If you need to avoid sugar strictly, choose a speculaas product labelled ‘sugar-free’ and check the sugars per 100 g: under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a product carrying this claim can contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. For lunch on the go, a biscuit is better viewed as an accompaniment than a meal in itself. Compare the rest of the nutritional information, as well as the ingredients and allergens. If you want speculoos flavour on bread, speculoos spread is a different type of product, so check its label separately.
You want to take a speculaas-flavoured biscuit with you, and check whether the ‘sugar-free’ claim is supported by the amount of sugars per 100 g. The wording on the front of the pack alone isn’t enough.
You want to take a biscuit with you without treating it as your whole lunch. So, as well as checking the sugars, you look at the nutritional information and decide what else to take.
You’re keeping an eye on allergens or the sweeteners used. The ‘sugar-free’ claim won’t tell you whether a biscuit contains gluten or nuts, for example, or what warnings appear on the packaging.
Start with what matters most to you: the sugar-free claim, how the biscuit fits into your lunch, or ingredients you need to avoid. Then compare like-for-like products per 100 g; the Voedingscentrum points out that portion sizes can make comparisons misleading.
| What to look for | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Genuinely sugar-free | Look for the ‘sugar-free’ claim and check ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g. Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 sets a limit of no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g for this claim. | I want a biscuit to take with me, but ‘reduced sugar’ isn’t the same as sugar-free. For around 42% of consumers, this reassurance comes first. |
| Its place in your lunch | Compare energy, saturated fat and fibre per 100 g, and consider whether the biscuit is an accompaniment to your lunch. | A biscuit that’s easy to take with me appeals, but I don’t want to judge my lunch on its sugar content alone. Around 33% of consumers prioritise what their lunch contains. |
| Ingredients and warnings | Read the current ingredients list, allergen information and any warning about polyols. Check for gluten-free and sugar-free separately if you need both. | I need to know whether a product contains ingredients I avoid, even if it says ‘sugar-free’. For around 25% of consumers, checking the ingredients matters most. |
These phrases don’t tell you the same thing as the ‘sugar-free’ claim. Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, that claim has a limit of no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g.
Check the exact claim, then read the ‘of which sugars’ figure in the nutritional information per 100 g.
A low sugar content doesn’t tell you how much energy, saturated fat or fibre a biscuit contains. For Céréal Speculoos stukjes amandel zonder suikers, Albert Heijn lists, per 100 g, 404 kcal, 12 g of saturated fat and 1.1 g of fibre, among other values.
Think of the biscuit as part of what you’re taking with you, and compare the nutritional information per 100 g with similar products.
For the Céréal variety, Albert Heijn lists gluten-containing cereals, almond, soya, egg and milk, among other ingredients. The packaging also warns that excessive consumption of the product containing polyols may have a laxative effect.
When you buy, check the current ingredients and allergen information, as well as any usage warnings on the packaging.
Jumbo lists 26.9 g of sugars per 100 g for Lekker Vrij van Gluten Speculaas. So a gluten-free label doesn’t answer the question of its sugar content.
Check both separately if you need your choice to meet both requirements.
Céréal Speculoos stukjes amandel zonder suikers is a packaged biscuit option for anyone who wants to check the sugar content.
Damhert presents Zonder Suikers Speculoospasta as a bread spread for anyone who wants to add speculoos flavour to a lunch they’ve put together themselves.
This speculaas is worth considering if a gluten-free label is your priority, but not as a sugar-free alternative.
Regular Lotus Biscoff speculoos biscuits are a useful point of comparison if you’re checking the sugar content of different biscuits.
Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a product carrying the ‘sugar-free’ nutrition claim can contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. Albert Heijn lists 0.4 g of sugars per 100 g for Céréal Speculoos stukjes amandel zonder suikers. When buying, check the current nutritional information for the variety you choose.
It’s better to think of a sugar-free biscuit as an accompaniment to your lunch, rather than a meal in itself. Sugar-free doesn’t tell you about the rest of its nutritional value. The Voedingscentrum describes lunch as a meal that provides nutrients and energy for the afternoon.
Not necessarily: for Céréal Speculoos stukjes amandel zonder suikers, Albert Heijn lists gluten-containing cereals and almond, among other ingredients. If you have an allergy or need to avoid a particular ingredient, always check the current allergen information for the product you’re buying.
According to Albert Heijn, the Céréal variety contains 29 g of polyols per 100 g, and the packaging warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. So check which sweeteners and warnings appear on the packaging of the biscuit you choose.
