Who is this choice relevant to?

If you’re looking for a strictly sugar-free option

You only want to choose taaitaai for Sunday breakfast if the claim and nutritional values per 100 g meet your requirements. A product or recipe name alone isn’t enough.

If you want to weigh up the whole breakfast

You’re looking for a sweet addition to your Sunday breakfast, but also want to compare sugars, carbohydrates, fibre and energy. You’d be happy to choose a different biscuit instead of taaitaai.

If you want to serve traditional taaitaai

You don’t want to bake it yourself. Ready-made taaitaai is an option, as long as you’re happy that the products we reviewed from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS aren’t sugar-free.

What should you look for when choosing?

Your choice for Sunday breakfast depends on what matters most to you: strictly sugar-free taaitaai, the nutritional information for your whole breakfast, or the convenience of serving something ready-made.

Traditional packaged taaitaai

When: you want to serve the familiar taste of taaitaai without baking it yourself.

The trade-off: according to their product information, the products we reviewed from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS contain sugar and glucose-fructose syrup, so they aren’t sugar-free.

Homemade taaitaai

When: you want to choose the ingredients yourself and keep the flavour of taaitaai.

The trade-off: a recipe with no added sugars isn’t automatically sugar-free, and baking from scratch takes preparation.

A different biscuit

When: a sugar-free option matters more to you than the specific flavour and texture of taaitaai.

The trade-off: it won’t be taaitaai. Even when choosing an alternative, check the claim and nutritional information on the packaging.

What to consider What to check before buying Who should give this more weight?
Strictly sugar-free Check the claim and total sugars per 100 g. Under European Union Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, a product labelled ‘sugar-free’ may contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. If you want to serve taaitaai while meeting a strict sugar-free requirement, the nutrition table needs to support that choice. This would be the most important consideration for around 42% of consumers.
Nutritional information Compare similar products per 100 g for sugars, carbohydrates, fibre and energy; then consider the portion you want to serve. You may not want to judge a sweet addition to your breakfast on sugar alone. This broader approach would be the priority for around 33% of consumers.
Convenience and availability Check current availability before Sunday and read the packaging for ingredients and allergens. You may want to serve traditional taaitaai without baking, even if the ready-made versions we reviewed aren’t sugar-free. For around 25% of consumers, convenience would be the deciding factor.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming regular taaitaai is sugar-free

    According to their product information, the taaitaai products we reviewed from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS contain between 38.594 g and 39 g of sugars per 100 g.

    Check the ‘of which sugars’ figure per 100 g and look at the ingredients list before choosing a product for a sugar-free diet.

  • Comparing only the portion sizes shown on packs

    Portion sizes can vary from one product to another. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing nutrition tables per 100 g.

    Compare products per 100 g first, then decide how much taaitaai or biscuit you want to serve at breakfast.

  • Confusing ‘no added sugars’ with ‘sugar-free’

    A recipe with no added sugars can still contain sugars from its ingredients. The two claims don’t mean the same thing.

    For packaged products, check the total sugars in the nutrition table. If you’re baking, assess the ingredients you use.

  • Waiting until Sunday morning to check the label

    Dirk and ALDI feature taaitaai as a seasonal product. If anyone at the table needs to avoid certain allergens, it’s important to check the current label on the product you choose.

    Check availability in advance and read the ingredients and allergen information on each pack.

Brands to consider

These products give you an idea of traditional taaitaai and the information you might come across when choosing. Their inclusion says nothing about current availability at Joybuy.

Albert Heijn

Albert Heijn describes its AH Taai taai as a 350 g pack.

  • The product information lists ingredients, nutritional values and allergens.
  • According to Albert Heijn, the taaitaai contains sugar and glucose-fructose syrup, with 39 g of sugars per 100 g.

Jumbo

Jumbo describes De Originele Taai Taai as a 500 g pack.

  • The product page lists ingredients, allergens and 38.8 g of sugars per 100 g.
  • This isn’t a sugar-free version. The product page we consulted also says this pack is no longer part of the online range.

PLUS

PLUS describes Ambachtelijke taai taai koeken as a 250 g bag.

  • The product information lists sugars and added sugars separately: 38.594 g and 37.613 g per 100 g respectively.
  • The biscuits aren’t sugar-free; the product information also lists gluten and milk allergens.

Dirk

Dirk lists 1 de Beste Mini taai taai, 500 g, among its seasonal sweets.

  • The listing helps you recognise the pack.
  • Check the nutritional information and allergens on the pack before choosing these mini taaitaai biscuits.

ALDI

ALDI Netherlands features 500 g taai-taai in a St Nicholas range and describes its aniseed flavour.

  • The product listing makes the pack and its flavour easy to identify.
  • If you’re choosing based on sugars, ingredients or allergens, check the current label.

Lidl

Lidl uses mini taai-taai as an ingredient in a St Nicholas recipe.

  • The recipe shows how mini taai-taai can be used as part of a dish.
  • A recipe doesn’t tell you about the sugars or allergens in a pack you want to buy; check the product label for those details.

Related products on Joybuy

Related products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

When can taaitaai be labelled ‘sugar-free’?

In the Netherlands, the EU requirement set out in Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 applies: a product labelled ‘sugar-free’ may contain no more than 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g. Check the nutrition table on the pack you buy.

Does ‘no added sugars’ mean the same as ‘sugar-free’?

No. A product with no added sugars can still contain sugars. Under European Union Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, the ‘sugar-free’ claim is limited to a maximum of 0.5 g of sugars per 100 g, so check the total ‘of which sugars’ figure.

Is regular supermarket taaitaai a sugar-free breakfast treat?

The products we reviewed from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS aren’t. Their product information lists 39 g, 38.8 g and 38.594 g of sugars per 100 g respectively. If you choose a different pack, check its current label.