If you want a genuinely sugar-free movie-night snack, choose a product with no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g — the threshold the Netherlands Nutrition Centre gives for a ‘sugar-free’ claim. The chocolate flakes, no-added-sugar chocolate chunks and chocolate bar discussed here do not meet that threshold. If avoiding added sugar matters more to you than the total amount of sugars, also compare the product format, ingredients, allergens and any warnings on the packaging.
You want a product for your movie-night snack that meets the ‘sugar-free’ claim. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, this means no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g; the wording ‘no added sugar’ does not, on its own, tell you whether it meets this requirement.
You’re looking for a chocolate-style alternative with no added sugar, but you’re happy for the product to still contain some sugars. So, as well as checking the claim, look at the ingredients and nutritional information per 100 g.
You’re mainly after the familiar shape of classic flakes, perhaps as a topping for a movie-night snack. If sugar-free isn’t a must, check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information to help you assess the option you’ve chosen.
If sugar-free is a firm requirement, start by checking ‘of which sugars’ on the label. Then choose the format that suits your movie-night snack: loose flakes, chocolate chunks or a bar.
| What to consider | What to look for | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Genuinely sugar-free | Compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g with the maximum limit of 0.5 g given by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. | If I really want a sugar-free snack, I don’t want to choose a product that merely has no added sugar. For around 36% of consumers, being genuinely sugar-free is the deciding factor. |
| No added sugar | Read the claim alongside the ingredients list and total sugars per 100 g. | If you want to avoid added sugar, you may be happy to accept that ingredients such as dates still contribute sugars. This is the main priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Snack format | Decide whether you want flakes or chunks to use as a topping, or would rather take a bar with you. | At home, I might want to sprinkle something over my movie-night snack, while when I’m out I’d rather take a bar with me. For around 21% of consumers, the format is the main factor in their choice. |
| Regular flakes | Check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information for the exact option you’ve chosen. | If I’m mainly after the familiar texture of loose flakes and don’t need them to be sugar-free, I check the ingredients of my preferred option. Regular flakes are the main choice for around 14% of consumers. |
A product can be sold with no added sugar and still contain sugars. For No Sugar Daddies chocolate chunks, the retailer Puur Mieke lists 34 g of sugars per 100 g.
If you need a strictly sugar-free option, always check ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre gives a maximum of 0.5 g per 100 g as the threshold.
These labels don’t tell you how much sugar the flakes contain. PLUS lists 63.8 g of sugars per 100 g for its vegan-labelled dark chocolate flakes.
Assess each claim you care about separately, and check the nutritional information for the exact option as well.
Lindt says its NO SUGAR ADDED Milk bar is sweetened with maltitol. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre notes that large quantities of polyols can cause digestive problems for some people.
Read the ingredients and any warning on the packaging before deciding how much to take with you.
Ingredients vary from product to product: according to the product information from PLUS, Choca Flakes contain wheat and soya and may contain milk; De Ruijter Dark Chocolate Flakes contain soya and may contain milk.
Check the label of the option you actually receive, especially if allergens affect your choice.
Chocolate flakes in a classic, loose format; the dark option is a useful point of reference if you’re looking for flakes.
Flakes for anyone mainly looking for a regular, loose topping.
Its own-brand dark chocolate flakes are a regular flakes option, labelled vegan and made with Fairtrade cocoa on the product page.
No-added-sugar chocolate chunks designed as a topping; they’re not classic chocolate flakes.
NO SUGAR ADDED Milk is a chocolate bar for anyone who’d rather take a bar than loose flakes with them.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, sugar-free means no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g; no added sugar doesn’t rule out sugars that are naturally present in the ingredients. So, if you need a strictly sugar-free option, check the total sugars in the nutrition table.
No, the options mentioned exceed the sugar-free threshold. PLUS lists 63 g of sugars per 100 g for De Ruijter Dark Chocolate Flakes and 71 g per 100 g for Choca Flakes. Always check the label of any other option you’re considering.
Read the ingredients and any warning on the packaging, as well as checking the total sugars per 100 g. According to Lindt, NO SUGAR ADDED Milk contains maltitol; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns that large quantities of polyols can cause digestive problems for some people.
Check the label of the exact option you’re buying. According to the product information from PLUS, Choca Flakes contain wheat and soya and may contain milk; De Ruijter Dark Chocolate Flakes contain soya and may contain milk. A label such as ‘dark’ or ‘vegan’ is no substitute for checking.
