Choose a half loaf if a whole loaf is more than you need for your work-from-home lunches. Go for soft white sandwich bread or toast bread if you mainly want to make sandwiches or toasties quickly, and compare the nutritional information if fibre or ingredients are important to you. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholemeal or brown bread is an alternative if you want to replace white bread as much as possible.
If you buy bread for just a few lunches, a half loaf may be a better fit for what you’ll use. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists bread as one of the foods most often wasted, so even with a half loaf, it’s important to consider how much you’ll actually eat.
If your lunch break is short, choose a type of bread that suits how you plan to use it. Dirk describes its Casino wit half as soft bread for sandwiches or toasties; Jumbo also sells a separate half loaf of white toast bread.
If white bread is often the basis of your lunch, you can compare the fibre, salt, ingredients and allergens in each product. The product information reviewed from Jumbo and PLUS shows that these details vary from one loaf to another.
First, work out how much bread you’ll need for your planned lunches, then choose a type. Next, compare the nutritional information and ingredients of the products you’re considering.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity and food waste | Compare the pack size with the number of lunches you have planned, and read the storage instructions. | If I only need bread for a few lunches, I don’t want to be left with slices I won’t eat. For around 42% of consumers, getting the quantity right is the most important factor. |
| Sandwiches and toasties | Check whether it’s white sandwich bread, toast bread, farmhouse bread or tiger bread, and choose according to how you want to eat it. | During a short work break, I want bread that lets me quickly make the lunch I have in mind. Around 25% of consumers say how they’ll use it and the texture they want come first. |
| Nutritional information and ingredients | Compare fibre and salt per 100 g; check the current ingredients and allergen information. Look for bakers’ salt on the label if it’s relevant to your choice. | If I eat white bread often or need to watch what’s in it, I want to know what this particular loaf contains. An estimated 33% of consumers say this information is their top priority. |
The Lidl product page reviewed shows an 800 g loaf of white bread, while product pages from retailers including PLUS and Jumbo do list half loaves of white bread. So a listing for white bread doesn’t necessarily mean it’s available in the pack size you’re looking for.
Before you buy, check the pack size, weight and availability at the retailer in question.
Jumbo lists 7,3 g of fibre per 100 g for its Wit Brood met Extra Vezels - Half. That doesn’t automatically make it wholemeal; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as much as possible.
If they matter to you, compare both the type of bread and the fibre per 100 g.
PLUS lists wheat, soya and milk among the ingredients for its Boeren wit half. A product name doesn’t tell you which ingredients or allergens are in a particular loaf.
Read the current ingredients list and allergen information on the pack you’re buying.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, using bakers’ salt when baking bread isn’t compulsory. So you can’t tell whether it’s present just from the description ‘white bread’.
If bakers’ salt matters to your choice, check the label or ask about the ingredients when buying unpackaged bread.
Albert Heijn lists half loaves of white bread online, including AH Vezelrijk wit half.
Jumbo has product pages for several types of half loaves of white bread, including farmhouse, toast and extra-fibre varieties.
PLUS lists products including Boeren wit half and boeren tijger wit half.
ALDI lists white bread in a half-loaf size and describes both half and whole loaves in its bread range.
Dirk lists Bakker van der Akker Casino wit half as an option for sandwiches or toasties.
The Lidl product page reviewed shows an 800 g loaf of white bread, available in store only.
No. A half loaf only helps if the quantity suits the lunches you’re using it for and you finish it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists bread as one of the foods most often wasted, so consider how much you plan to use and follow the storage instructions on the pack.
No. Adding fibre doesn’t make white bread wholemeal. Jumbo lists 7,3 g of fibre per 100 g for its Wit Brood met Extra Vezels - Half; if you’re choosing between white and wholemeal bread, check the type of bread on the label too.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bread doesn’t have to be baked with bakers’ salt. If its presence matters to your choice, check the ingredients on the label or ask about it when buying unpackaged bread.
Check the allergen information for the specific loaf, not just its name. The product information reviewed for PLUS Boeren wit half lists wheat, soya and milk, among other ingredients; ingredients and warnings may differ for another loaf or if the recipe changes.
