If you want to make toasted sandwiches or generously filled sandwiches in a hurry, start with bread explicitly sold as sliced and check the slices themselves before relying on them to be sturdy. If you want to choose the thickness yourself, you can slice a whole loaf, but it takes time. Also compare the ingredients, nutritional information and loaf size with what you’ll actually use.
You want to take sandwiches, toasted sandwiches or snacks with you, and are looking for slices that feel big and sturdy enough for your fillings. Check the slice itself: the word ‘sliced’ doesn’t tell you how thick it is.
You want to know whether your everyday bread is wholemeal, and compare the fibre and salt on the packaging. That’s a different consideration from the thickness of a slice.
You don’t want to buy more bread than you’ll use. A half loaf or a product with suitable storage instructions may be more practical; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists bread among the foods that are often wasted.
First decide whether you want ready-sliced bread or would rather choose the thickness yourself. Then check the nutritional information and how much bread you can use or store.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Slice thickness and sturdiness | Check whether the bread is sliced and look at the slice itself. The weight of a portion doesn’t prove how thick a slice is. | For a toasted sandwich or generous fillings, I want a slice that stays intact while I’m making it. Around 40% of consumers give slice thickness and sturdiness top priority. |
| Wholemeal, fibre and salt | Read the product name and ingredients, and compare fibre and salt per 100 g. | If bread is a regular part of my meals, I want to know what’s in it according to the label. For around 30% of consumers, this nutritional information comes first. |
| Size and storage | Choose a suitable half or whole loaf and follow the storage instructions for the product you’ve selected. | In a small household, I want to avoid wasting leftover bread. Loaf size and storage are the main concern for around 30% of consumers. |
‘Multigrain’ doesn’t necessarily mean that a loaf is wholemeal. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, you can check the grains used and the ingredients separately on the label.
If you’re specifically looking for wholemeal bread, check both the product name and the ingredients list.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains how iodine compounds may be present in bread through baker’s salt. This doesn’t mean that every loaf contains iodised salt.
Check the ingredients list for a mention of iodised salt on the bread you choose.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists bread among the foods that are often wasted. A whole loaf isn’t necessarily convenient if you only use a few slices.
Consider buying half a loaf or check whether the label gives instructions for freezing your bread.
A label saying that bread is sliced, or the stated weight of a loaf, doesn’t tell you how thick or sturdy the individual slices are.
Check the slice in the shop or once you’ve opened the loaf before relying on it to hold generous fillings.
The online bread range includes sliced wholemeal bread and sourdough, among other options.
The bread range includes various wholemeal options and half loaves.
Lidl describes Knip volkoren as an 800 g sliced artisan loaf, available in store only.
The fresh daily range includes half and whole wholemeal loaves, among other options.
The wholemeal range includes various types of bread in whole and half sizes.
The bread range includes Bakker van der Akker varieties, including wholemeal bread and tin loaves.
These two round loaves suit anyone who wants to slice the bread themselves after baking, to get the right thickness for their fillings. If you need ready-sliced bread, that’s a different practical choice.
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For anyone who’d rather slice their bread to the thickness they want after baking. According to the product name, the pack contains two 550 g loaves; bear in mind that baking and cooling take time.
The available baking instructions give different timings. Check the instructions on the packaging before preparing the bread. Once sliced, check whether the slices are sturdy enough for your fillings.
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For anyone who wants to choose the slice thickness themselves after baking. According to the product name, this round wholemeal loaf weighs 550 g; baking and cooling take time.
The product information says to store it in the freezer before baking. Follow the product’s storage instructions and check how sturdy the slices are once you’ve cut the loaf.
Not from the word ‘sliced’ or the weight of the loaf alone. Albert Heijn lists portions of 35 g for AH Liefde & Passie Petit volkoren gesneden, while Lidl describes Knip volkoren as an 800 g sliced loaf. Neither of these details tells you how thick the slices are. Check the slice itself if it’s important for your fillings.
No. The word ‘multigrain’ doesn’t tell you by itself whether a loaf is wholemeal. Check the product name and ingredients list if you specifically want wholemeal bread.
That depends on the bread you choose. For AH Liefde & Passie Petit volkoren gesneden, Albert Heijn says you can freeze it at home on the day you buy it and should use it within one month. For other bread, follow its own storage instructions.
No, the Dutch regulation described doesn’t require this for every loaf. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, iodine compounds may be present in bread, bread substitutes and other bakery products only through added baker’s salt. Check the ingredients list of the bread you choose to find out what kind of salt it contains.
Because the information needs to be up to date for the product you’re buying. Albert Heijn warns that ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information can change, and recommends checking the packaging even if you’ve already looked at the product page.
