albert Heijn gives a 15 g serving size, so you can also check the nutritional values for the amount you choose.
  • The product lists 465 kcal and 14 g of polyols per 100 g, as well as a warning that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. Check the current packaging.

Céréal

According to the product information at Jumbo, Céréal Zonder Suikers Kokos Smaak contains 0 g of sugars and 4.1 g of fibre per 100 g.

  • The listed weight of 11 g per biscuit makes it possible to compare your chosen number of biscuits with the nutritional values per 100 g.
  • The product lists 18 g of polyols per 100 g, contains wheat and may contain, among other things, nuts, milk, sesame and soya.

Lotus Biscoff

Lotus Biscoff Original is a standard speculoos biscuit, not a sugar-free biscuit: Lotus Bakeries Netherlands lists 38.1 g of sugars per 100 g.

  • The product information gives a clear sugar value for the Original variant.
  • This variant doesn’t meet the requirements for a strict sugar-free choice; the allergen information lists gluten and soya.

Sondey

Lidl Netherlands describes Sondey as a brand offering products including cookies and biscuits.

  • You can check the packaging of individual biscuit variants within the range.
  • Don’t assume a product is sugar-free based on its brand name or the general range description; check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g for the variant you choose.

Biscotto

ALDI Netherlands lists Biscotto in its biscuit range, including digestive biscuits and tea biscuits.

  • You can assess an individual Biscotto variant using the nutritional information on the packaging.
  • A name such as ‘digestive’ doesn’t tell you whether the biscuit meets the sugar limit for this choice.

Related products on Joybuy

Related products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

What sugar value should I look for in a sugar-free biscuit?

Use a maximum of 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g of biscuit. This is the limit for the ‘sugar-free’ claim in the annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Before choosing, check the ‘of which sugars’ figure for the specific product.

Does ‘no added sugar’ mean the same as sugar-free?

No. A biscuit with no added sugar may still contain sugars. So compare the stated sugars per 100 g with the limit you use for a sugar-free biscuit, regardless of the wording on the front of the packaging.

Will a sugar-free biscuit automatically fit into a sweet breakfast?

Not based on its sugar content alone: also consider how much biscuit you’ll have, the energy and fibre per 100 g, and what else you eat for breakfast. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against having products such as biscuits too often.

What should I look for in biscuits containing polyols?

Check which polyols the biscuit contains and read any warnings on the packaging. Albert Heijn warns that excessive consumption of AH Digestive 0% suiker may have a laxative effect; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre explains that a high intake of polyols can cause wind and diarrhoea.