If you’re looking for fully wholemeal bread, choose bread labelled ‘wholemeal’. A finer wholemeal texture may be worth trying if coarse slices are left uneaten. Brown bread can be a stepping stone, but it isn’t wholemeal bread. For your holiday, choose a loaf size that suits how much you’ll use, or freeze the bread in portions as soon as you buy it.
If coarse slices are left uneaten, you could see whether a finer wholemeal bread better suits their preferred texture. Check the label on the packaging: a fine texture doesn’t, by itself, tell you what type of flour has been used.
For breakfast, lunch and eating on the go, you don’t want to take more bread than you can use. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises freezing bread in portions as soon as you buy it if you want to keep some in reserve.
If you’re looking for wholemeal bread or need to consider a food allergy, check the product description, ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging when you buy it.
Start by asking which bread will actually be eaten. Then check whether it’s wholemeal and choose a size and storage method that suit your holiday.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who should pay particular attention? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and texture | Look for the word ‘wholemeal’ on the packaging and check whether the texture is fine or coarse. | If coarse slices are left uneaten, I want to try a finer texture without giving up on wholemeal bread. This combination is a priority for around 40% of consumers. |
| Holiday supplies | Compare the loaf size with how much you use and read the storage instructions; check whether you can freeze portions. | When holiday plans change, I want to be able to take out some bread without having to use a whole loaf at once. Around 30% of consumers prioritise this when choosing their supplies. |
| Labelling and allergens | Read the current product description, ingredients list and allergen information. | When I’m buying for someone with a food allergy, I need to be able to check the ingredients of that particular bread. An estimated 30% of consumers put checking the label first. |
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, brown bread is made from a mixture of wholemeal flour and white flour. So the colour alone doesn’t tell you whether a loaf is fully wholemeal.
Look for the word ‘wholemeal’ on the packaging. Choose brown bread as a stepping stone if you wish, but don’t treat its label as equivalent to wholemeal bread.
If you use less bread than expected, you could end up with a large fresh loaf left over.
Choose a suitable size or, following the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice, freeze the bread in portions as soon as you buy it.
Finely milled flour can still be wholemeal. Conversely, a soft texture doesn’t automatically make bread wholemeal.
Check the product description first, then choose a texture the eater is happy to try.
If someone has a food allergy, the ingredients in the bread you choose are what matter; additional ingredients can vary from one product to another.
Check the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging every time you buy it.
For anyone who wants to compare different styles of wholemeal bread within one range.
For anyone who wants to compare fine wholemeal bread with other wholemeal loaves or wholemeal rolls.
For families who want to try a finer wholemeal texture.
For anyone who wants to compare fine wholemeal bread with a separate extra-fibre option.
For anyone who wants to compare fine wholemeal bread with farmhouse wholemeal bread.
For anyone who wants to look at different wholemeal loaves, half loaves and wholemeal rolls.
If you’d like to try a different type of bread for your holiday, you could take a look at this Lebanese flatbread. The words ‘Whole Wheat’ in the name are no substitute for checking whether the packaging labels it as wholemeal.
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This Lebanese flatbread is worth considering if you’d prefer individual breads rather than one sliced loaf for your holiday.
Check the current packaging to see whether the bread is labelled as wholemeal, which allergens are listed and what the storage instructions are.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour, while brown bread is made from a mixture of wholemeal flour and white flour. White bread is made from white flour, so check the product description rather than relying on the colour alone.
If you want to keep bread in reserve, it’s best to freeze it in portions as soon as you buy it, as advised by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. Check the storage instructions and date on the packaging too, especially if there’s no freezer at your holiday destination.
Yes, if someone has a food allergy or intolerance. Check the current packaging every time you buy bread: as well as cereals containing gluten, other allergens may be present in the ingredients, depending on the loaf.
You can’t assume this is the case for every individual loaf. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that iodine compounds may only be present in bread through baker’s salt; this rule doesn’t mean that every loaf contains iodised baker’s salt. Check the ingredients of the bread you choose.
Use the product page to compare loaves in advance, but check the current packaging when you buy. PLUS notes in its product information that ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information may change.
