If you want to serve chocolate biscuits at a birthday and describe them as sugar-free, choose them based on the ‘of which sugars’ figure: under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a solid food must contain no more than 0.5 g per 100 g. Albert Heijn’s nutritional information lists 0 g per 100 g for Céréal Chocolate Chip Cookie Zonder Suikers; Jumbo lists 0.5 g per 100 g for Céréal Minder Suikers Choco Delight Puur. Also check the allergens, information about polyols and the packaging of the biscuits you actually serve.
You want to offer chocolate biscuits that meet the threshold for the ‘sugar-free’ nutrition claim. A ‘zero’ or ‘no added sugars’ label on the front of the pack isn’t enough to tell you this; check the sugars per 100 g.
You’re serving biscuits to a range of guests and want them to be able to check the ingredients, allergens and any warnings on the packaging before they help themselves.
You’re mainly looking for a biscuit with a recognisable chocolate coating or chocolate chips. A regular chocolate biscuit could also be an option, but don’t offer it as sugar-free if its nutritional values don’t meet that requirement.
Before you shop, decide whether ‘sugar-free’ is a must-have for your party table. Then compare the nutritional information and check what guests need to know when you serve the biscuits.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar limit | Check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g on the packaging. For the EU ‘sugar-free’ claim, solid foods must contain no more than 0.5 g per 100 g under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. | If I promise my guests a sugar-free chocolate biscuit, I want to be able to see that it meets this limit. This is the top priority for around 50% of consumers when choosing. |
| Allergens and polyols | Check the ingredients, allergens and any polyol warning on the current packaging; keep this information available when serving. | When several guests are sharing the same plate, I want them to be able to check whether a biscuit is suitable for them. For around 30% of consumers, this check comes first. |
| Type of chocolate | Compare chocolate chips with a chocolate coating, and decide whether a regular option would work alongside the sugar-free biscuits. | When putting together a biscuit platter, I focus on the type of chocolate I want, without requiring every biscuit to be sugar-free. This matters most to around 20% of consumers. |
‘No added sugars’ doesn’t mean a product contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. Verkade lists 1.7 g of sugars per 100 g for San Francisco Zero; it’s also not a chocolate biscuit.
If you have a strict sugar-free requirement, check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g rather than relying on the product name.
A low sugar content tells you nothing about whether a product contains allergens. Albert Heijn and Jumbo’s information for the Céréal products mentioned includes ingredients or possible traces that may be relevant to guests.
Check the current packaging and let guests read the ingredients and allergen information for themselves. Don’t describe a biscuit as free from an allergen unless the label supports this.
For Céréal Chocolate Chip Cookie Zonder Suikers, Albert Heijn lists 26 g of polyols per 100 g and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Leave the packaging beside the biscuits so this warning is visible too.
Lotus Bakeries lists 39.6 g of sugars per 100 g for Lotus Speculoos met Chocolade. This product therefore doesn’t meet the ‘sugar-free’ threshold.
If you choose both regular and sugar-free biscuits, serve them on separate, clearly labelled plates.
Two chocolate biscuits to compare if the stated sugar content is a key consideration for your birthday: Chocolate Chip Cookie Zonder Suikers and Minder Suikers Choco Delight Puur.
San Francisco Zero is a biscuit with no added sugars for anyone who isn’t specifically looking for a sugar-free chocolate biscuit.
Lotus Speculoos met Chocolade is a regular option for a separate plate of biscuits without a sugar-free label.
For a solid food, Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 sets the threshold for the ‘sugar-free’ nutrition claim at no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. Check the ‘of which sugars’ figure in the nutritional information: Albert Heijn lists 0 g per 100 g for Céréal Chocolate Chip Cookie Zonder Suikers, while Jumbo lists 0.5 g per 100 g for Céréal Minder Suikers Choco Delight Puur.
No. A product with no added sugars may still contain sugars. Verkade lists 1.7 g of sugars per 100 g for San Francisco Zero, so check the nutritional values if sugar-free is a requirement for you.
Leave the current packaging beside the serving plate so guests can read the ingredients and allergens for themselves. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the mandatory allergen labelling on packaging; don’t assume the biscuits mentioned are allergen-free based on their sugar content.
For Céréal Chocolate Chip Cookie Zonder Suikers, Albert Heijn lists 26 g of polyols per 100 g and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. Keep this packaging information available to guests alongside the allergen information.
Read the packaging of the biscuits you’re actually serving, even if you compared them online beforehand. Albert Heijn notes that ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information may change.
