For a regular school-holiday lunch, wholemeal tiger bread is an obvious choice if your child enjoys it: the Voedingscentrum recommends wholemeal and brown bread as suitable choices for children aged 4 to 12. If your child is still getting used to wholemeal bread, try brown tiger bread or alternate it with familiar white bread. Check the product description, ingredients and allergen information for each variety.
Does your child already enjoy wholemeal bread? When choosing tiger bread, first look for the ‘wholemeal’ label and, if needed, compare the fibre content per 100 g. The colour of the crust alone won’t tell you what kind of bread you’re buying.
Does your child like the tiger crust but still need time to get used to wholemeal bread? Brown tiger bread or alternating it with familiar white bread could be a stepping stone, without treating brown and wholemeal as the same thing.
If you’re buying bread for someone with an allergy or intolerance, check the specific product. For packaged bread, read the allergen information; for unpackaged bread, ask what information is available at the point of sale.
When to choose it: if you want to choose wholemeal bread for a regular lunch and your child likes the taste and texture.
What to consider: a fussy eater may need time to get used to the wholemeal crumb. Check the allergens in the bread you choose, too.
When to choose it: if your child still refuses wholemeal bread and you want to try a brown variety as a stepping stone.
What to consider: ‘brown’ doesn’t automatically mean ‘wholemeal’, so check the product description before treating them as the same.
When to choose it: if your child will eat this variety and you want to alternate it with familiar bread at lunchtime.
What to consider: the Voedingscentrum recommends replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as much as possible, so don’t present white bread as equivalent to wholemeal.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and fibre | Look for the ‘wholemeal’ label and compare the fibre content per 100 g for the specific breads you’re considering. | If tiger bread is a regular feature at home, I want to know which variety is wholemeal rather than judging by the crust. This would be the top priority for around 50% of consumers. |
| Whether your child likes it | Check whether the variety you want is available as a whole or half loaf, and whether it’s described as white, brown or wholemeal. | If my child leaves a different type of crumb uneaten, I want to start with a smaller amount or try a stepping stone. This would be the top priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Label and allergens | Read the ingredients and allergen information, including ‘may contain’ warnings. If needed, check for ‘baker’s salt’ or ‘iodised salt’. | If I’m buying for someone with an allergy, I need to know the ingredients in this particular loaf. Checking the label would be the main priority for around 20% of consumers. |
The crust alone doesn’t tell you what grains the bread contains. According to the Voedingscentrum, wholemeal bread contains the most fibre, vitamins and minerals of the bread types it compares.
If you specifically want wholemeal bread, look for that label on the loaf and, if you like, compare the fibre content per 100 g.
Wholemeal tiger breads from Albert Heijn, Jumbo and PLUS list different gluten-containing grains and potentially other allergens. ‘Tiger’ or ‘wholemeal’ won’t tell you which allergens apply to your loaf.
Read the allergen information for each product. If you’re buying unpackaged bread, ask about the allergens it contains before you buy it.
The Voedingscentrum identifies bread made with iodised baker’s salt as an important source of iodine in the Netherlands. That’s no reason to skip checking the ingredients of an individual loaf.
Look on the label for ‘baker’s salt’ or ‘iodised salt’, and ask about it when buying unpackaged bread if necessary.
If your child doesn’t eat the new type of crumb, you could end up with leftover bread. The Voedingscentrum lists bread as a food that is often wasted.
Where possible, choose a half loaf to try. If you want to store bread in the freezer, follow the instructions for that specific product.
Albert Heijn sells both AH Tijger volkoren heel and Tijgerbrood tarwe, giving you two differently labelled options to compare within its range.
Jumbo Boeren Tijger Volkoren is a wholemeal wheat loaf, and Jumbo provides its ingredients and nutritional information.
PLUS Korenlanders Boeren tijger volkoren is a half-sized, part-baked variety for anyone who wants to start with a smaller loaf.
ALDI describes Boeren tijger volkoren heel as a whole, pre-sliced loaf.
Lidl lists Tijger volkoren as an 800 g loaf available in store.
Dirk describes Bakker van der Akker Boeren tijger bruin heel as tiger bread with a brown crumb.
For a regular lunch, you could start with wholemeal tiger bread if your child will eat it. The Voedingscentrum recommends wholemeal and brown bread as suitable choices for children aged 4 to 12, and advises replacing white bread with these types of bread as much as possible. Also check that the allergens in the bread you choose are suitable.
No. A brown crumb or tiger crust doesn’t prove that bread is wholemeal. If you want to buy a wholemeal variety, look for the ‘wholemeal’ label and read the ingredients of the specific loaf.
Look for ‘baker’s salt’ or ‘iodised salt’ in the ingredients, or ask about it when buying unpackaged bread. The Voedingscentrum identifies bread made with iodised baker’s salt as an important source of iodine in the Netherlands, but you’ll need to check the label for each loaf.
Ask at the point of sale before buying the bread. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, sellers must inform customers about allergens in unpackaged foods. If needed, ask them to check which specific gluten-containing grain the bread contains, too.
Follow the storage instructions for the bread you buy. Jumbo says that Boeren Tijger Volkoren can be frozen at home on the day of purchase and should be used within one month. Don’t assume the same applies to other breads.
