If you want to pile savoury toppings onto toast, choose a loaf you can buy unsliced and cut thickly yourself. Melba toast, crispbreads and crackers are better suited to smaller, crunchier bites. When choosing bread, check how it is sold and how you plan to toast it. To compare what it contains, check the nutrition information and ingredients on the packaging.
If you want to layer egg, cheese, hummus, avocado or fish on a single slice, a loaf you can cut yourself is a different choice from a small cracker. Check whether you can actually buy the loaf unsliced and whether the slice you cut will fit in your toaster.
If bread regularly features at your breakfast table, you can compare similar products by their fibre and salt content per 100 g. Check the ingredients list too: words such as ‘rustic’ or ‘farmhouse’ don’t tell you what the product contains.
Melba toast, crackers and crispbreads are options when you’re looking for a smaller, crunchier base. They’re different products from a thick slice of toast, so check the size, ingredients and allergens for each product.
First decide whether you want a slice you can cut yourself for generous toppings, or a small, crunchy base. Then compare the characteristics of products within that category.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Room for generous toppings | Check whether the loaf is available unsliced. Make sure your preferred slice will fit in your toaster, or choose another way to toast it. | I want to put egg or other generous toppings on a single slice of toast, not on several small crackers. For around 40% of consumers, a sturdy base for toppings comes first. |
| Nutrition information | Compare fibre and salt per 100 g for similar breads, and read the ingredients list. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends using the same basis per 100 g when comparing products. | If I eat bread for breakfast often, I want to compare what it contains without different serving sizes influencing me. Around 30% of consumers prioritise this comparison. |
| Small and crunchy | Check the size of crackers, Melba toast or crispbread, as well as the stated serving size. These are different products from a slice of toast. | I’m looking for a small, crunchy bite with a savoury topping, not a thick slice of bread. For around 20% of consumers, size is the first consideration. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients list and allergen information for the product you’ve chosen. If you want to know whether it contains iodised salt, check separately whether it is listed as an ingredient. | I want to know before buying whether the ingredients suit what I can or want to eat. For around 10% of consumers, this check takes priority. |
A toast selection may also include Melba toast, mini crackers and other small, crunchy products. They won’t necessarily be the size you need for a slice of toast with generous toppings.
So check the product type and size, rather than relying only on the category a retailer has put it in.
A whole loaf isn’t necessarily sold unsliced. A name such as ‘rustic’ also tells you nothing about the thickness of the slices you’ll receive.
Check before buying whether you can cut the loaf yourself. If you want a thick slice, make sure there’s enough room in your toaster.
A statement about fibre or reduced salt applies to the specific product and, in the case of a comparative claim, to the comparison basis stated. Different serving sizes can make comparisons harder.
Compare the latest nutrition information per 100 g and check which ingredients the bread contains.
According to the explanatory notes for the Dutch Bakers’ Salt and Iodine Agreement, using iodine-containing bakers’ salt is not a legal requirement. Allergens should also be checked for the specific product, not assumed based on the type of bread alone.
Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the packaging you’re buying; to check for salt, look for the name of the ingredient used.
These examples show where you can compare bread and smaller, crunchy products. A listing for a whole loaf doesn’t confirm that it’s sold unsliced.
Sells both wholemeal bread and a separate range of toast products.
Offers wholemeal bread as well as a range of small toast products.
Rustiek volkoren desembrood is an option to consider if you’re looking for wholemeal wheat sourdough bread.
Sells freshly baked bread and a separate wholemeal option with a fibre and salt comparison.
Bolletje Volkoren knäckebröd vezelrijk is a crunchy alternative, not thick-cut bread.
Melba toast is a small, crunchy type of toast for anyone who isn’t looking for a thick slice of bread.
These round loaves are options to consider if you want to cut your own slices for a savoury breakfast. Before buying, check whether your chosen variety is delivered unsliced; the packaging size doesn’t confirm this.
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If you want to cut a thick slice for savoury toppings, check whether this loaf is delivered unsliced.
Round wholemeal loaf, 550 g. Only compare its fibre and salt content with other breads once you’ve checked the nutrition information per 100 g on the packaging.
Also check whether the slice thickness you want will fit in your toaster.
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If you’re looking for a multigrain loaf to cut into thick slices yourself, check whether this variety is delivered unsliced.
Round multigrain loaf, 550 g. The name ‘multigrain’ alone doesn’t tell you how much fibre the bread contains per 100 g.
Read the latest ingredients and allergen information, and check whether a slice you cut yourself will fit in your toaster.
Yes, if you want a small, crunchy base. If you’d rather have a single thick slice of toast for generous toppings, look for bread you can buy unsliced and cut yourself; Melba toast is a different type of product.
Compare the nutrition information per 100 g. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre uses this basis to compare products side by side. For this choice, you could look at fibre and salt, and separately check whether you can cut the bread to your preferred thickness.
Read the ingredients and highlighted allergens on the packaging of the product you’re buying. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the required labelling of allergens; for cereals containing gluten, the name of the grain is important. Also check for any warnings about cross-contamination.
No, don’t assume that it does. In 2008, the Government Gazette described efforts to encourage the use of iodised salt in bread-making. However, according to the explanatory notes for the Dutch Bakers’ Salt and Iodine Agreement, its use isn’t a legal requirement. Check the ingredients list on the bread you choose.
