First, decide which sugar claim matters for your Sunday breakfast. Under European Union Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a solid food can only be labelled ‘sugar-free’ if it contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g; ‘no added sugar’ products may still contain naturally occurring sugars. Plain oats let you choose what to add, while with crunchy muesli you also need to check the sugars, sweeteners and allergens it contains.
If you need ‘sugar-free’ to mean exactly that, ‘no added sugar’ is not enough. Compare the claim with the sugars per 100 g shown in the nutritional information. Under European Union Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, solid foods must contain no more than 0.5 g per 100 g to be labelled ‘sugar-free’.
Want crunchy muesli with your yoghurt on Sunday, but hoping to limit added sugars? Don’t just look at the front of the pack: Albert Heijn lists Quaker Cruesli Zero Sugar Added Naturel as containing no sweeteners, while AH Krokante muesli noten 0% suiker contains maltitols. Check the serving size and allergens for both options, too.
With plain oats, you can choose what to add to your breakfast bowl. That makes it easier to stick to a simple base, but regular oats are not automatically suitable for people with coeliac disease. The Voedingscentrum advises checking for the official Crossed Grain symbol on the pack.
Start by understanding the sugar claim, then compare the nutritional information per 100 g. Next, choose between an oat base you can customise and ready-to-eat crunchy muesli; fibre, sweeteners and allergens may affect your decision.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar claim and total sugars | Read the claim and the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g. For solid foods, the EU limit for a ‘sugar-free’ claim is no more than 0.5 g per 100 g. | If I’m looking for a genuinely sugar-free product, I don’t want to confuse ‘no added sugar’ with the stricter claim. Getting the sugar claim right is the top priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Wholegrain and fibre | Check the ingredients and compare fibre per 100 g; check sugars and salt separately. | I want to choose a grain base for more than just its sweetness, without assuming that fibre tells me anything about its sugar content. Around 29% of consumers say wholegrains and fibre come first. |
| Crunchy muesli and sweeteners | Compare sugars per 100 g and check whether the ingredients list includes sweeteners such as maltitols. | For my yoghurt bowl, I want something crunchy, but I want to decide for myself whether sweeteners suit that breakfast. This combination is the main priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Allergens and dietary suitability | Read the current allergen information; if you have coeliac disease, check for the official Crossed Grain symbol on oat products. | If I have a grain or nut allergy, I need to know whether the ingredients are suitable for me before choosing based on taste. This check comes first for around 14% of consumers. |
A product with no added sugars may still contain naturally occurring sugars. Under the EU ‘sugar-free’ claim, solid foods have a separate limit of no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g, as set out in Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
Check the ‘of which sugars’ amount per 100 g before calling a product sugar-free. According to its product information, Quaker Havermout Original contains 1.1 g per 100 g, so it does not meet that claim.
A serving size helps you work out what will be in your bowl, but stated serving sizes can vary. This means serving figures alone are not a reliable basis for comparing two products.
First compare sugars and fibre per 100 g in the nutritional information. Then consider how much of the product you’ll actually serve.
According to Albert Heijn, AH Krokante muesli noten 0% suiker contains maltitols, nuts and cereals containing gluten. The product listing also warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Before choosing this option, read the ingredients, warning and current allergen information. If you don’t want sweeteners, check specifically that they are not included.
According to Kellogg’s, All-Bran Fibre Plus provides 11 g of wheat bran fibre per serving, but the product information also lists 18 g of sugars per 100 g. The fibre figure therefore doesn’t tell you how much sugar the product contains.
Assess fibre and sugars as separate features, using the same per-100 g basis for comparison.
A brand name doesn’t determine whether a breakfast cereal is sugar-free: even within one brand, oats, crunchy muesli and bran products differ in their ingredients and nutritional information.
Quaker offers both Havermout Original and crunchy Cruesli Zero Sugar Added Naturel; they’re different options for a Sunday breakfast.
AH Krokante muesli noten 0% suiker is a crunchy option for shoppers who are happy to have sweeteners in the ingredients.
Brinta Volkoren graanontbijt and Brinta Havermout are two simple grain bases you can prepare yourself.
All-Bran Fibre Plus is worth comparing if fibre matters to you, but it isn’t necessarily a low-sugar option.
Nestlé KitKat Cereals shows why wholegrain ingredients or added vitamins are no substitute for checking the sugar content.
These two products suit different ways of putting together a sugar-conscious Sunday breakfast: oats you can customise and a crunchy Cruesli variety labelled Zero Sugar Added. That label alone doesn’t confirm that a product meets the ‘sugar-free’ limit.
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For anyone who wants to use oats as the base for a breakfast bowl they can customise.
600 g pack. If you’re choosing strictly by sugar content, compare the nutritional information per 100 g with the EU limit for ‘sugar-free’.
If you have coeliac disease, check the pack for the official Crossed Grain symbol.
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For anyone who likes crunchy muesli with yoghurt or milk and wants to keep an eye on added sugars.
400 g pack. To check the total sugar content, read the nutritional information per 100 g; the name Zero Sugar Added does not mean ‘sugar-free’.
If you have an allergy or coeliac disease, check the current ingredients and allergen information on the pack.
No. Under European Union Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a solid food can only be labelled ‘sugar-free’ if it contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. A product with no added sugars may still contain naturally occurring sugars, so check the ‘of which sugars’ figure in the nutritional information, too.
Plain oats let you choose whether to add yoghurt, fruit or nuts, for example. According to Quaker, Quaker Havermout Original contains no added sugars, but its stated 1.1 g of sugars per 100 g is above the EU limit for the ‘sugar-free’ claim.
Not automatically. The Voedingscentrum points out that oats can become contaminated with gluten. If you have coeliac disease, check whether the pack carries the official Crossed Grain symbol.
First compare the ‘of which sugars’ amount per 100 g, so different serving sizes don’t skew the comparison. Then consider how much you’ll serve and what else you’ll add to your bowl.
The current pack is the best source of information on the ingredients, nutritional values and allergens for the exact variety you’re buying. Albert Heijn advises reading the pack before use because this information can change; for crunchy muesli, pay particular attention to sweeteners, nuts and cereals containing gluten.
