Only choose medium- or thin-sliced wholemeal bread if you have a food allergy after checking the ingredients, declared allergens and any cross-contamination warnings for the exact loaf. The slice thickness and the ‘wholemeal’ label say nothing about whether it is suitable for your allergy. If you need to avoid gluten, regular bread containing wheat, rye or barley is not a gluten-free alternative.
If you need to avoid milk, sesame, nuts, soya or lupin, for example, check the information for the exact loaf. Ingredients and warnings about possible cross-contamination are separate checks; your preferred slice thickness does not replace either of them.
Wholemeal does not mean gluten-free or wheat-free. According to the Dutch Nutrition Centre, gluten occur naturally in grains including wheat, rye and barley. If you follow a gluten-free diet, check explicitly that your chosen bread is gluten-free, whatever its shape.
If you’re looking for wholemeal bread that’s easy to top, you can compare slice thickness, loaf shape and nutritional information. Also check the current ingredients and allergen information for each product you’re considering: loaves from the same shop may not have the same ingredients.
Start by checking the exact loaf for the allergens you need to avoid. Only then compare slice thickness, loaf shape and nutritional information. Assess any cross-contamination warning separately from the ingredients list.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Your specific allergen | Read the ingredients and declared allergens for the exact product. | If I need to avoid a particular allergen, I first want to know whether it is in this bread; this is the priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Cross-contamination | As well as the ingredients, check for warnings such as ‘may contain’ or ‘not suitable for’. | Even if my allergen is not listed as an ingredient, I want to be able to assess any warning about it. Possible cross-contamination is the main concern for around 29% of consumers. |
| Everyday use | Check that the bread is wholemeal, look at the slice thickness and compare fibre on the same basis, for example per 100 g. | For my everyday sandwiches, I’m looking for a suitable slice thickness once I’ve checked the allergen information; this practical choice of bread is the main consideration for around 21% of consumers. |
| Additional nutritional information | Compare salt per 100 g. If you have been prescribed a low-iodine diet, ask for the specification of the bread you choose. | If I also need to watch my salt or iodine intake, I want to be able to check the details for this specific bread. This is the main additional consideration for around 14% of consumers. |
Regular wholemeal bread may be made with grains that contain gluten. The Dutch Nutrition Centre lists wheat, rye and barley among the grains in which gluten occur naturally.
If you follow a gluten-free diet, look for bread explicitly labelled as gluten-free and check its other allergen information too.
A warning about possible cross-contamination relates to a different risk from an allergen deliberately added as an ingredient. The product pages for Jumbo Fijn Volkoren and PLUS Korenlanders Rond Volkoren show such warnings for their respective products.
Read both sections for the bread you’re buying. If you’re unsure how a warning relates to your allergy, ask your doctor or dietitian how to assess it.
Ingredients and allergens can vary between products and varieties. PLUS also says that its ingredients and allergy information may change.
Check the packaging of your chosen product when you buy it, even if you’ve previously checked a different loaf from the same shop.
The Dutch Nutrition Centre describes bread as an important source of iodine in the Netherlands, but the term wholemeal does not tell you the iodine content of an individual loaf.
If you need to restrict iodine on medical advice, ask for the current product specification and follow your individual dietary advice.
Its online range overview includes a variety of wholemeal breads and loaf shapes.
The product information for Jumbo Fijn Volkoren lists its ingredients and allergens.
Lidl Netherlands has an ingredients and allergens list for its freshly baked bread range.
Aldi lists sliced wholemeal bread in its bread range.
Product pages for individual loaves from Plus provide ingredients and allergen information.
The online search results include half wholemeal loaves, among other products.
No, not if it is regular bread made with grains containing gluten, such as wheat, rye or barley. According to the Dutch Nutrition Centre, people with coeliac disease cannot tolerate gluten. Look specifically for gluten-free bread and check its label too.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that allergen information appears on the label of pre-packed bread. For unpackaged bread, ask for information about the exact product before buying, rather than relying only on the shelf name or loaf shape.
It is a warning that the named allergen may be present unintentionally, not a statement that it has deliberately been added as an ingredient. Read the warning alongside the ingredients list, and ask for individual advice if you’re unsure what it means for your allergy.
No. The term wholemeal does not mean that every loaf has a fixed iodine content. The Dutch Nutrition Centre describes bread as an important source of iodine in the Netherlands. If you need to restrict iodine on medical advice, check the specification of your chosen product and follow your individual advice.
