If you’re serving sugar-free chocolate biscuits at a neighbourhood get-together, choose them based on the exact claim and the nutritional information per 100 g; ‘no added sugars’ does not mean the same thing. Also check that the biscuits suit your guests’ allergies and other dietary requirements, and look at the ingredients and portion size separately from the sugar claim.
You want a chocolate biscuit labelled ‘sugar-free’, not simply one with a sugar-conscious name. According to Albert Heijn, Céréal Chocolate chip cookie contains 0 g sugars per 100 g; check the current packaging when you buy it.
You don’t necessarily need a biscuit with 0 g sugars or chocolate on the table. According to Verkade, Verkade San Francisco Zero is a biscuit with no added sugars; its stated nutritional value is 1.7 g sugars per 100 g.
You want to check allergens and other product requirements separately. A gluten-free and lactose-free chocolate biscuit isn’t automatically sugar-free, while a sugar-free chocolate biscuit may contain gluten or carry warnings about other allergens.
First decide which requirement matters most to your guests: the sugar claim, a familiar chocolate biscuit to share or specific dietary needs.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar claim | Compare ‘sugar-free’ with the sugars per 100 g; don’t confuse it with ‘no added sugars’. | If I want to serve sugar-free biscuits, the product needs to match the claim. This is the top priority for around 42% of consumers. |
| Chocolate and sharing | Check that it’s a chocolate biscuit and look at the pack size to see whether there’s enough for your guests. | For my get-together, I want a familiar chocolate biscuit on the table that I can share. Around 33% of consumers give this top priority. |
| Dietary requirements and allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen information; if the product contains polyols, check the packaging for any related notices. | If guests need to avoid certain ingredients, I don’t want to assume one biscuit will suit everyone. This comes first for around 25% of consumers. |
These claims aren’t interchangeable: Verkade San Francisco Zero contains 1.7 g sugars per 100 g, while Céréal Chocolate chip cookie is stated by Albert Heijn to contain 0 g per 100 g.
Decide which claim you’re looking for, then check the ‘of which sugars’ line in the nutritional information.
A sugar claim doesn’t tell you everything about the ingredients, other nutritional values or portion size.
Also check the ingredients list and the nutritional information per 100 g and per portion, if provided.
According to the product information, Céréal Chocolate chip cookie contains wheat and oats, may contain other allergens and lists 26 g polyols per 100 g. A warning on another biscuit doesn’t automatically apply to this variety.
Check the packaging of the product you’ve chosen before the get-together, and keep the ingredients information available for your guests.
According to the ingredients list, the Céréal Gluten-free & Lactose-free Chocolate Biscuits described by Jumbo contain sugar and glucose syrup.
Check the sugar claim and each relevant dietary requirement separately on the packaging.
Several biscuits from this brand may be suitable, but their sugar claims and ingredients vary by variety.
San Francisco Zero is a biscuit for anyone mainly watching their added sugar intake who doesn’t need a chocolate biscuit.
Mini Zero Ontbijtkoek shows why the type of product matters, even when you’re choosing a sugar-conscious option.
No, these claims don’t mean the same thing. According to Albert Heijn, Céréal Chocolate chip cookie contains 0 g sugars per 100 g; Verkade San Francisco Zero is sold with no added sugars, but contains 1.7 g sugars per 100 g. Check both the claim and the nutritional information.
No, that claim doesn’t tell you everything about the nutritional value or ingredients. Also check the portion size and allergen information, and don’t use the sugar claim as a medical judgement.
Because a sugar-free product may contain polyols. According to the product information, Céréal Chocolate chip cookie contains 26 g polyols per 100 g. For the variety you buy, also check the packaging for any guidance on consumption.
You can only assess that on a product-by-product and guest-by-guest basis. According to the product information, the sugar-free Céréal Chocolate chip cookie contains wheat and oats; the gluten-free and lactose-free Céréal chocolate biscuits described by Jumbo, on the other hand, contain sugar and glucose syrup according to the ingredients list. Check the current packaging for all the properties that matter to your guests.
Yes, read the packaging of the product you actually buy before serving it. Albert Heijn points out that ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information can change.
