Choose pre-sliced wholemeal bread and check the packaging to see whether the slices are medium-sliced: ‘fine’ and ‘sliced’ don’t tell you how thick they are. If you don’t eat much bread in your new home, a half loaf or freezing portions may suit you better. Compare speciality varieties using the current label, especially if ingredients or allergens matter to you.
A half loaf may be a better fit for how much you get through. If you buy a whole loaf, you can freeze portions; the Voedingscentrum recommends a shorter storage time for opened wholemeal bread in a kitchen cupboard than in the freezer.
Sliced wholemeal bread saves you the effort of cutting it yourself. If you specifically want medium-sliced bread, check the packaging or look at the loaf in store: ‘sliced’ doesn’t tell you how thick the slices are.
Check the current label for the specific loaf. The term ‘wholemeal’ doesn’t tell you which other grains or ingredients it contains, nor does it mean that a product is gluten-free.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Size and storage | Compare a whole loaf and a half loaf with how much you’ll get through, and check whether you can freeze portions. | If I live alone and don’t eat bread every day, I want to avoid a whole loaf being left uneaten. Around 40% of consumers put a suitable size and storage first. |
| Slice thickness | Look for ‘medium-sliced’ on the packaging or check the slices in store; ‘fine’ and ‘sliced’ don’t confirm the thickness. | For a quick lunch, I want bread that’s already sliced and has the thickness I prefer. That combination is the main priority for around 30% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen information; if you’re comparing a speciality variety, check its nutritional information too. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, I want to know what’s in the loaf before choosing it. Around 30% of consumers prioritise checking the label. |
These product names don’t necessarily tell you how thick the slices are. That can matter if you’re looking for a particular thickness for your sandwich.
Check the description on the packaging or look at the slices in store.
According to the Voedingscentrum, opened wholemeal bread keeps for 2 to 4 days in a kitchen cupboard and 1 to 3 months in the freezer.
Choose a half loaf if that better suits how much you eat, or freeze portions of a whole loaf.
Ingredients vary from product to product. For example, PLUS lists wheat, barley, soya and sesame in its reduced-carbohydrate wholemeal bread.
Check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of the loaf you’re actually buying.
The Voedingscentrum describes bread as a source of iodine, but the type of bread alone doesn’t tell you which salt was used in a particular product.
Check the label or ask the baker which salt was used if this information matters to your choice.
Albert Heijn has an online wholemeal bread category, including whole and sliced loaves.
Jumbo’s wholemeal range includes Fijn Volkoren and half-loaf options.
Lidl lists a half loaf of extra wholemeal bread as a store product.
ALDI lists sliced Fijn Volkoren as well as a separate extra-high-fibre wholemeal variety.
PLUS lists, among other products, a half loaf of farmhouse wholemeal bread and a reduced-carbohydrate wholemeal variety.
Dirk has an online search page for wholemeal bread.
If you’re considering this Bolletje product for your everyday sandwich, first check the packaging to make sure its product type and slice thickness suit what you’re looking for.
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If you want to use it as medium-sliced bread for everyday sandwiches, check that the product type and slice thickness on the packaging match your preference.
Pack weight: 500 g.
Wholemeal bread is one of the wholegrain products included in the Voedingscentrum’s Wheel of Five. Choose a specific loaf based on its ingredients, size and how quickly you’ll get through it.
Freeze portions if you won’t get through a whole loaf quickly. The Voedingscentrum says opened wholemeal bread keeps for 2 to 4 days in a kitchen cupboard and 1 to 3 months in the freezer; don’t eat mouldy bread.
No, ‘wholemeal’ doesn’t mean that bread is gluten-free. If you need a gluten-free option, check for an explicit gluten-free label on the packaging and read the ingredients and allergen information.
No, the name doesn’t tell you the iodine content of a specific product. The Voedingscentrum describes bread as a source of iodine; check the label for information about the salt used, or ask the baker.
Use online information to compare loaves, but also check the packaging of the product you buy. Albert Heijn and PLUS say that ingredients and allergen information can change.
