Don’t describe a regular currant bun as sugar-free without checking the exact product variant. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, an average currant bun contains 15.9 g of sugars per 50 g bun, while EU rules allow the claim ‘sugar-free’ on solid foods only when they contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. If customers are mainly looking for an alternative with less sugar, compare the sugars per 100 g and per serving sold. A wholemeal bun or a product with no added sugars is not automatically sugar-free.
If you want to use the claim ‘sugar-free’ on a sign or in a conversation with a customer, the nutritional information for the exact variant you’ve bought must support it. Under EU rules, solid foods can contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g.
If customers are looking for an alternative with less sugar or are keeping an eye on fibre, treat these as two separate comparisons. Check the nutritional information per 100 g and per serving. For a wholemeal variant, check the fibre content rather than assuming it has less sugar.
If you remove currant buns from their packaging or sell them filled, customers must still be able to find out which allergens they contain. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) requires allergen information to be available for non-prepacked foods.
First decide whether you really want to use the claim ‘sugar-free’. Then compare the nutritional information for the variant you’ve chosen and, if you sell buns loose, make sure allergen information is available at your stall.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| ‘Sugar-free’ claim | Check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g for the exact variant. Under EU rules, a solid food carrying this claim can contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. | If customers specifically ask for sugar-free, I only want to use that term if it’s accurate for my product. A substantiated claim is the top priority for around 36% of stallholders buying stock. |
| Less sugar | Compare sugars per 100 g and per serving sold. Read the ingredients list before making a claim about added sugars. | If customers want less sugar without requiring a strictly sugar-free option, I want to be able to compare buns of different serving sizes fairly. Around 29% of stallholders buying stock prioritise this comparison. |
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check whether the variant you’ve chosen is wholemeal and compare its fibre per 100 g. Assess the sugar content separately. | For a breakfast range, I want to be able to choose based on fibre without assuming that wholemeal means sugar-free. This fibre-focused choice is the top priority for around 21% of stallholders buying stock. |
| Loose sales | Keep the ingredients and allergen information for each product available. If you prepare and sell food regularly, follow a suitable food safety plan or an approved hygiene code, as required by the NVWA. | If I sell buns loose or filled, my staff must be able to give customers reliable information about the allergens they contain. For around 14% of stallholders buying stock, putting this into practice is the top priority. |
Currants and raisins can contribute sugars to a bun, even when no sugar has been added. Under EU rules, the ‘sugar-free’ claim is based on the total sugar content: no more than 0.5 g per 100 g for a solid food.
Check the nutritional information for the variant you’ve bought before making a claim on a sign or in a conversation with a customer. Don’t use ‘no added sugars’ without checking that this separate claim is permitted for the product either.
Choosing wholemeal doesn’t, in itself, tell you how much sugar a currant bun contains. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends wholemeal bread for its fibre, but you’ll need the nutritional information for the specific bun to compare sugar content.
Compare fibre and sugars separately, in each case per 100 g and, where relevant, per serving sold.
The NVWA says customers must be able to get information about allergens in non-prepacked buns. For example, Jumbo Raisin Currant Buns list wheat and milk. Don’t use their product information as a substitute for the details of another bun.
Keep the latest ingredients and allergen information for every product you buy in stock, and make sure staff can check it before a sale. Update the information if the product or supplier changes.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So you can’t assume it’s present just because a product is a currant bun.
Read the ingredients list on the packaged bun or ask your supplier about the ingredients in the variant you’ve chosen.
These product ranges give you a starting point for comparing packaging, serving sizes and nutritional information. The brand name alone tells you nothing about whether a product can be labelled sugar-free.
Jumbo Raisin Currant Buns come in a pack of six and are a good example of a regular variant.
Albert Heijn lists currant and raisin buns in a range of sizes.
PLUS lists regular, mini and giant currant and raisin buns.
Lidl lists currant buns and mini raisin currant buns.
Only if the exact currant bun meets the requirements for the claim. Under EU rules, a solid food can be labelled ‘sugar-free’ if it contains no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre states that an average currant bun contains 15.9 g of sugars per 50 g bun. So check the nutritional information for the variant you sell.
No. Sugars from currants or raisins count towards the total sugar content, even if no sugar has been added. Check both claims separately against the product’s ingredients and nutritional information.
The NVWA says you must tell customers about allergens in non-prepacked foods. Keep the latest information for every currant bun you sell available, and don’t assume its ingredients are the same as those of another variant.
If you prepare and sell food several times a year, the NVWA requires you to work with an HACCP food safety plan. You can use an approved hygiene code for this. Make sure your procedures are also suitable for the way you handle the buns at your stall.
No, you can’t assume that. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. For packaged currant buns, check the ingredients list or ask your supplier about the ingredients in the variant you’ve chosen.
