Choose bread labelled ‘wholemeal’ if you want to be sure it’s made with wholemeal flour. For a car journey, sliced bread is ideal for sandwiches you’ve made in advance, individual wholemeal rolls are easy to hand out, and crispbread makes a dry, crunchy base for later. Only take perishable fillings with you if you can keep them properly chilled.
Want to choose bread based on the type of grain and its nutritional information? Check the product name and compare the fibre per 100 g. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, the label ‘wholemeal’ tells you more about bread than its brown colour.
Sliced bread is easy to fill at home and share out. If the filling is perishable, it’s important to use a cool bag with ice packs for the journey; plan when you’ll eat it, too.
Crispbread that can be stored at room temperature makes a crunchy base for a snack later in the journey. Choose a filling that can be taken without refrigeration, or arrange to keep perishable ingredients chilled.
Best when: you’re making sandwiches at home to eat during the journey.
Bear in mind: soft bread can get squashed in a full bag, and perishable fillings need to be kept chilled.
Best when: you want to give each traveller an individual roll without having to divide up sandwiches first.
Bear in mind: the shape of a roll doesn’t tell you whether it’s wholemeal; check the product name.
Best when: you want to take a dry, crunchy base for a snack later.
Bear in mind: it can break in transit and isn’t a substitute for a soft sandwich.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and fibre | For bread, look for the label ‘wholemeal’ and compare the fibre per 100 g on the packaging. | If I’m deliberately taking wholemeal bread, I don’t want to rely on its brown colour alone. For around 42% of consumers, checking the wholemeal content and fibre comes first. |
| Transport and fillings | Decide when you’ll eat the snack and whether you can transport perishable fillings with ice packs. | A sandwich made in advance still needs to be safe to eat later in the journey, so I choose based on the refrigeration available. Around 33% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Packaging and availability | Choose a suitable size and check the exact product variant and label when you buy it. | For a short journey, I don’t want to take more bread than I need, and I want to be able to find the variant I chose. This is the main consideration for around 25% of consumers. |
A brown colour, visible grains or seeds don’t prove that bread is wholemeal. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre distinguishes between wholemeal bread and brown bread, which can also contain white flour.
If you want wholemeal bread, look for the label ‘wholemeal’ on the packaging and, if you like, compare the fibre per 100 g as well.
Choosing a dry or soft bread base doesn’t make a perishable filling safe to take without refrigeration. For these foods on the journey, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends a good cool box with ice packs or electric cooling.
Arrange refrigeration before you set off, or choose a filling that is less perishable.
Breads can also vary in salt content, ingredients, allergens and size. So the fibre value alone doesn’t give you the full picture of the product you’re taking.
Compare values on the same basis, such as per 100 g, and read the ingredients and allergen information for the product you’ve chosen.
A product name or ingredient list you’ve viewed before may not match the packaging you eventually receive. Albert Heijn and PLUS note that product information can change.
When you buy or receive the product, check the product name, ingredients and nutritional information on the exact packaging.
Albert Heijn offers, among other options, round, hearth-baked and tiger varieties of wholemeal bread.
Jumbo offers Fijn Volkoren, among other products, as a whole loaf of wholemeal wheat bread.
Lidl sells fresh bakery and packaged bread, and uses its own fibre guide on packaged loaves.
ALDI offers fine wholemeal bread, farmhouse wholemeal varieties and an extra-high-fibre option.
PLUS offers its own wholemeal bread, wholemeal tiger bread and Korenlanders varieties.
Dirk sells wholemeal bread alongside multigrain and sourdough bread, in both whole and half-loaf sizes.
These products include a soft flatbread option and a range of crunchy breads to take with you. First choose the type of bread you want; then check the ingredients, nutritional information and storage instructions on each pack.
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A soft flatbread option if you want to share out bread for a snack on the journey.
Check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging. Keep perishable fillings chilled during the journey.
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A crunchy choice if you’re looking for a dry bread base for later in the journey.
Protect the crispbread from breaking and follow the storage advice on the packaging. Check the allergens if they’re relevant to your choice.
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This smaller pack of crispbread is a good choice if you want to take a dry snack base with you.
Read the ingredients and allergens on the exact packaging. Perishable fillings need to be kept chilled separately.
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A crunchy bread option if you don’t need a soft sandwich.
The listed ingredients include wheat flour as well as wholemeal flour. If a base made entirely from wholemeal grain is important to you, check the ingredients on the packaging.
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A dry, crunchy option if you want to take bread for later.
If you want to compare this product’s fibre, check the value per 100 g on the packaging. Also check the allergens and storage advice.
Check whether the bread packaging says ‘wholemeal’. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour; its brown colour alone doesn’t guarantee this. To compare fibre, check the nutritional information per 100 g for the products you’re considering.
Take a cool box if you’re carrying perishable fillings such as meat, fish, dairy or sliced vegetables. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends a good cool box with ice packs or an electric cool box; without proper refrigeration, you can choose a less perishable filling instead.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, don’t leave food that spoils quickly out of the fridge for more than 2 hours. So during a car journey, keep track of how long the filling has been unrefrigerated, even if it’s already in a sandwich.
Don’t assume it does without checking the label. Albert Heijn lists iodised salt for AH Rond volkoren heel; check the ingredients on the packaging of the bread you’re actually buying.
You can, if the storage instructions for the product allow it. Albert Heijn says you can freeze AH Rond volkoren heel at home on the day you buy it, and PLUS says the same for Boeren volkoren heel; PLUS recommends using its product within one month. Follow the instructions on the packaging you choose.
