Choose biscuits whose nutritional information supports the ‘sugar-free’ claim if you want to describe your conference catering that way: under EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, they must contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. ‘No added sugars’ is a different claim. Before deciding how to serve the biscuits, also check the allergens, other nutritional values, sweeteners and portion size for each variety.
For organisers who want to describe their offering explicitly as ‘sugar-free’. Under EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, the limit for this claim is 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g; ‘no added sugars’ does not mean the same thing.
For anyone offering a selection of unwrapped biscuits and needing to inform guests about the allergens present before they choose. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority outlines the information requirements for non-prepacked foods.
For anyone wanting to compare the portion per biscuit, carbohydrates, energy, fibre and sweeteners used for the coffee break. Product information from Céréal, Albert Heijn and Verkade shows that these values vary between biscuits.
Start with the claim you want to use at the buffet, then check the allergens, portions and full nutritional information for each variety.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar-free claim | Compare the claim on the packaging with the ‘of which sugars’ value per 100 g. Under EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, ‘sugar-free’ means a maximum of 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. | If I describe the conference offering as sugar-free, I want every biscuit served to meet that claim. Around 36% of consumers would put this requirement first. |
| Allergens at the buffet | Check the allergens for each variety and make sure the information is available when serving unwrapped biscuits. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority highlights the requirement to provide information about the specified allergens. | When guests are choosing from an open platter, I want to be able to tell them which allergens each biscuit contains. Around 29% of consumers would see this as their main need. |
| Portions and serving | Check the weight and nutritional values per biscuit, and decide whether you’ll serve individual biscuits or an open platter. | For a short coffee break, I want to know in advance how many biscuits I’ll hand out and what one portion consists of. This would be the top priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Full nutritional information | As well as sugars, compare energy, carbohydrates, polyols and fibre per 100 g; for serving, also check the values per portion. | If I don’t want to choose based on sugar alone, I need the other nutritional values too so I can compare varieties. This broader assessment would matter most to around 14% of consumers. |
A claim about added sugars doesn’t tell you whether the total sugar content is below the limit for ‘sugar-free’. Verkade states that San Francisco Zero contains 0% added sugar and 1.7 g of sugars per 100 g.
Check the exact wording on the packaging and the amount of sugars per 100 g before describing a variety as sugar-free at the buffet.
A low sugar content doesn’t tell you the whole nutritional story. Céréal states that Zandkoekjes Natuur contains 0 g of sugars, but also 74 g of carbohydrates per 100 g.
Compare the full nutritional information per 100 g and per biscuit served. In your catering communications, only describe properties that are substantiated for that specific variety.
Guests need information about the allergens present in unwrapped biscuits. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority outlines this information requirement for non-prepacked foods.
Make sure up-to-date allergen information is available at the buffet for each variety, and keep the product packaging or specification available for staff.
Preparing buffet labels and briefing staff takes extra time.
The Joybuy product page for Panpan sugar-free oat biscuits calls the product sugar-free, even though the nutritional information listed shows 11.7 g of sugars per 100 g. The title alone is therefore not a suitable basis for making that claim at the buffet.
Read the nutritional information before ordering and check the current packaging before finalising your buffet description.
These brands offer examples of different biscuits and sugar claims; always check the nutritional information and allergens for the specific variety.
Céréal lists products including Zandkoekjes Natuur and Speculoos met stukjes amandel as biscuits with no sugars.
AH Digestive 0% suiker is a biscuit sold in a 400 g pack.
San Francisco Zero is an option for anyone specifically looking for biscuits with no added sugars.
Lotus Bakeries describes Biscoff as a caramelised biscuit to enjoy with coffee.
Under EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, the ‘sugar-free’ claim can be used if a food contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. For biscuits, check the nutritional information per 100 g, even if the front of the pack gives a similar impression.
No. A claim about added sugars doesn’t automatically tell you how much sugar the biscuit contains in total. Verkade states that San Francisco Zero contains 0% added sugar, but 1.7 g of sugars per 100 g. That’s above the limit for the ‘sugar-free’ claim under EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
Guests must be able to access information about the allergens present in unwrapped biscuits. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority outlines the information requirement for the specified allergens, so keep up-to-date ingredient and allergen information for each biscuit variety available at the buffet.
Not necessarily: the amount of sugars isn’t the same as the total amount of carbohydrates. Céréal states that Zandkoekjes Natuur contains 0 g of sugars and 74 g of carbohydrates per 100 g. Compare both values separately if that distinction matters when choosing your catering.
