If you want to serve a packaged biscuit labelled ‘sugar-free’ with Christmas dinner, Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces is one option: Jumbo lists 0.4 g of sugars per 100 g, but it also contains maltitol and several allergens. If you’d rather choose the ingredients and shape yourself for a dessert, you could bake speculaas using a recipe such as Jumbo’s; be sure to check every ingredient. Ordinary Lotus Biscoff isn’t suitable if you need a ‘sugar-free’ option: Joybuy’s product information for the 250 g pack lists 38.1 g of sugars per 100 g.
Whether you’re looking for a biscuit to have with coffee or to include in a Christmas dessert, you’ll want a clear sugar claim. Also compare the full nutritional information: ‘sugar-free’ on its own tells you nothing about the total carbohydrate content or energy value.
You’ll want to know before buying whether the ingredients are suitable for your guests. The Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces listed by Jumbo contains, among other things, wheat, almonds, eggs, soya, barley and milk. A sugar claim doesn’t replace checking the allergen information.
You want to choose the biscuit’s shape and ingredients yourself, and have time to bake. Jumbo publishes an oven-baked recipe for sugar-free speculaas that includes egg. Check each ingredient you choose before serving the dessert.
First decide whether ‘sugar-free’ is essential. Then choose between a packaged biscuit and baking your own, and in either case check that the ingredients suit your guests and the dessert you have planned.
When to choose it: You want a ready-to-eat biscuit with an explicit sugar claim; Jumbo lists 0.4 g of sugars per 100 g for Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces.
What to consider: This variety contains maltitol and several allergens, and the sugar claim doesn’t mean it’s suitable for every guest.
When to choose it: You want to decide for yourself which ingredients to use or what shape the biscuit should be for your dessert.
What to consider: Baking takes preparation. Jumbo’s recipe uses egg, and the recipe title doesn’t guarantee the ingredients in your finished bake.
When to choose it: You’re looking for a biscuit to use in a dessert and don’t need a sugar-free option.
What to consider: Joybuy’s product information for Lotus Biscoff 250 g lists 38.1 g of sugars per 100 g.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar content | Check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g and read the exact claim on the pack. | If I want to serve something with less sugar, I want to be able to see that in the nutritional information. For around 36% of consumers, this would be the most important factor when choosing. |
| Allergens and ingredients | Read the current ingredients list and allergen information on the pack you choose. | If a guest needs to avoid certain ingredients, the biscuit needs to suit their requirements. For around 29% of consumers, matching the ingredients to their needs would come first. |
| How it features in the dessert | Decide whether you’ll serve the biscuit on its own, crumble it or bake it yourself for the dessert. | For my dessert, I want to decide for myself which shape and ingredients will work. That flexibility would matter most to around 21% of consumers. |
| Availability | Just before buying, check that the pack you’ve chosen is available in your shop or as part of your order. | When planning my Christmas shopping, I want to know whether I can actually buy the biscuit I’ve chosen. For around 14% of consumers, that would be the main concern. |
Jumbo lists 0.4 g of sugars for Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces, but it also contains 62 g of carbohydrates and 404 kcal per 100 g. These figures describe different aspects of the nutritional information.
Compare the figures per 100 g on the pack and, if you’re comparing portions, check the amount per portion too.
According to Jumbo, the Céréal variety contains wheat, almonds, eggs, soya, barley and milk. ‘Sugar-free’ doesn’t tell you whether any of these ingredients are present.
Ask which ingredients your guests need to avoid, then read the current allergen information on the pack.
The Céréal variety contains maltitol and, according to Jumbo, 29 g of polyols per 100 g. The Voedingscentrum says that large amounts of polyols can cause digestive problems.
Check the sweetener and portion size if this information is important for your guests.
A product being listed online doesn’t automatically mean it’s available in your shop or as part of your order.
Check availability again when you’re actually doing your Christmas shopping.
Céréal makes a speculoos variety with almond pieces labelled ‘sugar-free’. It’s an option if you’re looking for a packaged biscuit with a sugar content you can check.
Lotus Bakeries describes Biscoff as a crunchy biscuit that can also be used as an ingredient in cooking.
Jumbo publishes a recipe for sugar-free speculaas if you’d like to bake your own.
Albert Heijn lists Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces, labelled sugar-free, in its online biscuit range.
Under EU nutrition claim rules, ‘sugar-free’ means a solid food can contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g, according to Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Check the rest of the nutritional information too: the claim on its own says nothing about total carbohydrates, energy value or the sweeteners used.
That depends on the ingredients and your guests’ allergies. For Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces, Jumbo lists, among other things, wheat, almonds, eggs, soya, barley and milk. Check the current pack before serving.
Maltitol is the sweetener in the Céréal variety mentioned above, for which Jumbo lists 29 g of polyols per 100 g. The Voedingscentrum says that large amounts of polyols can cause digestive problems, so check the ingredients and portion size too.
Not if the biscuit needs to be sugar-free: Joybuy’s product information for Lotus Biscoff 250 g lists 38.1 g of sugars per 100 g. If that isn’t a requirement, you could still consider Biscoff as a biscuit or dessert ingredient.
