If fibre is your priority for fakeaway night, choose a wholemeal bread format that suits your dish. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible. If the recipe or your guests’ preferences call for white bread, you can choose that instead. For either option, compare the nutritional information and ingredients of the specific product.
Choosing bread for burgers, sandwiches or a pita night, and want to replace white bread more often? The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists 3.4 g of fibre in a 50 g hand-cut slice of wholemeal bread, compared with 1.2 g in a 45 g hand-cut slice of white bread. The slices are therefore not the same weight, so compare products per 100 g too.
Sliced bread is handy for toasties, while a filled meal may call for a roll or pita. First, check which format your dish needs, then look for a suitable wholemeal option. For example, Jumbo lists wholemeal pitas and PLUS offers wholemeal rolls.
If allergens or iodised salt matter to your choice, bread colour won’t tell you what you need to know. Check the current ingredients and allergen information for the specific bread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers are not required to use bakers’ salt.
Start with the bread format your dish needs. Then compare the product name, fibre content and ingredients of the products available in that format.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and fibre | The product name and fibre per 100 g; when comparing portions, check the portion weight too. | If I want to replace white bread more often, I want to know whether the bread is genuinely labelled wholemeal and how much fibre it contains. Around 42% of consumers put this fibre choice first. |
| Bread format | Whether the product contains slices, rolls or pitas, how many you get and whether it needs preparing. | I need a different format for a filled meal than for a toastie, even if both breads are labelled wholemeal. The right bread format matters most to around 33% of consumers. |
| Availability and labelling | Where the specific bread is available and what the current packaging says about ingredients and allergens. | I only want to choose a bread if I can get it and check the ingredients that matter to me. Around 25% of consumers put this check before buying first. |
The colour or a general reference to grains doesn’t tell you whether all the flour used is wholemeal. In July 2024, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explained that a product can only be called wholemeal if all the flour used is made from whole grains.
Start with the product name, then compare the fibre per 100 g and the ingredients of the bread you want to buy.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers are not required to use bakers’ salt. So, buying bread doesn’t tell you which salt has been used in that product.
For packaged bread, read the ingredients list. For unwrapped bread, ask if iodised salt is relevant to your choice.
Ingredients and nutritional information can change, so a description you looked at earlier may differ from the packaging on the product you eventually buy.
Check the current packaging, especially if allergens, fibre or salt are important to your choice.
A useful option if you want to check the ingredients in a wholemeal loaf.
Worth considering if you’re looking for a wholemeal option for a filled meal as well as sliced bread.
An option to look out for in store if you’re after a fine wholemeal loaf.
Worth considering if you’re choosing between a fine wholemeal loaf and a separate extra-fibre option.
Provides product information to help you check the ingredients and nutritional value of a wholemeal loaf.
A brand to consider if a wholemeal batard suits your planned sandwiches or meal around the table.
These products offer different bread bases for a fakeaway meal: Lebanese bread, rye bread and a round loaf. Check each product separately to make sure its format and ingredients suit your dish and your preference for wholemeal bread.
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This Lebanese bread is worth considering for a filled fakeaway meal. Compare the fibre and salt on the packaging, and check the ingredients and allergens if they matter to your choice.
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Consider this rye bread if you’re looking for a different base for your meal. Check the format before buying: the product name says bun, while the description refers to sliced rye bread. If you’re specifically looking for fully wholemeal bread, check the packaging too.
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This round loaf could be a good fit if you want to cut your own slices for the meal. Check the ingredients if fully wholemeal bread is your starting point: the product lists wheat flour as well as wholemeal wheat flour. Refer to the packaging for preparation instructions and the basis for the nutritional values.
No. If fibre is your priority, a suitable wholemeal bread format is a sensible place to start, but the dish or your guests’ preferences may call for white bread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible. For a specific choice, compare portion sizes and nutritional information too.
Check the product name and ingredients, not just the colour. In July 2024, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explained that a product can only be called wholemeal if all the flour used is made from whole grains. Then compare the fibre per 100 g on the label.
No, you can’t assume that every loaf does: the Netherlands Nutrition Centre says bakers are not required to use bakers’ salt. For packaged bread, check the ingredients list for bakers’ salt or iodised salt. If it matters to your choice, ask about unwrapped bread.
That depends on the storage instructions for the specific bread. PLUS recommends freezing Boeren volkoren heel; follow the instructions on the current packaging of the bread you buy.
