Who is this relevant to?

Shoppers who check sugar claims

If you want a biscuit with your coffee that’s labelled ‘sugar-free’, look beyond the front of the pack. Compare the amount of sugars per 100 g with the portion you plan to eat.

Shoppers with ingredient restrictions

A sugar claim doesn’t tell you whether a biscuit is suitable for your allergies or sensitivity to polyols. For its Céréal speculoos, Albert Heijn lists, among other things, cereals containing gluten, almonds, soya, eggs and milk.

Shoppers planning their coffee-break portion

If you also want to keep an eye on how much you eat during each coffee break, compare the nutritional information per biscuit with the figures per 100 g. Jumbo lists 44 kcal per 11 g biscuit for the Céréal variety.

What should you look for when choosing?

With a packaged biscuit, you can compare the nutritional information and allergens listed on the pack. If you bake your own, you choose the ingredients, but need to assess the whole recipe.

Packaged sugar-free speculoos

A good choice if: You want to choose a biscuit to enjoy with your coffee by checking its nutritional information and ingredients on the label.

Things to consider: The Céréal variety contains maltitol and several allergens, so check whether those ingredients are suitable for you.

Bake your own spiced biscuits

A good choice if: You want to choose the ingredients yourself and are happy to assess the recipe and portion sizes.

Things to consider: A recipe title doesn’t prove a sugar claim: Jumbo’s recipe ‘Speculaas without sugar’ lists 500 g of maple syrup.

What to consider What to check when buying Who it’s most relevant to
‘Sugar-free’ claim Check the claim and the sugars per 100 g. Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, this claim is permitted for products containing no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g; Albert Heijn lists 0.4 g for the Céréal variety. If I’m specifically looking for a sugar-free biscuit to enjoy with my coffee, I want to know what the claim means for the product I choose. Around 42% of shoppers prioritise this sugar claim.
Allergens and polyols Read the current ingredients and allergens list, and check which sweetener has been used. For the Céréal variety, Albert Heijn lists, among other things, wheat, barley, almonds, soya, eggs, milk and polyols. If I need to avoid certain ingredients or take polyols into account, suitability matters more than the sugar claim. This is the main concern for around 33% of shoppers.
Portion size and energy Compare the nutritional information per biscuit and per 100 g. Jumbo lists 44 kcal per 11 g Céréal biscuit; Albert Heijn lists 404 kcal per 100 g. For a short coffee break, I want to decide in advance how many biscuits to eat, rather than looking only at the sugar claim. This matters most to around 25% of shoppers.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming ‘sugar-free’ means ‘low in calories’

    The sugar claim says nothing about the total energy or carbohydrate content. For Céréal speculoos, Albert Heijn lists 0.4 g of sugars, 62 g of carbohydrates and 404 kcal per 100 g.

    Check the full nutritional information and decide what portion you’d like with your coffee.

  • Checking only the sugar claim if you have an allergy

    The Céréal variety lists, among other things, wheat, barley, almonds, soya, eggs and milk. A sugar claim doesn’t change what’s in the biscuit.

    Check the current packaging for ingredients and allergens before choosing the biscuit.

  • Overlooking the sweetener used

    Albert Heijn lists 29 g of polyols per 100 g for the Céréal variety. The product information warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.

    Check which sweetener is listed on the label and bear the portion size in mind when making your choice.

  • Treating a recipe title as proof

    Jumbo calls a recipe ‘Speculaas without sugar’, even though the ingredients list includes 500 g of maple syrup. So the title alone doesn’t tell you enough about the finished biscuits.

    If you’re baking your own, read all the ingredients and assess the recipe rather than relying on its title.

Brands and shops to consider

Céréal

Céréal makes a packaged speculoos with pieces of almond, labelled ‘sugar-free’.

  • Albert Heijn and Jumbo provide nutritional information and ingredients for the 110 g pack.
  • The variety contains maltitol and, among other things, cereals containing gluten, almonds, soya, eggs and milk; check the current packaging.

Albert Heijn

Albert Heijn provides product information for Céréal Speculoos with almond pieces, labelled sugar-free.

  • The product information lists, among other things, 0.4 g of sugars and 29 g of polyols per 100 g.
  • Albert Heijn notes that product information can change, so check the packaging too.

Jumbo

Jumbo provides information about the same packaged Céréal speculoos and also publishes a recipe for spiced biscuits.

  • For the packaged variety, Jumbo lists 44 kcal per 11 g biscuit.
  • The recipe with ‘without sugar’ in its title lists 500 g of maple syrup in the ingredients; assess the recipe separately.

Lidl

Lidl describes a 600 g pack of bakers’ speculoos, a regular variety to consider.

  • Don’t assume this bakers’ speculoos is sugar-free based on the product name; check the nutritional information on the pack you choose.

ALDI

ALDI lists products including speculoos spread and filled speculoos: these are different from packaged sugar-free speculoos biscuits.

  • For a specific product, check its own description, ingredients and nutritional information; don’t infer a sugar claim from the product category.

Related products on Joybuy

Related products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

Does ‘sugar-free’ also mean low in carbohydrates or calories?

No. The claim relates to the amount of sugars, not all carbohydrates or the energy content. Under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a product carrying this claim may contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g; alongside this, Albert Heijn lists 62 g of carbohydrates and 404 kcal per 100 g for Céréal speculoos.

Can I choose Céréal Speculoos with almond if I need to avoid an allergen?

First check whether your allergen appears on the current packaging: Albert Heijn’s product information lists, among other things, almonds, wheat, barley, soya, eggs and milk. Don’t choose this biscuit if it contains an ingredient that’s unsafe for you; the ‘sugar-free’ label doesn’t change the allergens.

Why does this speculoos carry a warning about excessive consumption?

The product information for Céréal speculoos warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect and lists polyols as part of the nutritional information. So check the sweetener and portion size if you’re considering this biscuit to enjoy with your coffee.

Where can I check the ingredients before buying a biscuit?

Use the product information to check the ingredients and allergens in advance, and also check the current packaging before eating the product. Albert Heijn warns that ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information can change.