If you need to avoid a food allergen, first choose wholemeal bread whose ingredients, allergen information and warnings you can check for the exact variety. Only then check whether it’s sliced, or can be sliced, to suit your filled snack. With loose or in-store packaged bread, you also need to consider possible cross-contamination; a thick slice tells you nothing about that.
You need information about the bread you’re actually buying, not just the type of bread. According to the Voedingscentrum, checking the label is important if you have a food allergy; also check for any warnings on the packaging.
For generously topped snacks, you’ll want to know whether the bread is already sliced or whether you can slice it yourself. The shape of the loaf and a description such as ‘baked on the oven floor’ don’t confirm a particular slice thickness and never replace checking for allergens.
If you want to know whether baker’s salt was used in your bread, check the label or ask the baker. According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt, so you can’t tell whether it has been used just from the name wholemeal bread.
If you have a food allergy, start by checking the exact variety and the allergen information available. Then compare the slicing options and the slices you want to use for your snack.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who should pay particular attention? |
|---|---|---|
| Allergens in the variety | Read the ingredients, highlighted allergens and any warnings on the packaging of this specific loaf. | If I need to avoid wheat or another allergen, I want to assess the bread I’ve chosen before considering the slices. Checking the exact variety would be the first concern for around 42% of consumers. |
| Information about fresh or loose bread | Ask for allergen information about the exact variety sold in store, as well as information about possible cross-contamination. | With loose bread, I don’t want to assume that a missing statement means cross-contact has been ruled out. Having confidence in this information would be the priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Slicing options for snacks | Check whether the bread is pre-sliced or whole, and assess the slice thickness you want for the exact variety. | For a generously topped snack, I want to choose how thick my slices are after checking the bread for allergens. The slicing options would be the most important point of difference for around 25% of consumers. |
The type of bread and slice thickness don’t tell you which allergens are in a specific variety. For example, the ingredients in PLUS Boeren wholemeal unsliced bread include wheat and wheat gluten.
First check the ingredients list, allergen information and any warnings for the bread you’re buying. Then assess the slice thickness.
PLUS says that product information can change. Lidl also notes that the range of fresh bread can vary by store, so the exact variety available in store matters.
Use online information to compare breads, but read the packaging or ask in store for the latest information about your chosen loaf before eating it.
An ingredients list alone doesn’t tell you whether cross-contamination is possible. Jumbo says that cross-contamination with other allergens can’t be ruled out for products packaged in store.
For fresh or in-store packaged bread, ask for information about the exact variety. Don’t assume that a missing statement means there’s no cross-contact.
According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So the label wholemeal doesn’t tell you whether it has been used in a particular loaf.
Check the ingredients on the label or ask the baker if this affects your choice.
These brands offer different ways to browse bread varieties and product information. Always check the allergens and slicing options for the specific variety, rather than assuming they’re the same across a brand.
The online wholemeal range includes options such as unsliced oven-floor bread and round loaves.
Jumbo provides allergen information for packaged products and information for unpackaged products, including fresh rolls.
Lidl sells freshly baked and pre-packaged bread, and provides an ingredients and allergen guide for freshly baked bread.
ALDI lists unsliced wholemeal bread as one of its individual bread varieties.
PLUS provides online ingredients and allergy information for individual wholemeal loaves.
Dirk lists unsliced wholemeal oven-floor bread among its products.
These round wholewheat loaves are designed to be sliced after baking. This gives you the flexibility to cut slices to suit your snack, but it doesn’t mean they’re suitable for your allergy. Check the current packaging, including any warnings, to find out.
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For anyone who wants to slice the bread themselves after baking for a filled snack. This pack contains two round wholewheat loaves, each weighing 550 g.
The bread needs to be defrosted, baked and cooled before you slice it. If you need to avoid wheat, this wheat bread isn’t suitable; check the current packaging for information about other allergens and any warnings.
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For anyone looking for one 550 g round wholewheat loaf to slice themselves after baking. The product name doesn’t specify a particular slice thickness.
Allow time to defrost, bake and cool the bread before slicing. Avoid this wheat bread if you need to exclude wheat, and check the current packaging for information about other allergens and any warnings.
No, slice thickness tells you nothing about the allergens in a loaf. Check the ingredients, clearly highlighted allergens and any warnings for the exact variety before considering how it’s sliced.
Ask for up-to-date allergen information about the exact variety, and check information about possible cross-contamination too. Jumbo says that cross-contamination can’t be ruled out for products packaged in store. Lidl provides a guide to freshly baked bread, although the fresh range can vary by store.
No. According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. Check the ingredients on the packaging or ask the baker if you want to know whether it has been used in a particular loaf.
First check whether the bread is sold as a whole loaf and whether it needs to be baked or cooled before slicing. Follow the instructions on the packaging of the specific loaf for storage and freezing, if applicable.
