If you want to serve rye bread alongside an Asian meal and wholemeal matters to you, start with the product description and ingredients, not the dark colour. Then compare the fibre and salt per 100 g, and check which grains and allergens are listed on the chosen pack. Rye bread can be part of the meal, but its ingredients vary from product to product.
You’re looking for rye bread to serve with a meal and want to be able to tell whether your chosen variety is wholemeal. The product description, ingredients and fibre per 100 g give you a better guide than the colour of the bread.
You want to know which grains and any allergens are listed on the pack before you buy. Rye contains gluten, according to the Voedingscentrum; other ingredients and warnings may also be relevant for individual products.
You’re looking at rye bread in different supermarkets and want to identify the right variety. A listing in an online range doesn’t tell you which ingredients and nutritional values are shown on the pack in your shop.
First, decide what role the rye bread will play in the meal. Then compare the product descriptions, nutritional information and ingredients of the packs you’re actually considering.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and fibre | Read the product description and ingredients; compare fibre per 100 g. | If fibre is at the top of my shopping list, I want to be able to check the wholemeal description and compare products using the same unit. This is the most important consideration for around 46% of consumers. |
| How it fits into the meal | Check which grains are used, the salt content per 100 g and the pack size. | I want to know which bread I’ll serve alongside the planned dishes and how much of the pack I’ll use. This is the main consideration for around 36% of consumers. |
| Gluten and allergens | Read the current ingredients and allergen information for the variety you’ve chosen. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, the pack needs to give me the information I need to make my choice before the bread is served. This check is the top priority for around 18% of consumers. |
According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, a product can only be described as wholemeal if all of its grain ingredient is wholemeal flour. The word ‘rye bread’ alone doesn’t tell you which other grains a particular variety contains.
The colour doesn’t tell you whether all of the grain ingredient is wholemeal. Nor does a fibre claim replace the product description and ingredients list.
Before comparing two varieties, check the description, ingredients and fibre per 100 g on the pack you’ve chosen.
According to the Voedingscentrum, rye is a grain that contains gluten. The ingredients in rye bread can also vary from product to product.
If you need a gluten-free product, don’t choose based on the name ‘rye bread’; check the description and allergen information for a suitable alternative.
You can’t tell from the name, dark colour or where it’s sold in the Netherlands whether rye bread contains salt with added iodine.
If the type of salt matters to you, look for a description of iodised salt in the ingredients list.
If rye bread is only one part of a single meal, you may have an opened pack left over.
Check the storage instructions on the pack and freeze portions if needed.
Bread you don’t use in time can dry out or end up being thrown away.
These shops list rye bread or similar varieties; check the description and details of the specific product before choosing.
Albert Heijn has an online rye bread category, with individual product pages for varieties such as Fries rye bread.
Jumbo lists wholemeal rye bread, among other products, as well as a SOMA rye and wheat variety.
Lidl lists rye bread in a wholemeal variety and a Westphalian variety, both in 500 g packs.
ALDI lists rye bread in its bread, crispbread and cracker section.
PLUS has product pages for Bolletje Fries rye bread and Brood van SOMA wholemeal rye bread.
Dirk lists a 500 g pack of Bolletje rye bread on a product page.
You could consider these rye bread products as a bread component alongside an Asian meal. If you’re choosing a wholemeal option, always check the description and ingredients of the variety you’ve selected.
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A pack of 9 pieces, handy for planning rye bread as part of a meal.
If you’re choosing a wholemeal option, check the product description and ingredients on the pack. Also check the allergen information if it’s important to your choice.
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You could consider this 500 g pack when rye bread is an accompaniment to the meal.
Before choosing this variety as wholemeal rye bread, check the grains and product description on the pack.
Start with the wholemeal description, then read the ingredients for the specific product. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, all of the grain ingredient in a product described as wholemeal must be wholemeal flour. Use the nutritional information per 100 g to compare fibre and salt between packs.
No. Standard rye bread isn’t gluten-free: according to the Voedingscentrum, rye is a grain that contains gluten. If you need a gluten-free alternative, check the product description and allergen information on the pack.
Read the ingredients list on the pack you’ve chosen; you can’t tell which type of salt is used from the name ‘rye bread’. Look for a mention of iodised salt if it’s relevant to your buying decision.
First, follow the storage instructions on the pack. The Voedingscentrum’s storage guide recommends keeping opened dark rye bread in the fridge for two weeks or in the freezer for one to three months; divide the pack into portions before freezing if needed.
