Choose a chocolate Dutch breakfast cake for this combination of requirements only if the exact packaging clearly confirms both its vegan ingredients and a Fairtrade statement covering the cocoa or chocolate. Plain Dutch breakfast cake may be suitable for a vegan diet if the ingredients allow, but without cocoa it does not meet the requirement for Fairtrade cocoa. A supermarket’s Fairtrade range or a picture of chocolate alone confirms neither attribute for the cake you are buying.
You want to know whether the Dutch breakfast cake contains animal-derived ingredients, so you look beyond the product name. If the origin of an additive is unclear, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises that you ask the manufacturer for clarification.
You want the cocoa or chocolate in your Dutch breakfast cake specifically to carry a Fairtrade statement. A shop that also sells Fairtrade products cannot confirm this for an individual variety of cake.
You are looking for a Dutch breakfast cake or cake bar for breakfast or a snack, and want to compare sugars, fibre, portion size and any sweeteners. Assess this information separately from the vegan ingredients and the Fairtrade statement.
If you want both vegan Dutch breakfast cake and Fairtrade cocoa, start with the packaging for the exact variety: each attribute needs to be checked separately. If Fairtrade cocoa is not essential for this purchase, plain Dutch breakfast cake is also an option.
Suitable when: You are looking for vegan Dutch breakfast cake but do not require Fairtrade cocoa in this product.
The trade-off: Without cocoa, the cake does not meet the requirement for Dutch breakfast cake with Fairtrade cocoa.
Suitable when: The exact variety suits your vegan requirements and carries a product-specific Fairtrade statement covering its cocoa or chocolate.
The trade-off: Cocoa in the ingredients list does not prove Fairtrade status. You also need to assess the vegan ingredients separately.
Suitable when: You want to choose the cocoa and other ingredients yourself.
The trade-off: You will need to source the ingredients and make the cake yourself; Fairtrade cocoa powder says nothing about the status of ready-made Dutch breakfast cake.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who does this matter to? |
|---|---|---|
| Vegan and Fairtrade cocoa | For the same variety, check for a vegan statement or suitable ingredients, as well as a Fairtrade statement that applies to the product’s cocoa or chocolate. | I want to buy chocolate Dutch breakfast cake without having to rely on a general claim about the shop. Around 46% of consumers prioritise confirmation of both attributes. |
| Vegan ingredients | Read the ingredients list; if any additives are unclear, ask the manufacturer for clarification. Assess any warning about possible milk contact separately. | My priority is making sure the cake contains no animal-derived ingredients, even if I do not always want cocoa. For around 36% of consumers, certainty about ingredients is the top priority. |
| Nutritional information | Compare sugars and other nutritional values per 100 g, and also check the portion size and any information about sweeteners. | If I take Dutch breakfast cake as a snack, I want to know what the portion I have chosen contains. This nutritional information is the main concern for around 18% of consumers when buying. |
The fact that a supermarket sells Fairtrade products does not tell you whether the cocoa in a specific variety of Dutch breakfast cake is Fairtrade. Nor does it tell you whether the cake is vegan.
Check the packaging for the flavour and pack size you are actually buying for a Fairtrade statement that applies to that product.
The ingredients list tells you whether cocoa has been used, but it does not confirm Fairtrade status by itself.
Check the origin claim separately on the packaging of the exact variety of cake.
A statement about sugar does not tell you whether the Dutch breakfast cake is vegan or contains Fairtrade cocoa. For varieties with sweeteners, the information about these is also relevant to your comparison.
Check the ingredients and nutritional values per 100 g, and verify the vegan ingredients and Fairtrade cocoa separately.
These names may help you compare Dutch breakfast cake and varieties containing cocoa; their inclusion here does not confirm that any particular cake is both vegan and made with Fairtrade cocoa.
Peijnenburg sells Dutch breakfast cake and a Tussendoor+ Choco variety. You can assess the ingredients and nutritional information for each product individually.
Its range of Dutch breakfast cake includes varieties whose ingredients and nutritional information you can compare.
PLUS may be worth checking if you are comparing own-brand products containing cocoa.
Jumbo is one place to look if you are considering Fairtrade products alongside Dutch breakfast cake.
Lidl lists a Dutch breakfast cake zero product; this is a separate variety to assess using its label information.
Aldi may be worth checking if you are looking at Fairtrade products and Dutch breakfast cake in the same shop.
This Dutch breakfast cake is worth considering if Fairtrade cocoa is not essential for this purchase. If you want both attributes, check the packaging of a cocoa or chocolate variety for its vegan ingredients and Fairtrade statement.
No image available
Worth considering if you are looking for Dutch breakfast cake and Fairtrade cocoa is not a requirement. To check whether it suits a vegan diet, look at the current ingredients and statements on the packaging; the product information warns that the cake may contain milk.
Pack weight: 250 g.
No. A Fairtrade range does not confirm that an individual Dutch breakfast cake contains Fairtrade cocoa. Check the packaging of the exact variety to see whether the Fairtrade statement applies to the cocoa or chocolate in that product.
Read the full ingredients list and look out for milk, eggs, honey and gelatine, among other things. If the origin of an additive is unclear, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises asking the manufacturer for clarification rather than making assumptions.
No. According to information from the Netherlands Nutrition Centre and allergen guidance, this type of warning refers to the possible presence of milk due to cross-contact, not milk listed as an ingredient. Read both statements separately; the warning is also important if you have a milk allergy.
First compare the nutritional information per 100 g, then check the weight of a portion. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists sugars, fat and salt among the details shown in a nutrition table; also check the ingredients if you want to look at fibre or sweeteners.
You cannot assume that every Dutch breakfast cake does. To find out what information is available for a particular cake, check the packaging or ask the manufacturer which baker’s salt was used.
