Only choose tiger bread once you’ve checked the current ingredients and allergen warnings for the allergen you need to avoid; a premium look says nothing about whether it’s suitable for someone with an allergy. The standard tiger breads from Albert Heijn and PLUS that we checked contain wheat, so they’re not suitable if you need to avoid wheat or gluten. Once the allergen information confirms a bread is suitable for you, you can compare white, wholemeal and bake-at-home options.
The standard tiger breads we checked contain wheat. Look for an alternative that suits your dietary needs: if you have coeliac disease, check for a gluten-free label; if you have a wheat allergy, check the ingredients for wheat too. A gluten-free label alone won’t answer every question about a wheat allergy.
Even if wheat isn’t an ingredient you need to avoid, a warning about milk, sesame or soya, for example, may still be important. Check the warnings for the specific bread against the allergens you need to avoid.
If the allergen information confirms that several breads are suitable, you can compare white, wholemeal and bake-at-home products by their nutritional information and preparation requirements. This second step doesn’t replace checking the ingredients.
First, decide which ingredient or warning matters most to you. Then compare the bread options that remain.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Avoiding wheat and gluten | Check the ingredients and allergen information for wheat and cereals containing gluten. If you follow a gluten-free diet, look for a suitable alternative with an explicit gluten-free label; if you have a wheat allergy, also check whether the alternative contains wheat. | If I have coeliac disease or a wheat allergy, I don’t want to choose bread containing the ingredient I need to avoid; around 36% of consumers prioritise excluding wheat or gluten. |
| Possible cross-contamination | As well as checking which allergens are present, read any ‘may contain’ warning and consider whether it applies to your specific allergen. | If I can eat wheat but need to avoid sesame, for example, I also want to know whether sesame is listed as a possible cross-contaminant; this warning is the main concern for around 29% of consumers. |
| Up-to-date allergen information | Read the packaging of the bread you buy or receive. For unpackaged bread, ask for the allergen information at the point of sale before buying. | When buying bread from the bakery section, I want to be able to check the allergens rather than rely on the product name; up-to-date information is the main priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Choosing between suitable options | Only compare the nutritional information per 100 g once you’ve checked the allergens, and check whether a bake-at-home product needs to be prepared at home. Check which salt ingredient is listed if the type of salt matters to you. | If the allergen information confirms that several breads are suitable, I want to compare white, wholemeal and bake-at-home options for nutrition and preparation; this choice matters most to around 14% of consumers. |
‘Premium’, ‘artisan’ and the tiger-patterned crust say nothing about the allergens present. The standard tiger breads from Albert Heijn and PLUS that we checked contain wheat.
First, read the ingredients, the allergens listed and any warnings about possible cross-contamination.
Warnings about possible allergens vary between the breads we checked. For example, product pages from Albert Heijn and PLUS list milk, sesame and soya, among others, as possible allergens.
Check both parts of the allergen information for the allergen you need to avoid. If the bread is unpackaged, ask for the information at the point of sale if necessary.
Albert Heijn and PLUS state that ingredients and allergy information can change. So the same product name is no substitute for checking the current information for the bread you’re buying.
Check the packaging every time you buy, or, for unpackaged bread, the information available at the point of sale.
Albert Heijn provides online information about ingredients, nutrition and allergens for products including AH Tijger wit heel and AH Tijger volkoren heel.
PLUS lists ingredients and allergens for products including Boeren tijger wit and Volkoren tijger, and also offers tiger rolls to bake at home.
Lidl lists tiger white and tiger wholemeal as freshly baked in-store products, and provides a separate ingredients and allergen list for its oven-fresh range.
The standard tiger breads from Albert Heijn and PLUS that we checked aren’t gluten-free: their product information lists wheat or other cereals containing gluten. If you need to follow a gluten-free diet, choose an alternative with an explicit gluten-free label and check the current packaging. If you have a wheat allergy, you’ll also need to check the ingredients specifically for wheat.
According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, information about allergens present must be available where unpackaged bread is sold. If you can’t find it straight away, ask before buying.
Use the online list to compare breads in advance, but also check the packaging of the bread you actually buy or receive. Albert Heijn and PLUS state that ingredients and allergy information can change; for unpackaged bread, ask for the current information at the point of sale.
Check the ingredients for the specific bread; the name ‘tiger bread’ doesn’t tell you which salt ingredient has been used. For example, PLUS lists baker’s salt for Boeren tijger wit, but that doesn’t tell you anything about other varieties.
