If sugar-free is a strict requirement, the regular Verkade and Albert Heijn spritz biscuits below are not suitable choices: according to their product information, they contain 24 g and 28 g of sugars per 100 g respectively. The Céréal biscuits mentioned have a lower sugar content and may be an alternative, but they are not spritz biscuits; compare their ingredients, allergens and polyols too.
You want a crunchy biscuit for a mid-morning snack and care more about its sugar content than whether it’s a traditional spritz biscuit. Under EU rules for nutrition claims, a solid food labelled sugar-free must contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g.
You’re looking for the familiar flavour and texture of a spritz biscuit, but want to know how that choice measures up against a strict sugar-free requirement before buying.
You compare biscuits on more than just their sugar content, checking the allergens and any polyols listed on the packaging too.
First decide whether sugar-free is a strict requirement or whether you mainly want a spritz biscuit. Then check the nutritional information and ingredients for the variety you choose.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar-free | Check ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g; ‘less sugar’ does not mean the same as ‘sugar-free’. | If I want a biscuit that meets the sugar-free requirement, sugar content comes before spritz flavour. This is the top priority for around 50% of consumers. |
| Spritz flavour | Compare the product type and ingredients: a biscuit alternative isn’t automatically a spritz biscuit. | If I mainly want the familiar spritz biscuit, I accept that the regular varieties mentioned aren’t sugar-free. Around 30% of consumers prioritise that spritz experience. |
| Ingredients | Check the allergen information and details of polyols for the exact variety you’ve chosen. | If I need to take allergens or my tolerance of polyols into account, that determines which biscuit I can choose. This is the top priority for around 20% of consumers. |
These are different claims. Under EU Regulation 1924/2006, the sugar-free claim for a solid food is subject to a maximum of 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g.
Compare the claim on the front of the pack with ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g in the nutritional information.
Sugar content doesn’t tell you everything about nutritional value or the portion you want. A sugar-free biscuit isn’t automatically a more suitable snack.
Check the rest of the nutritional information too, including energy, saturated fat, fibre and salt, and keep portion size in mind.
The Céréal varieties mentioned contain polyols and have different allergen information. For the coconut biscuit, the product information states that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Before buying, read the ingredients and warnings on the packaging for the exact variety.
The Céréal coconut and speculoos almond biscuits discussed here are alternatives to spritz biscuits; both are different types of biscuit.
Verkade Nobo Sprits naturel is worth considering if you specifically want to compare a regular spritz biscuit with a sugar-free biscuit alternative.
AH Spritsen are a supermarket own-brand option to compare if the type of product—spritz biscuits—is your priority.
The regular spritz biscuits mentioned here aren’t. According to Albert Heijn’s product information, Verkade Nobo Sprits naturel contains 24 g of sugars per 100 g and AH Spritsen contains 28 g per 100 g; the EU limit for the sugar-free claim on solid foods is no more than 0.5 g per 100 g.
The Céréal coconut and speculoos almond biscuits mentioned contain 0 g and 0.4 g of sugars per 100 g respectively, putting them within the EU limit for the sugar-free claim. These figures are from Jumbo’s product information. They aren’t spritz biscuits, so compare the ingredients of the variety you’re thinking of buying too.
Check the polyol information, allergens and any warnings for the variety you’ve chosen. PLUS’s product information warns that excessive consumption of the Céréal coconut biscuit may have a laxative effect. The ingredients also differ between the coconut and speculoos almond varieties.
