For your festive breakfast, don’t choose regular De Ruijter aniseed sprinkles if sugar-free is a strict requirement: Jumbo and Joybuy list 79 g of sugars per 100 g for the varieties described. Sugar-free mice sweets from Suikerbakkerij Joris are not aniseed sprinkles, while Céréal chocolate sprinkles contain less sugar but are neither mice nor sugar-free. So check the product type, sugars per 100 g and allergens.
For you, the nutritional information matters more than the name on the packaging. The annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 sets a limit of no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g or 100 ml for the ‘sugar-free’ nutrition claim.
You want crunchy aniseed sprinkles on bread or rusks, or to use as decoration. With the De Ruijter varieties described, that use is not compatible with a strict sugar-free requirement. Also check for wheat and cereals containing gluten.
You’re happy to choose a different flavour and type of product if it has a lower stated sugar content. Céréal chocolate sprinkles offer that alternative, but they’re chocolate sprinkles, not sugar-free aniseed sprinkles.
When: choose this type of product if you mean mouse-shaped sweets; the product information on bol lists 0.1 g of sugars per 100 g for Joris Sugar-Free Mice.
Trade-off: they’re soft gums, not crunchy aniseed sprinkles for bread or rusks.
When: consider chocolate sprinkles if a topping you can sprinkle is more important than an aniseed flavour.
Trade-off: according to Albert Heijn’s product information, Céréal dark chocolate contains 7.7 g and Céréal milk chocolate 15 g of sugars per 100 g. Neither is sugar-free or a type of mice.
When: choose this type of product if crunchy aniseed sprinkles are the main attraction of your festive breakfast.
Trade-off: Jumbo and Joybuy list 79 g of sugars per 100 g for the De Ruijter varieties described, so they’re not suitable if you need a strictly sugar-free product.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who should pay particular attention? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly sugar-free | Check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g. Under the annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, the ‘sugar-free’ claim allows no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g or 100 ml. Also check whether you’re buying sweets or sprinkles. | If I want a strictly sugar-free option for a festive breakfast, I shouldn’t let the name ‘mice’ mislead me. For around 50% of consumers, avoiding sugar is the priority. |
| Less sugar in a sprinkle-on topping | Compare the ‘of which sugars’ figures per 100 g for the products you’re considering. For chocolate sprinkles, also check the information about polyols and allergens. | If you want something to sprinkle on a rusk but cutting down on sugar matters, you may be happy with a different flavour. For around 30% of consumers, this combination is the most important factor. |
| Traditional aniseed sprinkles | Check that the description mentions aniseed and sprinkles for bread, rather than soft mice sweets. Also read the ingredients and allergen information. | For festive rusks, familiar crunchy aniseed sprinkles may matter more than choosing a sugar-free product. Around 20% of consumers prioritise this traditional use. |
A lower sugar content doesn’t mean a product meets the threshold for the ‘sugar-free’ claim. Albert Heijn lists 7.7 g of sugars per 100 g for Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles with Less Sugar.
If sugar-free is a strict requirement for you, check the nutritional information per 100 g. Don’t rely on the wording on the front of the packaging alone.
Joris soft mice sweets and traditional sugared aniseed share a name, but they don’t have the same texture or use at breakfast.
Look in the product description for soft gums or, if that’s what you want, aniseed and sprinkles for bread and rusks.
The product information for Céréal chocolate sprinkles lists polyols and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. The regular De Ruijter mice described list wheat or cereals containing gluten. Allergen information is also important for the chocolate varieties mentioned.
Read the ingredients, nutritional information and allergen statement on the packaging of the product you’re actually buying.
The mice and aniseed sprinkles described are suitable if you’re looking for traditional aniseed toppings to sprinkle on food.
Lower-sugar chocolate sprinkles are a different kind of sprinkle-on topping, with neither the aniseed flavour nor the shape of mice.
Soft, mouse-shaped sweets for anyone looking for a sweet treat rather than aniseed sprinkles for breakfast.
Under the annex to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a product can contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g or 100 ml to use the ‘sugar-free’ nutrition claim. So check the ‘of which sugars’ figure in the nutritional information, not just the wording on the front of the packaging.
No. The De Ruijter varieties described aren’t sugar-free: Jumbo and Joybuy list 79 g of sugars per 100 g. They’re sugared aniseed sprinkles, not Joris’s soft sugar-free mice sweets.
They can if you’d like to use chocolate sprinkles instead of aniseed sprinkles, but they’re a different product. Albert Heijn lists 7.7 g of sugars per 100 g for Céréal Dark Chocolate Sprinkles with Less Sugar and 15 g per 100 g for the milk chocolate variety. Neither is sugar-free.
Check the packaging of the variety you choose. The regular De Ruijter mice described list wheat or cereals containing gluten. Céréal chocolate sprinkles list polyols, among other ingredients, and the information about milk and soya varies by variety. The polyols and gelatine listed for Joris mice sweets are also relevant when choosing a product.
