For a Dutch doughnut stall, chocolate sprinkles with less sugar are not automatically sugar-free: according to Jumbo, Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles contain 7.7 g of sugars per 100 g, so they should not be described as sugar-free. If you’re considering this topping, you should also bear in mind that it contains soya, may contain milk and carries a warning about the laxative effect of excessive consumption of polyols. Only use the claim ‘sugar-free’ if the current information for your chosen product supports it.
You want to know whether you can genuinely offer a doughnut with chocolate sprinkles as sugar-free. A pack labelled ‘less sugar’ doesn’t tell you that: check the exact claim and nutritional information for the product you’re using.
You want to offer customers a clearly described alternative without suggesting it’s sugar-free. For Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles, Jumbo lists 7.7 g of sugars and 40 g of polyols per 100 g; the information about sweeteners is also relevant to your decision.
You need to manage the information for the complete doughnut option, not just the chocolate sprinkles. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority requires customers to be able to obtain information about allergens present in unpackaged food before buying it.
Start with the claim you want to put on your stall sign or menu. Then check the sugars per 100 g and whether you can keep the information about ingredients, warnings and allergens up to date while selling the product.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who does this matter to? |
|---|---|---|
| An accurate sugar-free claim | Check the current packaging, sugars per 100 g and exact nutrition claim before putting ‘sugar-free’ on a sign or menu. | If I offer a doughnut as sugar-free, I want to be sure the chocolate sprinkles I choose support that claim. For around 42% of consumers choosing chocolate sprinkles for their stall, a substantiated claim is the priority. |
| A lower-sugar option | Compare sugars per 100 g on the same basis and check which sweeteners the product contains. For Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles, Jumbo lists 7.7 g of sugars and 40 g of polyols per 100 g. | I want to be able to offer a topping with a lower sugar content while making it clear that it still contains sugar. For around 33% of these consumers, this demonstrable reduction is the main priority. |
| Information for unpackaged sales | Record the allergens in the dough and topping for each doughnut option; for Céréal, also check the information about soya, possible milk contact and polyols. | When I add toppings at my stall, I want to be able to give customers accurate information before they buy and keep track of any changes to ingredients. For around 25% of these consumers, being able to do this in practice matters most. |
For the dark and milk chocolate varieties labelled ‘less sugar’ that we looked at, Albert Heijn lists 43 g of sugar per 100 g for each. Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles also contain sugar, according to Jumbo. None of these product descriptions makes ‘less sugar’ interchangeable with ‘sugar-free’.
When writing a sign for your stall, use the exact claim for the product you’re using as your starting point, and check the current nutritional information whenever you switch products.
For Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles, Jumbo lists 40 g of polyols per 100 g and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Keep the current product information available at your stall and make sure staff know about the warning and the presence of maltitols.
For a doughnut with a topping, information about the chocolate sprinkles alone isn’t enough to describe the complete product you’re selling. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, customers must be able to obtain information about allergens present in unpackaged food before buying it.
Update the allergen information for each doughnut option whenever the dough, topping or preparation method changes.
The products and ranges below have different sugar levels or product information. A brand name alone doesn’t tell you whether a particular type of chocolate sprinkles can be offered as sugar-free.
Jumbo describes Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles as dark chocolate sprinkles containing sugar and a sweetener.
Albert Heijn sells dark and milk chocolate sprinkles labelled ‘30% less sugar’ compared with its own reference products.
Jumbo provides product information for items including Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles and regular chocolate sprinkles.
De Ruijter Dark Chocolate Sprinkles are a regular dark chocolate topping, not a sugar-free option.
Lidl lists Mister CHOC dark chocolate sprinkles in a 600 g pack.
ALDI lists Sprinkles chocolate sprinkles in 300 g milk and dark varieties.
No. Don’t describe Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles as sugar-free. Jumbo lists 7.7 g of sugars and 40 g of polyols per 100 g, and describes the sprinkles as a product containing sugar and a sweetener. Also bear in mind that they contain soya, may contain milk and carry a warning about excessive consumption.
No. The dark and milk varieties we looked at don’t qualify: Albert Heijn lists 43 g of sugar per 100 g for both. ‘30% less sugar’ compares these varieties with the retailer’s own reference products; it doesn’t mean ‘sugar-free’.
Make sure customers can obtain information about allergens present in the doughnut option you’re selling before they buy. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, you can provide this information in writing or, under certain conditions, verbally. Include both the dough and the topping, and update the information if the ingredients change.
If you prepare and sell food several times a year, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says you must work with an HACCP food safety plan. This covers food safety for your stall and is separate from whether a topping contains less sugar.
