Choose wholegrain Melba toast if you want to make small topped toasts without any preparation, toastie bread for a hot sandwich, or wholegrain crispbread if you prefer a firm, dry base for cold toppings. For the option you choose, check the wholegrain label, nutritional information per 100 g and per serving, and the allergens. Don’t assume that toast contains baker’s salt.
If you want to serve something crunchy straight away, Melba toast is ideal for small topped bites. For a hot toastie, you’ll need bread that still needs preparing, while crispbread provides a firmer, drier base for cold toppings.
Compare the wholegrain label and fibre content per 100 g within the same product type. That way, you won’t base your choice on the colour of the toast or just the front of the pack.
Check the ingredients and allergen information for the specific option. The toast and crispbread products discussed here may contain allergens including cereals containing gluten, sesame or soya.
Choose this when: you want to make several small toasts with cold toppings, without any preparation.
Consider: these thin toasts are a different part of a meal from a slice of bread, and the amount of topping matters too.
Choose this when: you want to toast bread or make a hot toastie for one.
Consider: this isn’t ready-to-eat toast; you’ll need to prepare the bread first.
Choose this when: you prefer a firm, dry and crunchy base for cold toppings.
Consider: its texture differs from both thin Melba toast and toasted bread.
If you’re looking for a wholegrain toast-style base for a meal for one, first decide which feature matters most to you. Then compare the products and portions that fit the bill.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholegrains and fibre | Look for the wholegrain label and compare fibre per 100 g within the same product type. | If I want to replace white-flour toast, I want to know whether my choice is genuinely wholegrain. Around 36% of consumers would put this at the top of their list. |
| Meal format for one | Check the quantity in the pack and choose between ready-to-eat toast, bread to toast and crispbread. | For a small meal with toppings, I don’t want the same base as I would for a hot toastie. Around 29% of consumers would make the right meal format their top priority. |
| Allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen information for the specific option. | If I need to avoid certain cereals or other allergens, suitability comes before the texture I’d prefer. This would be the top priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Salt and baker’s salt | Compare salt per 100 g and per serving; check the ingredients separately for baker’s salt. | If I regularly eat toast instead of bread, I want to know how much salt is in my serving and whether it contains baker’s salt. This would be the main consideration for around 14% of consumers. |
An ingredient made with wholemeal flour doesn’t automatically make the whole product wholegrain. The Sansepolcro Toast with wholemeal flour described by Albert Heijn contains 36% wholemeal wheat flour, as well as wheat flour.
Look for the wholegrain label for the product type you’ve chosen, then read the ingredients list.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bread doesn’t have to be baked with baker’s salt. So you can’t tell whether it contains it just from the words ‘wholegrain’ and ‘toast’.
If baker’s salt matters to you, check whether it’s listed on the label for that option.
Jumbo lists 9.7 g of fibre and 1.9 g of salt per 100 g for Van der Meulen Melba Wholegrain Toast. For the half pack of Jumbo Wholegrain Toastie Bread described, the figures are 6.4 g of fibre and 0.98 g of salt per 100 g. These are different product formats, so one nutritional value won’t determine which is right for you.
First compare products of the same type per 100 g, then consider how much you’ll have with your meal.
The standard wholegrain toast and crispbread options discussed contain cereals with gluten; sesame or soya may also be relevant for some options.
Check the ingredients, allergen information and any explicit suitability statement on the current packaging.
Wholegrain Melba toast is a thin, ready-to-eat base for cold toppings.
The wholegrain toast described consists of small toasts for topped snacks.
Bolletje Wholegrain Crispbread is a toast-style alternative with a firm, dry texture.
The range lets you compare Melba toast and other toast products by their individual labels and ingredients.
The products described show the choice between ready-to-eat wholegrain Melba toast and bread for a hot toastie.
The wholegrain crispbread below is a good fit if you want a firm, crunchy base for cold toppings. It isn’t Melba toast, nor is it bread for making a hot toastie.
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A crunchy base for anyone who’d rather have cold toppings on crispbread than on Melba toast or toasted bread as part of a meal for one.
265 g pack. If wheat, rye, barley or sesame are relevant to you, check the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging.
Look for the wholegrain label on the packaging, rather than relying on a brown colour or a mention of wholemeal flour in the ingredients. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that, for small toasts and crackers, the ‘wholegrain’ label means the flour used is entirely wholemeal.
No. Melba toast is ready to eat and suitable for small topped toasts; toastie bread needs to be prepared before you can make a hot sandwich with it. Choose the format that suits the meal you want to make, then check the serving size.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, using baker’s salt when baking bread isn’t compulsory. If it matters to you, check the ingredients for the specific type of toast to see whether it’s listed.
Don’t rely on the wholegrain label to determine whether a product is suitable for a gluten-free diet. The standard toast and crispbread products discussed here contain cereals with gluten. Check the current allergen information for each option and look for an explicit gluten-free label.
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging and seal an opened pack as directed. For its Melba Toast Naturel, Albert Heijn recommends storing it in a sealed tin once opened; for other options, check their own storage instructions.
