Sliced wholemeal bread is an easy choice for a quick lunch. A wholemeal hearth-baked loaf or sourdough might suit soup or a lunch with guests, particularly if you’re looking for a certain crust or shape. For any loaf, check that it’s labelled wholemeal, and compare fibre and salt per 100 g, as well as any allergens. On their own, ‘hearth-baked’ and ‘sourdough’ tell you nothing about these. What you add to your lunch matters too: consider your filling, and include vegetables or fruit, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
If bread is the starting point for your lunch at work, while studying or at home, you’ll want to know whether it’s wholemeal and what you’re eating with it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists wholemeal bread as a lunch option and also recommends paying attention to fillings, vegetables and fruit.
For soup, salad or a lunch with guests, the crust, shape or sourdough flavour may be part of your choice. Also check that the bread is labelled wholemeal and review its nutritional information.
If wheat, gluten, nuts, sesame or salt matter to your choice, check the current label. Wholemeal bread made with wheat isn’t gluten-free. Any warnings about possible traces of other allergens may also be relevant.
Sliced wholemeal bread is a practical choice for a quick lunch. A wholemeal hearth-baked loaf or sourdough might be a better fit if the crust or size matters to you. Compare the nutritional information separately from these preferences.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who might find this important? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check the product description and ingredients, and compare fibre per 100 g. | I want the label to show that my lunch bread is wholemeal and how much fibre it contains. This is the top priority for around 40% of consumers. |
| The whole lunch | Think about what you’ll use as a filling and whether you’ll add vegetables or fruit. | A sandwich on its own isn’t my whole lunch. I also want to choose what goes in it and what I eat alongside it. This is the biggest consideration for around 30% of consumers. |
| Crust and size | Choose a shape that works for serving with, for example, soup or salad. Also check that the bread is wholemeal. | For a lunch with guests, I want bread that’s easy to serve and has a crust I like. Around 20% of consumers say the eating experience is their main priority. |
| Allergens and salt | Check the ingredients, allergen information and salt per 100 g on the current label. | Before buying, I need to know whether the bread contains ingredients I avoid, or I want to compare its salt content. Checking the label is the main concern for around 10% of consumers. |
The shape, colour, grains used and baking method don’t tell you whether a loaf is wholemeal. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends checking the product description and ingredients.
Look specifically for ‘wholemeal’ and compare the nutritional information per 100 g for the breads you’re considering.
What you put on your bread and eat alongside it is part of your lunch too. Choosing a special type of bread doesn’t make those decisions for you.
Choose your fillings carefully too. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends fillings from the Wheel of Five, as well as vegetables or fruit, to round out your lunch.
ALDI compares its Extra Fibre Wholemeal Bread with standard wholemeal bread using NEVO-Online 2021 7.0. That comparison doesn’t automatically apply to another loaf.
Check what a comparative claim refers to, then review the nutritional information for the specific product.
Wholemeal bread may contain cereals with gluten. Some products also list other allergens or possible traces, which matters if you need to avoid an ingredient.
Before buying, check the full allergen information on the packaging or the current product listing.
A useful benchmark if you want to compare a wholemeal hearth-baked loaf with everyday bread.
A useful benchmark for comparing different styles and ingredients across a wholemeal bread range.
A useful benchmark if you’re looking for freshly baked bread and want to check allergens.
A useful benchmark if you want to compare standard wholemeal bread with a loaf making a specific fibre and salt claim.
A useful benchmark for wholemeal bread in a different shape, such as sourdough baguette.
A useful benchmark if you want to compare a wholemeal hearth-baked loaf with other bread shapes.
These Joybuy options suit different ways of enjoying lunch: flatbread to share or dip, a rye bread product, and a round wholemeal sourdough loaf for a lunch where presentation matters. Check the shape, ingredients and any preparation needed for each product.
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The flatbread shape works well for a lunch with a dip or soup, and is easy to share. The product contains wheat and gluten. Check the packaging for the full ingredients and allergen information.
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This 500 g rye bread product is an option if you’d like to try a different grain as the base for your lunch. Check the packaging for its shape: the title says ‘bun’, while the product description also refers to sliced rye bread. The product contains cereals with gluten, including wheat and rye.
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This round sourdough loaf is ideal for a lunch where you want to serve a whole loaf. Allow time to defrost and bake; defrosting takes around four hours. The bread contains wheat and wheat gluten. Before comparing fibre and salt with other loaves, check the pack to make sure the figures are given on the same per-100 g basis.
No. These words alone don’t confirm that bread is wholemeal. Check the product description and ingredients. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre also distinguishes between the grains used and whether a product is wholemeal.
Think about your filling and what you’ll eat alongside it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre suggests considering fillings from the Wheel of Five, as well as vegetables or fruit, when putting together a lunch.
Wholemeal bread made with wheat isn’t gluten-free and contains wheat. If you have a relevant allergy or intolerance, check the ingredients, allergens and possible traces on the current label for the specific product.
Don’t assume so. Iodine may be present in bread through baker’s salt, but that doesn’t confirm which salt was used in a particular loaf. Check the ingredients list or ask the baker.
Follow the storage instructions for the bread you buy. For example, Albert Heijn says you can freeze AH Wholemeal Hearth Loaf on the day of purchase and use it within one month. Don’t automatically apply this product-specific guidance to other bread.
