If you want a ready-to-eat chocolate biscuit with a strict sugar-free requirement, check the sugars per 100 g: according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, ‘sugar-free’ means no more than 0.5 g per 100 g. Baking at home lets you choose the ingredients and portion sizes, but a recipe with no added sugars is not automatically sugar-free. Also decide whether you want to eat a biscuit, crumble it or bake your own, and check the sweeteners and allergens.
You’re looking for a chocolate biscuit that meets the ‘sugar-free’ threshold, not simply one with less sugar. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, the limit is no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g, so compare the nutritional information for the exact product variant.
You want to make your own dough or use biscuits in a recipe, and decide which chocolate to use and how big the portions should be. Bear in mind that ingredients such as dates contain naturally occurring sugars, even in a recipe with no added sugars.
As well as the sugar content, you need to check whether ingredients such as wheat, milk, egg, oats or soya are relevant to you. Read the allergen information for the specific product; a sugar claim tells you nothing about this.
First decide whether you want a ready-to-eat chocolate biscuit, a biscuit to use in a recipe or ingredients for baking your own biscuits. Then you can assess the sugar content and ingredients for the intended use.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar claim | Compare the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g with your requirements. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, the limit for ‘sugar-free’ is no more than 0.5 g per 100 g; ‘no added sugars’ does not mean there are no sugars present. | If I’m looking for a chocolate biscuit with a strict sugar limit, I don’t want to rely on the front of the pack alone. For around 42% of consumers, this limit comes first. |
| Use in a recipe | Choose between a ready-to-eat biscuit that you could crumble and ingredients for making your own dough. If you’re baking, check the ingredients in any chocolate you add too. | When I bake or use biscuits in a recipe, I want to be able to choose the chocolate and portion size; for around 33% of consumers, this freedom of choice matters most. |
| Sweeteners and allergens | Check the ingredients list for sweeteners such as maltitols, and read the allergen information for the variant you’ve chosen. | If I have an allergy or want to avoid sweeteners, I need to know exactly what the biscuit contains. For around 25% of consumers, checking the ingredients is the top priority. |
A biscuit made with dates can have no added sugars and still contain sugars that occur naturally in its ingredients. The two claims therefore don’t mean the same thing.
Check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g. If you have a strict sugar-free requirement, use the limit of no more than 0.5 g per 100 g set by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
According to Jumbo, Céréal Choco Delight Puur contains maltitols. That’s a different choice of ingredients from baking at home without this sweetener.
Read the ingredients list and decide whether the sweeteners used suit what you want to include in your biscuit or recipe.
A crunchy chocolate biscuit, a soft mini cake and ingredients for dough all serve different purposes when baking and serving.
Decide in advance whether you want to eat the product straight away, crumble it or make your own dough. If you’re using a recipe, check the full ingredients list, including any chocolate you add.
A sugar claim says nothing about other ingredients. According to Jumbo, Céréal Choco Delight Puur lists wheat, milk, egg, oats and soya, among other ingredients.
Check the allergen information on the pack of the variant you’ve chosen every time you buy it, even if you’ve had the product before.
Compare the products listed by sugar content, product type and ingredients; a feature of one biscuit doesn’t automatically apply to other products from the same brand.
Choco Delight Puur is a ready-to-eat chocolate biscuit for anyone looking for a low sugar content.
San Francisco Zero is a biscuit with no added sugars that can be used as a biscuit base when you want to choose the chocolate separately.
Lotus Speculoos with Chocolate is a point of comparison if you’re looking for speculoos with chocolate and don’t have a strict sugar-free requirement.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, a product labelled ‘sugar-free’ can contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. A product with no added sugars may still contain sugars that occur naturally in its ingredients, so check the ‘of which sugars’ figure in the nutritional information too.
No. Dates contain naturally occurring sugars, even when no sugars are added to a recipe. Assess a homemade biscuit based on the full recipe, and don’t use ‘no added sugars’ as a synonym for ‘sugar-free’.
Read the ingredients list: according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, sweeteners must be listed on the label. For example, Jumbo lists maltitols in Céréal Choco Delight Puur. Check the variant you’ve chosen if you want to avoid certain sweeteners.
It depends on the product. Jumbo lists wheat, milk, egg, oats and soya in Céréal Choco Delight Puur. Read the current allergen information on the pack of the variant you’re buying, even if its sugar content suits your needs.
